Science, Medicine, and Technology Portfolio
Below are examples of my coverage of special fields for lay readers. Writing is listed first. Click the links in this sentence to
scroll to editing,
inventing, or training.
Writing
I published my first article in a local newspaper when I was 14.
It was about a solar eclipse. Although I intended to become an astronomer, I
soon discovered that I enjoyed reading and writing about
science more than doing it. As a science writer, I eventually branched out into zoology, botany, medicine, food, nutrition, manufacturing, crime, safety,
psychology, and many other fields—some of which are illustrated by these examples:
Web
Following are some of the hundreds of pieces I wrote for DietPower’s website.
I also created many interactive features, some of them listed
under “Inventing,” below.
- Is Your Weight
Killing You? enumerates the health risks of obesity.
- “Lose 10
Pounds in 10 Days!” tells what science says about rapid
weight loss.
- Getting Enough Vitamin E10? illustrates the power of suspense in driving home a point.
- Beat
Cancer the Barefoot Way exposes the producers of a famous TV
infomercial who claim that Coral Calcium can cure almost any
disease.
- Can
These Slippers Make You Thin? tests one of the Web’s most
outlandish weight-loss aids.
- It’s the Calories, Stupid! exposes fad diets for ignoring the deepest truth about weight loss.
- What the Heck is Saturated Fat? uses humor to explain a concept that everyone hears about but few understand.
- Swordfish,
Please! examines the natural history and nutritional
benefits of a tasty alternative to beefsteak.
- I’d Rather Salt it Myself urges federal regulation of sodium in
processed foods.
- The
Explosive Nutrient We All Need covers the science and
nutrition of potassium.
- Read This Article or I’ll Eat This Donut! translates the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans from gobbledygook into
plain English.
- Still
Eating White Bread? reports on the amazing health benefits
of whole grains.
Magazine
- The Big Glass (Discover, 1989; reprinted in Reader’s Digest, 1990) is a condensed version of the inside story of the making of the Hubble Telescope mirror. Discover’s editor-in-chief judged it the most popular article the magazine had ever published.
- The Cold Facts About Ice Cream (Science 80, summer 1981) profiles a real-life Professor of Ice Cream and the technology
behind America’s favorite dessert.
- To Catch a Comet (Science 80, October 1982) accompanies a team of astronomers hoping to be the first to detect Halley’s Comet on its way back toward its 1986 encounter with Earth.
- A Perfect Serpent (Science 80, October 1981) profiles the evolution and natural history of rattlesnakes.
- The Sound of Silence (Science 80, April 1982; reprinted in Reader’s Digest, 1990s) delivers a fascinating and useful warning about hearing loss.
Ghost
I’ve authored many pieces for famous signers. They usually ask their writers to remain anonymous, but one of my clients kindly made an
exception:
- Must We Have Nuclear Power? (Reader’s
Digest, 8/90) was signed by Frederick Seitz, then
president of Rockefeller University and the American
Philosophical Society, formerly president of the National
Academy of Sciences.
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Editing
Creating Articles
Here are a few of the hundreds of magazine articles written by freelance or staff
writers under my direction. In some cases the idea originated
with me; in others, with the author. In all cases I provided
story advice, markups of the author’s drafts, editing of later drafts, and other editorial support.
- The Body Quiz (Reader’s
Digest, 4/94) is one of many pieces I produced with Dr.
David Reuben, author of the record-setting bestseller
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex. (Conceived
and directed.)
- The Reader's Digest Home Eye Test (9/90), published in 17 languages, earned endorsements from two
competing professional organizations, the American Optometric Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Later, it triggered a testimonial from a reader whose life it saved by spotlighting signs of a brain tumor. Produced with freelance author Robert C. Yeager, the project won the American Public Health Association's “Paper of the Year” award—a consumer-article first. (Conceived and directed.)
- Who Needs a Seat Belt? (Reader's Digest, 5/88), produced with
Popular Science writer Rob Gannon, tells moment by moment what happens in a head-on collision if you aren't wearing your seat belt. We later published a testimonial from a woman who attributed her family's survival to having read and discussed the article before a neighborhood shopping trip. (Conceived and directed.)
- Should You Trust a Tail-Wagging Dog? (Reader's Digest,
4/91) asked a canine psychologist for advice on a universal problem: reading a dog's intentions. (One of the article's many caveats: never smile at a dog you don't know.) Written by freelancer Jane Vachon, the piece grew out of a misadventure I had with a neighbor's dog. (Conceived and directed.)
Editing Articles
Here are some of the articles that I chose for publication in my issues
of Reader's Digest. Although other editors created them, I
titled, blurbed, and top-edited them, as well as overseeing
production of their artwork and layout. Each is selected to
illustrate a different principle by which I work.
- Are We Running Out of Trees? (Reader's
Digest, 11/93) is a one-page pictograph that explodes a
popular myth.
- The Boy With the Billion-Dollar Secret
(Reader's Digest, 12/95) represents one of my favorite
Digest genres: the one-pager. This one bears a powerful lesson
for young readers and their parents.
- The Curious Cook (Reader's
Digest, 1/93) is an excellent example of an article
excerpted from a book. It also illustrates one thing that all
great magazine articles have in common.
- Seduced in the Supermarket (Reader's Digest, 7/95, from the book Total Package) reveals the art and psychology behind bottles, boxes, cans, and other product packages. Besides choosing, editing, and titling the piece, I enriched it with a few additions—including
the McDonald's paragraph on page 97, which certified a popular legend.
Inventing
One of my missions is to make computers act as "intelligent
agents," finding and delivering personalized information
to their users. Four examples:
- DietPower was computer software that turned your PC into a private weight and nutrition “coach." First released in 1992, the program was sold on the Web from 1997 to 2017, and downloaded by more than one million users. Complete, coder-ready blueprints for a new online/mobile version are now for sale at www.dietpower.com.
- Whose Body Do You Have? identifies your famous Body Twin and reveals whether your weight is a health risk. The app is now for sale at www.dietpower.com.
- The world’s first online eye exam tests adults and children for visual acuity and signs of
amblyopia (“lazy eye”), macular degeneration, and other sight-threatening ailments. The exam is now for sale at www.dietpower.com.
- A landmark patent for a Headline Posting Algorithm that tailors editorial content to users’ personal interests.
Training
As an editor, a college teacher, and a consultant to
corporations, I've taught thousands of people how to make their
writing more effective. Here's one of my most useful tools:
- Defog That Memo! (Science 80,
1981) is a piece I wrote describing a simple formula for gauging
your writing's readability. Over the years, this piece has
circulated among thousands of editors, writers, and executives.
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