Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

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About Alex R. Howe

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

What If? Rejects #3.2: Planet of the Apes

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Randall Munroe’s What If? Previous post in this series: Stars Next post in this series: Um…? Q: What sort of logistic anomalies would you encounter in trying to raise an army of apes? Randall’s response: No response. My response: I’m … Continue reading →

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Classic Sci-Fi Recommendation: R.U.R. by Karel Čapek

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

As a sci-fi writer, I read a lot of classic science fiction, since reading is the second most important thing you can do to build a foundation for writing. (The first, of course, is writing.) I don’t normally review these … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #3.1: Stars

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Start of series: Teeth Previous entry: Tears Next entry: Planet of the Apes Q: Given humanity’s current knowledge and capabilities, is it possible to build a new star? Randall’s response: A guy with a weapon labeled Sun Obliterator (Beta) says, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Light Fantastic by Jeffrey Lang

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

I have another Star Trek book for you. The Light Fantastic by Jeffrey Lang is a follow-up to the Cold Equations Trilogy, as is written by the same author as Immortal Coil, which I also enjoyed very much when it … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Interstellar

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

There is a certain type of film that asks you to swallow a really implausible premise from the outset. For example, a giant monster movie will often ask you to accept that the best way to fight a giant monster … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #2.2: Tears

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Antimatter. Next post in this series: Stars. Today’s question for What If? Rejects: Q: Is it possible to cry so much you dehydrate yourself? Randall’s response: “…Karl [submitter], is everything OK?” My response: Surprisingly yes…if … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #2.1: Antimatter

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Fire. Next post in this series: Tears. It’s time for the third entry in my What If? Rejects series—questions too absurd for Randall to answer scientifically. Today’s question: Q: Would dumping anti-matter into the Chernobyl … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Cold Equations Trilogy by David Mack

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Just like Star Wars, I never got really deep into the hundreds of books written for the various Star Trek series. However, there have been a few that interested me over the years. I recently picked up the Cold Equations … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #1.2: Fire

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Teeth. Next post in this series: Antimatter. I am working through the questions in Randall Munroe’s book, What If? that Randall declined to answer. Here is the second one. Q. How many houses are burned … Continue reading →

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Dissecting Spam

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Alex R. Howe

How is it that spam/phishing emails can look so convincing in some ways, but so blatantly fake in other ways? It’s always baffled me how messages riddled with ch4racter substituti0ns can look at all legitimate and worth clicking on. Phishing … Continue reading →

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