Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

About Alex R. Howe

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

#22 – Nuclear War

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

The Cold War brought with it new tales of nuclear war in science fiction, both in the early days of the 50s and 60s, and later, when fears began to rise again. In this episode, we look at the highlights … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

TV Review: Cosmos: Possible Worlds

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Last fall, I posted about the newest season of Cosmos, “Possible Worlds.” That post only covered the first two episodes, since it was the premier night (on broadcast). I was going to update every couple weeks, but with all the … Continue reading →

Posted in TV Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on TV Review: Cosmos: Possible Worlds

#21 – Apocalypse How?

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In the 1950s and 60s, disaster and apocalyptic stories became prominent. However, the earliest ones could get pretty weird. It this episode, we take a look at the fantastic apocalypses that gave way to more realistic ones later on. Book … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Writer’s History #1 – Max Hawthorne Interview

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

For my first interview on the show, I spoke to Max Hawthorne, author of the paleo-fiction thriller, Kronos Rising, about his writing and his experiences with science fiction as a whole. Max’s website.Max’s peer-reviewed scientific paper on Plesiosaurs. Max’s book … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Writer’s History #1 – Max Hawthorne Interview

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 →

Posted in math, Video | Tagged , , | Comments Off on New Video: The Recamán Sequence

#20 – Philip K. Dick

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Despite his 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 →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Comments Off on #20 – Philip K. Dick

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 →

Posted in Current events | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Happy Science Fiction Day!

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 →

Posted in Physics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on What Is the Equation for the Strong Nuclear Force?

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 →

Posted in Physics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Debunking, Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Flat Earth Challenge Follow-Up: Refraction