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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. -
Category Archives: … the Hell?
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is trying to drive me insane
What a difference a letter can make! The Nobel Prize in Physics this year went to Charles K. Kao for developments in fiber optics and to Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith for the development of CCD cameras. Fiber … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
4 Comments
Cloud pareidolia of the day
On the way home from work the other day, I spotted the following cloud in the sky: So what does it look like to you?
Posted in ... the Hell?
8 Comments
Will the internet kill the university? Maybe, maybe not
A few days ago, Chad at Uncertain Principles commented on an article which predicts the death of the traditional university at the hands of online “colleges” offering unlimited classes for $99/month. I thought Chad did a fine job of tamping … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
6 Comments
Why I left experimental particle physics – a meandering story
Some time ago, I promised that I would tell the story of my transition from experimental particle physics to theoretical optics. With a lot of busy stuff going on at work and my research blogging efforts mired in some rather … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal, Physics
19 Comments
Catching “The Wave”: still relevant
Watching crowds of lunatic extremists attempting to shut down any reasonable debate about healthcare by shouting down politicians at town halls and even bringing firearms to protests is reminiscent of the scare tactics that brownshirts used to secure power in … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment, Politics
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The Linkin’ Log: August 2, 2009
Over the weekend, the wife and I went to Asheville, NC, to visit the Biltmore Estate and see a concert, which I will post about tomorrow. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a few tidbits from around the internet … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
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Scientific cranks: Going strong since at least 1891
It is easy to assume that scientific crankery is a relatively new phenomenon, perhaps fueled by the completely non-intuitive, sometimes intimidating nature of many modern scientific theories. In physics, for instance, most cranks spend their time attacking Einstein’s theories of … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
7 Comments
That’s roughly a ‘2’ with 16 zeros after it…
Via Huffington Post, we get the following bit of banking absurdity: A New Hampshire man says he swiped his debit card at a gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes and was charged over 23 quadrillion dollars. Josh Muszynski … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
3 Comments
Hollywood: Now officially out of ideas
Okay, now I think we can make this official: Hollywood is completely out of novel ideas. We started to suspect that this was the case when they started remaking very old classics such as King Kong, but at least there … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment
17 Comments
Oh, the things I hear
Overheard at the airport this morning, part of a conversation between two older ladies: “She’s really pretty. She has beautiful teeth.”
Posted in ... the Hell?
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Skulls in the Stars 