Author. Thinker. Other things.
The beginning of a new year often makes people philosophical, thinking about what has or hasn't worked the year before and what they resolve to improve. Most of this is positive, at least for me. Lately, though, and I imagine also for many, it's getting easier to let those thoughts become tinged with concern for... Continue Reading →
I’ve been reading a lot lately about de-extinction. Quaggas, Passenger Pigeons, the Thylacine (or Tasmanian tiger - in fact neither a tiger, nor specifically Tasmanian). Not remotely smacking of necromancy, smart geneticists are working diligently to bring these and other species back from the afterlife. In doing so, they expect not only to resurrect the... Continue Reading →
Bestselling author, Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling Photo: Richard Louv 2016 I recently had the chance fulfill a long-time ambition, to have a chat with the Richard Louv best-selling author of many books, including “Last Child in the Woods” and “The Nature Principle.” Richard is a leader in thinking about nature deficit and... Continue Reading →
The other day, while looking for something to watch on YouTube, I was offered up in the side-bar a series of videos of a chicken playing the piano. Intrigued, I clicked on the link and was treated to two minutes and one second of a chicken at an electric piano playing "O mio babbino caro"... Continue Reading →
It's a little daunting contemplating finding something novel to write about cats, the unofficial mascot of the internet. But we're thinking of getting one (or two), to add some fun - and a few hair balls - to our household. There's a lot to think about. What to get and how to get it? We're... Continue Reading →
If you Google "the world's most numerous bird," you will likely be given articles about the Red-Billed Quelea (Quelea quelea), also known as the Red-Billed Weaver Bird or Red-Billed Dioch that lives across most of sub-Saharan Africa. It's considered the most numerous wild bird on earth, the population sometimes peaking at 1½ billion individuals. Individually,... Continue Reading →
I just read a some news from NEXT Pittsburgh that seems pretty exciting. It concerns Garfield, one of the suburbs in Pittsburgh. It's not a wealthy neighborhood. In fact, it's one of the poorest neighborhoods in the state. Stats from Neighborhood Scout say that the area is primarily made up of medium sized to large... Continue Reading →
At the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, we have two new arrivals: a pair of just hatched American alligators. It’s important to start handling your baby alligator when it's still very young or you'll find it increasingly difficult to make any impression as the animal grows larger. So, happily, I’ve been invited by our wonderful... Continue Reading →
About two weeks ago the level of activity in my household was added to significantly by the addition of a miniature pinscher, Electra. She's 5 months old, incredibly friendly and relatively non-destructive. This photo taken at the pet shop makes her look the size of a shepherd, but in fact she's not much bigger than... Continue Reading →
I was at a dinner party the other day when I overheard one of the guests describing a living room in disparaging terms because it was too filled with chintz. I have to admit it's not a fabric I spend much time considering, nor before writing this post even knew anything about (except that it... Continue Reading →
ERIC DORFMAN 