Talking Tigers & Turkeys

Last week was a short, holiday week, but that doesn't mean I didn't pack a HECK of a lot into it.

The big deal of the week came not on Black Friday, but on Monday, when my write-up of the recent tiger conservation conference was published at Scientific American...

Russia's tiger forum: Our last chance to save tigers from extinction?

This led to my being interviewed on NPR/WNYC on the Brian Lehrer show on Wednesday. You can find the archived discussion here. It was great fun and it helped to spread some important news and facts about tiger preservation.

Of course, what Thanksgiving week would be complete without two Thanksgiving-related articles? These are too late for you to enjoy pre-turkey, but maybe you can still read them over your leftovers:

10 Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving (Green Hands USA)

Six New Books Give Thanks for Lives Well Lived (Tonic.com)

That's it for this week. Time to write more!

OMG, hedgehogs and spoons

This week brings you six new articles, all of which have an environmental theme. Go figure!

First up, as usual, we have my two Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American:

SEGA & Sonic step in (briefly) to protect endangered hedgehogs

British crayfish now officially endangered, thanks to killer fungus

Next, I profile the young non-profit (in more ways than one), One More Generation, for Tonic:

OMG: Siblings Are Helping to Save Endangered Species

Then we have two Green Tips blogs for Green Hands USA:

4 Ways to Make Your Refrigerator More Efficient

10 Tips for Winterizing Your Pipes

And finally, my latest piece for Mother Nature Network:

Book review: 'The Disappearing Spoon'

Bootstrapping, parrot plague & taste aversion in wolves

Last week was a good week for words from my keyboard. Check 'em out...

As usual, we start with my two Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American...

Mystery virus threatens an already critically endangered Australian parrot species

Can endangered Mexican wolves be conditioned to dislike the taste of sheep?

From endangered species to new species, here's my latest for Mother Nature Network:

Self-cloning, all-female lizard species discovered in Vietnam

A brief Green Tips blog for Green Hands USA:

Levi's Announces New Eco-Friendly Jeans

A profile of two wonderful scientists for IEEE's member newspaper, The Institute:

Married Couple Named IEEE Fellows

And finally, for that same publication, a feature that will help any small business learn how to grow until they hit the billionaires' club:

Bootstrap Your Startup to Success-Without Venture Capital

Gollum, Comix and Sssssnakess - This week's articles

Ah, Monday. Time to look back on the previous week and share with you the links to all of the fine Platt words that made their way into the universe.

There actually aren't that many of them this week, but that's okay, because I have approximately 27 articles in process right now, so there will be plenty more to share over the rest of this month.


First up, here are my latest two Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American:

Ssssuccessss: World's rarest snake is back from the brink

Precious: Gollum (the fish) risks extinction in New Zealand

Now, two "green tips" for Green Hands USA:

Breathe Less Pollution While Riding Your Bike

E-Waste Report Card: Does Your Gadget Maker Make the Grade?

And finally, a new book review for Graphic Novel Reporter:

Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix

More next week!

Killer crocs & Sweet-hearted employers

Presented for you now: last week's articles + this week's commentary:

First up, this week's Extinction Countdown columns for Scientific American:

Extinction crisis revealed: One fifth of the world's mammals, birds and amphibians are threatened

20 die in air disaster after smuggled crocodile escapes on a plane [this got over 30,000 views on StumbleUpon, plus a few thousand Facebook shares]


Now, a few inspiring stories for Tonic.com:

Sweet Relief: Bakery Puts Developmentally Disabled to Work

Wonder Woman Day Raises $40,000 for Victims of Domestic Violence


Now we have some "Green Tips" blogs for Green Hands USA:

7 Inexpensive Ways to Stay Warm This Autumn [man it's cold this week!]

Voting Guide: Does Your Candidate Believe in Clean Energy? [just in time for election day!]

Now, a new science story for Mother Nature Network:

Study proves dogs recognize owners' faces

And finally, from a few weeks ago (oops), a tech career feature for The Ladders:

Electrical Engineers Lured by Systems Engineer Careers (you need to create a Ladders account to read this)