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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: Travel
Fossil Hunt: FAIL!!!
Well, I’m back from Chicago, and my fossil hunting expedition! My abilities to find fossils on this trip can be summarized by one word: FAIL!!! This was a field trip sponsored by the Field Museum of Chicago, a place I … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Travel
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Where the Hell is Matt? 2008
For those who’ve enjoyed Matt Harding’s delightful videos of himself dancing throughout the world, he has a new one, with “a cast of thousands.” This is the sort of video that, perhaps irrationally, gives me hope for humanity, and actually … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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Unconventional skydives: beach jumps!
Over Memorial Day weekend, i went with a group of friends to a skydiving party (‘boogie’) at the Emerald Coast Skydiving Center, which is near the Gulf Coast. The fun of this particular boogie is the ability to skydive over … Continue reading
Grounded!
Well, I’m back from my skydiving adventure at the Memorial Day Boogie at Emerald Coast Skydiving Center. Just like last year, the staff was friendly and helpful, and I managed to get eight jumps on the beach. There’s nothing like … Continue reading
Posted in Sports, Travel
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Vacation time!
Those who read me regularly may have noticed that I’ve dropped off in my postings lately. I’ve been preparing for a trip to Florida to skydive off the Gulf and land on the beach, and much of my time has … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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A brief San Antonio travelogue!
So I’ve been posting a little light this week because I’ve been in San Antonio on business. Now that the work is done, and I’m heading home, I thought I’d post just a few pictures of the highlights…
Posted in Travel
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A day at the Field Museum! (updated)
I’m in Chicago, visiting family for the holidays with my girlfriend, and we decided to hit the Field Museum of Natural History, one of my childhood haunts. I thought I’d do a little ‘photo highlights’ post about the things that … Continue reading
A ride on the Shanghai maglev train
I’ve been in a ‘magnet mood’ since I did my big post on the physics Nobel winners a week ago, and I thought it would be nice to show one of the most spectacular applications of magnetism – magnetic levitation … Continue reading
‘Old Europe’ vs. the United States
There was a nice article in the Washington Post today (h/t to Americablog) about the conventional wisdom view that ‘Old Europe’, i.e. the European Union, is stagnant and decadent. One hears this most from conservatives, who tout the transcendence of … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Travel
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Ukraine Travelogue, part 5: beautiful Kiev
I’m going to wrap up my discussion of the Ukraine with a collection of pictures, some panoramas, from its capital and largest city, Kiev. Lots of big pictures below the fold… (Note: some of the pics have been ‘squashed’ to … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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