Last articles of 2014

The end of the year fast approaches and I find myself doing something I haven't done in a very, very long time:

Taking some time off.

Yes, for the first time in about a decade I am taking an extended vacation (or staycation as the case may be). Oh sure, I'm still working a little bit, but for the most part I'm recharging for what I expect to be a very eventful 2015.

That doesn't mean none of my articles will appear during this period, of course. Here are two brief new "Extinction Countdown" pieces for Scientific American:

Holiday Species Snapshot: Christmas Island Shrew

The Best (or Worst) of 2014


And here's one more for TakePart -- my first "gallery"-style article:

10 Gifts for Wildlife Lovers -- and Wildlife


As far as I know, this is the last of my articles to appear before the end of the year. If I'm wrong, I'll post any links on the 31st and then look back at the year that was. Until then, make sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest and greatest.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have more vacationing to accomplish...

Year of the (almost extinct) rhino

As the year draws to a close, I find myself taking a rare break from the keyboard. It's been a long, busy year and I've written more words than I care to count. And so I have decided to take a bit of a vacation -- my first in years (not counting the move across the country this summer).

Of course no writer ever truly takes any time off. I still plan on writing a couple of short items before New Years, which will appear over the next two weeks. I also have a few items left in the publication queue which should appear before the end of 2014.

Until then, though, let's take a look at my articles that appeared this past week. I'll start with my two "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American, including my latest piece on the nearly extinct northern white rhino. How long until I write this species' obituary?

Another Northern White Rhino Dies, Only 5 Remain

Could Extinct Clouded Leopards be Reintroduced in Taiwan?



Next up, two wildlife articles for TakePart:

No Turtle Doves for Christmas?

White House Moves to Keep Fake Fish Off Your Dinner Plate


Switching gears, here's my latest technology careers article for Today's Engineer. This is actually my last piece for TE, not because I'm leaving them but because it's morphing into a new magazine. I have already turned in my first feature for the new publication, which will appear in January.

Career Focus: Circuits & Systems


And finally, here's a blog post for IEEE's The Institute:

Celebrating 25 Years of the World Wide Web


That's it for now. Happy holidays, one and all!

Butting in

The year is winding down, but my keyboard is still on fire. I turned in a ton of articles last week (and quite a few more are heading out this week), although that only resulted in three actual publications. The rest will appear when they appear.

For now, though, here's this week's article for Scientific American, which, as you I'm sure you can imagine, went quite viral:

Butt-Breathing Turtle Now Critically Endangered


And here are two more wildlife articles for TakePart:

Is Your Milk Killing This Endangered Bird?

Is China Taking Zimbabwe’s Baby Elephants?


This coming week should see a bigger list. Follow me on Twitter for the headlines as they happen!

Sea Ice, Eggs and Christmas Trees

Boy, the days sure are flying fast. We're already more than a week into December and I haven't done a lick of Christmas shopping. But of course I have written about Christmas. Does that count?

Anyway, here are my articles from this past week, starting with two new Extinction Countdown pieces for Scientific American:

As Sea Ice Disappears, Arctic Ringed Seals Could Get Largest Critical Habitat Ever

Rare Iguana is Endangered Because People Like to Eat Egg-Carrying Females


Next up, my latest wildlife/poaching articles for TakePart:

More Tigers Are Dying in India—but the Future’s Looking Brighter

A Baby Boom for World's Rarest Antelope


And here's that Christmas article, a feature about trees, again for TakePart:

Fake or Real? The Best Christmas Tree Choice for the Environment Might Surprise You


The next week or so should see the publication of a few long-gestating features, as well as the usual batch of news articles. Follow me on Twitter for the latest links as they happen or come back here next Monday for the weekly compendium. Heck, I might have even done some of my Christmas shopping by then!

Giraffe Week

Hey folks! It's the Monday after Thanksgiving and for once I'm not still digesting 8 billion calories of turkey and pumpkin pie. Oh, don't get me wrong, I still ate those things, but since it was just the two of us for our first Thanksgiving in Portland we took it easy.

So did my editors. Only two articles made their way to publication this week, one for Scientific American and one for TakePart. Both focused on giraffes, although they had completely different tones:

Giraffes under Threat: Populations Down 40 Percent in Just 15 Years

Cutest Giraffe Orphan Ever Gets Special "Skyscraper" Stable

I worked on a helluva lot more than these two, but a lot of the pieces I'm turning in now won't appear for weeks or even into next year. You have lots to look forward to!

Well, that's it for this Monday. Easy as pie, right? Oh man, now I want more pumpkin pie...