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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?
Roald Dahl, sex spy?
This is entertaining. Roald Dahl, famous author of children’s stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and nasty little shockers such as Man From the South, was apparently a spy for the British government during World War II. His … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Horror
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The Montauk monster: a dead raccoon, after all…
Over the past week we’ve been treated to a barrage of news stories about a mysterious carcass which washed up on the beach of Montauk, Long Island, on July 13th. Dubbed “The Montauk monster”, it even rated a video bit … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Animals
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Skydiver takes out marching band
Ouch. On Thursday, a parachutist went off course during a jump at Fort Riley, Kansas, and crashed feet first into the 1st Infantry Division’s marching band. Three band members were significantly injured during the landing; video of the crash can … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Sports
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Rant time: The End of Theory? (Updated)
This one’s already been passed around the blogosphere like a cheap bottle of wine, but I feel the urge to comment on it myself. A recent issue of Wired Magazine has an essay by Chris Anderson with the very provocative … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science, Science news
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Still moving…
Whew! The fiancée and I are finally in the new house, after about four days of continuous work. I’ll try and get back into the blogging swing o’ things in a couple of days, though of course we’ve still got … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
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“You realize, of course, that chaos theory predicts that your criminal plans will fail.”
This one’s a shocker: Chris Noth is leaving Law & Order: Criminal Intent, to be replaced by… Jeff Goldblum. On the other hand, Goldblum does have experience playing in a disturbing, psychological drama (and I don’t mean Independence Day).
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment
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Irony
Last week I got a traffic ticket, and opted to do the ‘defensive driving course’ to save myself the insurance and license penalties. The course was the usual thing: most accidents are rear-end collisions, caused by people distracted by, for … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
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How my mind works
So I just got a new laptop from the university last week, and have started the process of moving all my files and software onto it. My old laptop, which still works just fine, I left at my girlfriend’s place … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
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Another unintentionally funny news title
I went to work out a little while ago and turned on Headline News to catch up. Violence has unfortunately flared in Lebanon again, and a CNN news crew is caught in the middle. CNN likes to update the caption … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
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Like a zombie, perpetual motion digs itself out of the grave, again
Wandering through StumbleUpon.com‘s science links often looks more like a drunken stagger through the realm of crackpot science. The previous one I found, using Coulomb’s law to get free energy, I passed along to Tyler to deal with as it … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Physics
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