About Robert Lamb
As a child, Robert Lamb dreamed of becoming a mad scientist when he grew up. As this profession later proved to be largely fictional, he swallowed his heartbreak and turned his attention to the written word instead. He earned his bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, which launched him on a path of positions such as high school teacher, journalist and newspaper editor. Robert finally landed a position as science writer for HowStuffWorks.com, which has allowed him to rediscover all the things that made the world seem so mad and amazing to begin with. He currently lives in Decatur with his lovely wife and their beautiful one-eyed cat.
Most Recent: Robert Lamb Postings
Space Music Vol. 8: Sun Ra and Afrofuturism
by Robert Lamb | February 9, 2010
It’s Black History Month, so is there a better time to discuss the space music of Sun Ra? Stick to the facts and you have in Herman Poole Blount (Ra’s birth name) a highly prolific and influential black musician. Take the artist at his word and you have a being from another planet, come to Earth to save us with a message of cosmic liberation.
As always, it’s best to tread a middle path between the reality and the myth. In this post we’ll explore Sun Ra’s origins and contributions, as well as just what Afrofuturism is all about. So don your favorite space robe and light-up Egyptian headpiece because we’ve quite the celestial crash course ahead of us.
Remember what summer was like when you were a kid? The season seemed to span an eternity and Christmas might as well have been a million years in the future. But then you grew older. Summers passed in quick succession, Christmases and birthdays swept by like pages in a flip book. Everything seems to be speeding towards an unavoidable conclusion.
Cosmic Megastructures: How to Enslave a Star
by Robert Lamb | January 29, 2010
The sun is the powerhouse for our solar system, heating the spheres with its radiation and holding everything from gas giants to asteroids in thrall to its massive gravity. Stars, in their various forms, are the most powerful forces in the known universe, so it only comes naturally that a species of egotistical apes would dream about capturing one and bending it to their will.
Meddling Kids Attempt to Thwart Book Trashing
by Robert Lamb | January 20, 2010
At the end of January 2010, Borders will ship unsold books from 200 closed Waldenbooks to a third-party liquidator. Whatever doesn’t wind up on a shelf somewhere goes in the trash, and the company has stated that there won’t be anything left over to donate. Needless to say, this plan has rubbed quite a few people the wrong way.
At this point in the Space Music series, we must turn our attention to the P-Funk Mothership AKA the Holy Mothership. You probably know this as the vaguely Apollo-esque UFO that P-funk icon George Clinton emerged from onstage during live performances of Parliament Funkadelic. But it is so much more. Click into the funk.
I know it’s hump day and all, so I hate to spread the bad news, but U.S. astronomers from Villanova University in Philadelphia are apparently saying they’ve spotted human civilization’s destined destroyer via the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. It’s name is T Pyxidis, and it’s a star set to explode in a supernova powerful enough to strip off Earth’s ozone layer .
Licorice! You might know it as the black jelly bean that makes you gag, the unsettling flavor in many a traditional liquor or, if you read this blog back in March, the candy that makes your transplanted kidney fall out. But hey, there’s more to licorice than puckered lips and catastrophic organ failure. Read on to find out how the black candy just might save a few lives.
Random Snowflakes: Lies, Solar Power, Slashers and Distractions
by Robert Lamb | December 28, 2009
Snowflakes are elegant examples of fleeting beauty, each a unique work on the verge of disappearance. But you already knew that, so let’s do this white Christmas right and discuss snowflake-related Flash-based eye candy, fractals, serial killers, comic books, fantasy epics, solar cells, satellites, holiday cards and my parent’s house. So grab a shovel (don’t actually grab a shovel) and venture into this post for a handful of snowflake-related links, tidbits, news articles and distractions.
Are we to blame for beached whales and dolphins?
by Robert Lamb | December 22, 2009
In my last post, I talked about the two varieties of whale stranding and Dr. Gregory D. Bossart ’s Science on Tap lecture on the topic at the Georgia Aquarium. This time around, I’m going to run through some of what Bossart had to say about the possible causes behind mass strandings. Sadly, a number of the cases point back to human alteration of the environment.
Last night I had the privilege to attend another Science on Tap lecture at the Georgia Aquarium, this time featuring Dr. Gregory D. Bossart, the aquarium’s chief veterinary officer. Bossart discussed a subject that he’s devoted much of his career to: the mysteries surrounding stranded marine life.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Public Service Announcement – Soft drinks nearly double your chances of pancreatic cancer
- Amazing – Going inside the Giant Crystal Cave
- Test yourself – What is your risk intelligence?
FanStuff
- What’s art — and what’s groundbreaking — in video games?
- Ursula K. Le Guin vs. Google Books: Round Two
- “Lost,” “Fringe” and That Whole Alternate Universe Thing
How-to Stuff
- How to Take a Road Trip, Abraham Lincoln-Style
- How to Explain Love in the Least Romantic Way Possible
- How to Quiet a Barking Dog
ScienceStuff
- Space Music Vol. 8: Sun Ra and Afrofuturism
- Stuff from the Science Lab Roundup: Space Eats and Grow Houses
- Why does time fly as you get older?
Stuff You Should Know
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
High Speed Stuff
- The Toyota Recall: Where can you get the latest information?
- What is Toyota doing to fix its gas pedal problem?
- High Speed Stuff Wrap-up: Automotive Pet Peeves and Polar Vehicles
Keep Asking
- How does an airbrush work?
- Is the Internet free? If you want to make a website, will it cost you to put it online?
- If you look at a piece of glass from an angle, why does it have a bluish or green tint?
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Last Week in History Podcasts: Battle Horses and Black Moses
- The Wonderful Adventures of the Nurse We Forgot
- Black History Month on HowStuffWorks


