Venus flytraps and other horrors

This week's articles ranged from terrible news to slightly less terrible news.

First up, the terrible news for Scientific American:

1,215: The Record Number of Rhinos Poached in 2014

Venus Flytraps Risk Extinction in the Wild at the Hands of Poachers


And here's the not-quite-so-horrible news for TakePart:

The Troubling Reason Why These Rare, Beautiful Lynxes Are Dying Off

Canada Wants to Kill Gray Wolves to Save Another Struggling Species


Hopefully this coming week will bring some happier articles.

Bears and Beers

I gotta say, I write about some weird stuff. Some of it's amazing and awe-inspiring. Other subjects are enough to turn my stomach. But I can't turn away, and neither should you.

Here are five new articles links for you -- two for Scientific American and three for TakePart. They're all wildlife-related in one way or another. Some are cute. Others not so much. Can you guess which was this week's most popular?


The Real Paddington Bear: Cute, Unique and Endangered

Mexican Wolves Finally Get Endangered Species Status

The Horrible Truth Behind Those Slow Loris Videos You Love

Iceland Brewer Promotes Whale-Testicle Beer. Yes, Really

Watch This Orangutan Try to Talk Like a Human


There's lots more in the week to come, so follow me on Twitter for the headlines as each new article is published.

Here There Be Dragons

"Grrr. I'm a dragon."

Happy Monday, folks! The first real week of 2015 brought forth a bevy of new articles bearing my byline. These included several news items plus a couple of features that I turned in last year.

First up, my latest "Extinction Countdown" articles for Scientific American:

Teeny, Tiny Relative of Komodo Dragon Discovered in Australia

Monarch Butterflies Could Gain Endangered Species Protection


Next, three new wildlife/animals/poaching articles for TakePart:

Here's One Beyoncé and Jay Z Selfie You Shouldn't 'Like' If You Love Wildlife

Millionaire Spends Stunning Amount of Money to Save 1,400 Monkeys From Medical Experimentation

This Remote Tribe Could Be Wiped Out for the Most Trivial of Reasons


And finally, two new engineering-related features for IEEE's The Institute:

Four Ways Women Engineers Can Increase Their Wealth [This actually contains good advice for just about anyone]

TryEngineering is Now Available for Smartphones


That's it for this week. I expect to be just as busy in the coming days, so make sure to follow me on Twitter for headlines as they happen and come back here next Monday for another link compendium.

Smartwatches: My First Article of 2015

 My first article of 2015 is now available and it's a doozy. "Smartwatches: Not Ready for Prime Time" appears as one of the cover features in the January/February issue of Consumers Digest magazine, which is on newsstands now. You can also read it here if you're a subscriber, along with a web-only supplement about smartwatch security issues. I enjoyed working on this piece -- it took a few months of research and interviews -- and I think it will help to illuminate this little-understood new technology.

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!