One of my favorite sections of the New York Times is the Science section. Maybe it’s the geek in me, maybe it’s the fact that I nearly flunked science and biology classes in high school and how I want somehow to understand science better, maybe it’s just that I’m weird. I don’t know. But when [...]

This is actually an oldie but goodie of mine (circa early 2007). I had just read a report about how frogs in parts of Costa Rica’s rain forest were dying off in alarming numbers, a sign that scientists said was concrete proof of global warming. When amphibians start to disappear in large numbers, it usually [...]

Several people emailed me after Thursday’s post, asking, “Where’s Wolf’s cake?”
Well…I had all sorts of plans. I wanted to make a massive cone-shaped cake with colorful, whimsical and mischievous designs all over it. But I had a deadline to meet. Not just in this economy but in my unpredictable line of work, paid work has [...]

We’re in the midst of what’s called “June Gloom” here in southern California - when a thick marine layer floats in from the Pacific and hangs over our heads. When we step out to walk the dog in the mornings, we feel a light mist kissing our cheeks. We know the white hot days of [...]

Well hello there. The name’s Patch. You can call me Mr. Patch. I usually don’t sit for portraits because I’m far too busy for such trivial pursuits. But my master - I’ll call him Master G - apparently sent a photo of me in one of my lazier moments to Mari, and look what she [...]