I first wrote this post in October 2020, when my kids were much younger and Halloween decorations loomed from every corner. * I forget this every year—in October, there are places where it is no longer safe to walk. If we want to go to our friend Peter’s house, we can’t go up the street […]
Month: October 2025
I remain mildly obsessed (a nice state to live in) with the mission patches published by the National Reconnaissance Office, which if you’re obsessed enough you can figure out what satellites the NRO just launched. Some of those satellites are, you know, secret. Like this one: it’s for recently-launched constellations (a ton of linked satellites) […]
I’m thinking about fresh scents again, which brings me back to this essay from a few years ago. For the record, I’m still wearing those perfumes! God damn it, advertising can be powerful. I mean, not that I would ever buy some stupid crap because I saw it advertised on TikTok, of all platforms…that place […]
Caribou of Alaska’s Western Arctic Herd travel the shore of the Kobuk River. Author video.— Most of the time, caribou are conservative. They tend not to try new things unless they really have to. They don’t like to wander far from their preferred migration routes, except in preiods of unusual weather, or extreme duress. While […]
I haven’t heard the foxes for a good year now. The woods are still there but the owners sold it to a buyer who promised to cut down only the middle of it, you know how buyers promise things. No trees have been cut down yet but a lot of people have been tramping through […]
Science vacations are the best vacations. I’ve been ridiculously fortunate to visit some great science-related destinations, and I’m trying to figure out which ones to visit next. I’ll share some of my recommendations here, in no particular order. I hope you’ll share your favorites with me and the rest of the Last Word on Nothing […]
Ben has since left The Last Word on Nothing but he left this memento of himself, for which we are grateful. Earlier this month I visited Portugal for the first time, where I found much to love: the vertiginous cliffs overlooking the Nazaré beach, the ubiquitous custard tarts and dessert wines, the labyrinth of secret […]
Hillary Rosner is a science journalist and editor who teaches journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is also a friend and fellow member of Scilance, a network of 30+ science writers that has been meeting up online for 20 years. Over the years, I’ve loved following Hillary’s thoughtful, adventurous reporting on wildlife conservation, […]
