Monday, April 28, 2014

My biggest article to date (and lots of other stuff, too)

Sometimes a journalist researches and writes an article and it's online that same day. Sometimes the process takes four, five or six months -- or more. This week embodied both of those extremes.

My biggest publication of the week also happens to be my biggest article to date: a massive feature on advanced driving safety systems that appears in the May/June issue of Consumers Digest (pictured). This article took seven months from assignment to publication -- most of which was spent researching, interviewing and reporting -- and I'm pretty darned proud of it. This article won't appear online as far as I can tell, but it should turn up on newsstands this week.


In other publication news, my latest two "Extinction Countdown" articles appeared at Scientific American:

Giant Tusked Insect Saved from Extinction (Just in the Nick of Time)

Blue-Footed Boobies Have Stopped Breeding—But Why?


And here's my latest article for TakePart:

Here's What Happened When a Family's Car Caught Fire in the Middle of a Lion Safari


And finally, here are a whole bunch of history, climate and science-related articles for Mother Nature Network:

Cooler summer predicted for Northeast, Great Lakes

10 things you didn't know about Johnny Appleseed

The strange history of the man-eating lions of Tsavo

Now you can use Google Street View to go back in time

Richard Proenneke: The man who showed us how to be alone in the wilderness

Graphene discovery: A low-end kitchen blender can make a high-end batch of this valuable material


That's it for this week (and I'm sure it was plenty!). Make sure to follow me on Twitter for links to more articles as they go live. Otherwise, I'll see you next Monday for another list of links!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Killer Fungi, Living Dinosaurs and the Next Big Thing

Let's start off this week's list of article links with my latest high-tech careers feature for Today's Engineer:

The Internet of Things: The Next Big Thing for Technology Careers


Next up, two new "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Bat-Killing Fungus Now Found in 25 U.S. States

Alligator Snapping Turtles, the Dinosaurs of the Turtle World, Are Actually 3 at-Risk Species


On a related note, here's an article for the May 2014 issue of Scientific American, adapted from one of my earlier online articles:

Continued Protection for the Regal Island Raptor



And finally this week, here's my latest article (a good wildlife success story) for TakePart:

Freedom! 130 Bears to Be Rescued From Chinese Bile Farm



I have quite a few new articles pending publication over the next week or three -- stay tuned for links as they go live!

Monday, April 14, 2014

Automotive Careers and Amazing Monkeys

Most journalists have at least one specialty or beat. I have several, as illustrated by this week's articles.

One of my favorite beats is covering technology careers. Here's my latest feature for IEEE's The Institute:

How to Get Hired in the Automotive Industry


The beat that makes makes my heat beat is endangered species. Here are my three latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, followed by one more related article for TakePart:

First-Ever Video of Critically Endangered Myanmar Snub-Nosed Monkeys

Killifishes Killed Off: 2 Fish Species May Be Extinct in the Wild

Weekend Species Snapshot: Spix’s Macaw


If This Oil Spill Isn't Cleaned Up, Endangered Sea Turtles Will Get a Crude Awakening


I also love covering anything that has to do with the environment, as in these articles for Mother Nature Network:

Infrared radiation could be the next big source of renewable energy

Deserts don't just absorb carbon dioxide, they squirrel it away for safekeeping

Another cause of California's drought: Pot farms


I have other subjects that I love to write about: entrepreneurship, philanthropy, comic books, history, new technologies... and yes, I have articles on all of those subjects coming up soon.

Anyway, that's it for this week's article list. Join me next Monday for more links from most of these same beats.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Lizards, Scooters and Firefighters

This might seem like a fairly light week, with only five published articles instead of the usual eight or so, but that doesn't convey how many articles I have in the editorial pipeline waiting for publication.

(There are a lot of them.)

But until those pieces turn up, here are last week's five fresh new articles -- from the pages of Scientific American, TakePart and Mother Nature Network -- presented for your eyeballs and enjoyment:

Unusual Night Lizard Returns after Eradication of Invasive Species

Sunday Species Snapshot: Puerto Rican Parrot

Sweet save! Firefighter Rescues Boa Constrictor Named Chocolate Chip From Burning House

Voila! Electric scooter folds up into a briefcase

Emoticon evolution: 21 different emotions mapped by new computer program


Come back next Monday for more -- or follow me on Twitter for links as they happen.