Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

About Alex R. Howe

I'm a full-time astrophysicist and a part-time science fiction writer.

New Video: The Recamán Sequence

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

The Recamán sequence, or more properly Recamán’s sequence, is one of the more unusual sequences to make the rounds in the internet math community. The way it works is that the first term in the sequence is 1. Then, for … Continue reading →

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#20 – Philip K. Dick

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Despite is often inconsistent writing, Philip K. Dick is notable for having more film adaptations of his novels and short stories than almost every other sci-fi author, making him one of the most important writers of the New Wave. Here, … Continue reading →

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Happy Science Fiction Day!

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Today, January 2, is the observed birthday* of Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific science fiction (and science fact) authors of the twentieth century. In Asimov’s honor, January 2 is celebrated each year as National Science Fiction Day. (Which … Continue reading →

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What Is the Equation for the Strong Nuclear Force?

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Previously, I described how the weak nuclear force really is a force even though it’s almost never described as one. Instead of a simple inverse square law like gravity and electromagnetism, it decays exponentially so that it weakens over a … Continue reading →

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How Is the Weak Nuclear Force an Actual Force?

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

It’s time for another physics explainer. In an earlier post, I explained Lagrangian mechanics and why it uses the weird (to physicists) equation L=T-V. I thought I might do some more posts like that, and I found a topic that … Continue reading →

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Flat Earth Challenge Follow-Up: Refraction

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

One year ago today, I posted a Challenge to Flat Earthers on this blog. I proposed an experiment that could photograph the curvature of the Earth directly without having to worry about camera distortions, which is what Flat Earthers usually … Continue reading →

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#19 – The New Wave

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

In the 1960s, science fiction went through a major change as the New Wave moved it away from the hard sci-fi of the 50s into a softer, but more socially conscious space. In this episode, we overview the new ideas, … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New Video: Multiplication Tables Visualized

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Actually, I posted this video a couple weeks ago, but between my podcast and professional stuff, I haven’t gotten around to reposting it here. I’m trying to catch up on actual blog posts I have planned, so I thought I … Continue reading →

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#18 – Movies in the Golden Age

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Like books, movies and television also went through a golden age in science fiction in the 1950s. In this episode we explore the trends in the visual medium at the time and how they compared to print. Movie recommendation: The … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Book Review: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

In 2011, Ernest Cline wrote the bestselling book Ready Player One about a boy competing in a high stakes video game contest in the future virtual reality world of the OASIS. In 2045, the OASIS basically is the internet and … Continue reading →

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