Scenic SeattleNovember 13, 2007 – Ever been in a city and wished you could escape from the concrete blocks? In one Pacific Northwest town, you can. Seattle is making it easier for locals and visitors to find some green space in the heart of the metropolis. The Seattle Urban Nature interactive habitat map uses a Google map interface to show…
Blogs and Newspapers: Three New Microcosm ReviewsJuly 21, 2008 – Here are a fresh batch of reviews for Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life… Cleveland Plain-Dealer: “For readers who enjoy a seat at the revolution and a chance to ponder the ‘supple little bugs’ at the dawn of life, Microcosm’ is a bracing read. This timely book deserves shelf space near Lewis […]
So You Want to Visit MarsJuly 30, 2007 – Today is a day for short updates, rather than deep essays. Update number 1: if you’re interested in going to Mars, check out this podcast from Popular Mechanics in which I discuss the challenges astronauts would face living and working on Mars. The magazine will be running a series of articles on the future space […]
Websites Connect Travelers With Private “Campgrounds”July 23, 2009 – Text by Alyson Sheppard You've heard of couch surfing to find a cheap place to stay, but backyard surfing? Some travel websites are now catering to campers and are offering to connect them with private landowners who have grass, dirt, or concrete to spare for campsites. For a fee, campers can rent space worldwide—from a…
What Is Life? A Talk about MicrocosmNovember 10, 2008 – On Thursday evening, I’ll be talking about Microcosm at the Guilford Free Library just down the road here in Guilford, Connecticut. It’s great to be talking in this lovely space on the Guilford Green, reopened at last after a year-long renovation. Here’s a flyer with more information. The event is free, but the library is […]
Old McDonald Had a MallMarch 25, 2010 – Introducing the Eco Village: A Cleveland Mall that takes the notion of a food court to a new level. When Vicky Poole, marketing manager at Cleveland’s Erieview shopping mall, was thinking about how she could rebuild and reuse the abandoned space in the mall’s glass-enclosed galleria, she had green on her mind, and it wasn’t…
What Do These Names Have In Common? [Science Tattoo]August 09, 2009 – After I saw this tattoo over on a sibling blog, Science Not Fiction, I knew it had to join the emporium. Its owner, Mark Yturralde, sent me this description of its origin: After the Columbia accident, I felt compelled to do something. Space has always meant so much to me, and I felt I wanted […]
Eavesdropping lions zero-in on African wild dog callsMay 05, 2010 – African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), photographed at the Bronx Zoo. African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) don’t have it easy. Their taste for large mammalian prey puts them in competition with lions and spotted hyenas for both prey and living space, meaning that wild dogs regularly have their kills stolen or are even killed by other […]
Goodnight Moon Shot [Tattoo]January 23, 2009 – Jennifer writes: “I’m not a scientist (exactly) but I am in the Navy, just like many of the men who visited the moon. My husband and son are space fanatics, the Goodnight Moon window is for my daughter. She loves the book.” Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Before the Crash [Tattoo]January 30, 2009 – Bob Howe writes, “In 1992, at age 34, I decided to get a tattoo. I’m a speculative fiction writer. I wanted something grounded in the natural world, that symbolized the connection between inner and outer space, and that was unequivocally male without being bellicose. I wanted something that wasn’t a momentary fad, that was timeless […]
The Adventure Life with Steve Casimiro Adventure Photography: Tie the Knot, AlreadyMay 06, 2008 – Now competing for the title of world’s smallest photography tip…if you have a wrist strap on your point and shoot camera (and you should), tie a simple overhead knot in it, leaving just enough space in the strap to slip your hand through. (Check out the incredible action photos.) You’ll be much less likely drop…
Bus2Antarctica: Bus 2 BoliviaFebruary 08, 2010 – Altitude sickness, dueling ventilation systems, popped tires and more awaited Andrew Evans as he boarded his bus to travel to Bolivia. Some buses are better than others. In South America, bus companies attract passengers based on levels of bus quality, comfort, security, entertainment, and sleeping space. When leaving Lima I chose the Peruvian bus company…
More from Montreal: Juliette et ChocolatDecember 01, 2008 – By Ashley Thompson The city of Montreal does plenty of things well. Its European architecture melds seamlessly into modern design, its expansive green spaces encourage both athletic endeavors and peaceful meandering, and its lengthy list of cultural attractions easily fill up a weekend getaway, as I found out last month. What was also all-too-easily…
Video: An Evening of Exploration, Exotic Foods, Kangaroo BoxingMarch 25, 2009 – The Explorers Club Annual Dinner is, like a lot of events held in the Waldorf=Astoria’s glittering ballroom in New York City, ostensibly for charity. But the club, which “promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air and space” through its sponsorship of expeditions, is more fun than most not-for-profits. Hence: pig-eyeball eating, kangaroo boxing, and…
Postcard from Thailand: Chiang Mai MorningsJune 25, 2010 – Last week, contributing editor Carl Hoffman set off on a story assignment in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to visit his 81-year-old father, who now lives there. He sent us this dispatch from his travels so far. Traveling is so much about leaving home, moving through space and time to new worlds full of exotic sights and…
Talking Trash at The World Science FestivalMay 12, 2009 – The second annual World Science Festival will be taking place in New York next month. I’ll be moderating a panel called, “Wall-E’s World: Designs for an Invisible Footprint.” We’ll be talking about cities, trash, space travel, and the search for a sustainable future. Here’s the line-up for the panel, from the event page: Mitchell Joachim: […]