Is it OK that I find this alarming? The Library of Congress has announced its acquisition of a version of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Or The Whale completely translated into emojis. Yes, those smartphone-friendly pictographs of happy faces, hearts, cupcakes and, perhaps in this case, Physeter macrocephalus. According to the LOC, a data engineer named Fred …
An energetic tale of Puritan settlers, nomadic trappers and the unfortunate, lushly furred rodents that were their prime quarry. I see Eric Jay Dolin’s “Fur, Fortune and Empire: Epic History of the Fur Trade in America” much like his 2008 book “Leviathan: A History of Whaling in America,” except on land. Both industries relied …
Read more “Thoughts on Books: ‘Fur, Fortune and Empire’ by Eric Jay Dolin”
New year, new books on my reading list—some released a few years ago, others hot off the press. I’m so excited to read these works, which all explore some aspect of historical exploration, discovery and philosophical challenge. Basically, if the title of the book is followed by a colon and then three nouns separated by …
Read more “2013 Reading List: Natural History, Exploration and Beavers”
Researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville reported 53 shark attacks in the U.S. last year, the highest total in 12 years. The school’s International Shark Attack File report also showed seven fatalities worldwide, a lower number than the previous year but much higher than the yearly average of 4.4 deaths. Global hotspots included …
In October 2012, I began covering local environmental news for Coastal Commons, the online magazine of Going Coastal, Inc. This NYC-based educational nonprofit brings all of the groups that enjoy our urban coastal resources together–boaters, anglers, conservationists, government and nonprofit organizations. My focus tends toward environmental conservation and the potential impacts of climate change on …
Read more “Environmental News: Climate Change Threatens Atlantic Seashores”