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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
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Category Archives: … the Hell?
Fake Book Titles Extravaganza #4!
Time for another round of Fake Book Titles that I’ve done, compiled from twitter! You can see compilation 1, compilation 2 and compilation 3 at the links. Been struggling a bit more with inspiration the past few months, but let’s see … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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The first news report of the laser (1960)
So this year is the 60 year anniversary of the invention of the laser, which was finally accomplished by Theodore Maiman on May 16, 1960 (mark your calendar!). I recently wrote a blog post about the physics and history of … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Optics
2 Comments
Fake Book Titles Extravaganza #3!
Time for another round of Fake Book Titles that I’ve done, compiled from twitter! You can see compilation 1 and compilation 2 at the links. These have proven to be a welcome distraction in stressful times. And, wow, I’ve done … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
4 Comments
Effects of explosions on the ear (1887)
Here’s another blog post inspired, in part, by my work on my upcoming book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics! When we discuss our ideal impressions of science, we often imagine repeatedly doing laboratory experiments in which every variable is … Continue reading
A curious mathematical identity
Update: There is more subtlety to the infinite case, which I’ve now addressed in the post! Update 2: Learning so much messing with this! Added a bit more discussion near the end. So on twitter yesterday, the following mathematical identity … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Mathematics
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Fake Book Titles Extravaganza #2!
You may recall the big post I did back in December in which I shared a bunch of fake book titles that I had made and shared on twitter? Well, I’ve kept doing those fake titles regularly ever since then, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
2 Comments
Fake Book Titles Extravaganza!
I blame my twitter friend Bhaal_Spawn. One Friday, a couple of months ago, she joined into a #FakeBookTitleFriday hashtag, in which one Photoshops new (and silly) titles onto covers of old books that are otherwise suggestive. Her thread can be … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
2 Comments
1965: Rabbits versus relativity
One of a number of posts that I’ll be sharing based on things discovered during research into my book on cat physics, coming next year! The previous post on the Chandler wobble is another post in this series. The ability … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Animals, History of science, Physics
5 Comments
19th century optics FAILs
My recent post on the Pepper-Dircks ghost didn’t include even close to all of the interesting tidbits it could have! There are so many things to learn from the story of the ghost, including some lessons about optics. For example: … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Optics
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The tweet heard around the world: FAQ
Four days ago, a good friend of mine posted what I felt was an insightful comment on Facebook about the aftermath of the election that I thought was worth sharing. They gave me permission to share it on twitter, under … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal, Politics
