Today is my last day at Scientific American, which has been sold to LabX media group. For three decades I've led the magazine's coverage of human origins, archaeology, paleontology, animal behavior, ecology, BIRDS. End of an era. Anyway this feels weird to say, but I'm now available for assignments!

First Father’s Day without you, Amelia. I hope you know how much I loved being your dad and how much I love and miss you. Left: 2017. Our first Father’s Day. Right: 2026. I’m holding some of her ashes. Please consider supporting Batten Disease research: web.charityengine.net/Main-Donatio...

Happy Father’s Day, dad. I hope you and Amelia are having just the best time playing together in Heaven.

Update: "We incorrectly stated that PlayStation Plus is required for local co-op splitscreen play. Local splitscreen co-op requires a PlayStation account for each player but does not require a PlayStation Plus account."

Getting more and more anxious and sad as Father’s Day approaches. Good times. 😒

The very, very, very few times I’ve actually used my PS5 all year have been for local co-op games. (Grief manifests in interesting ways, like not wanting to play single-player games.) I was looking forward to this, but not anymore.

A gene therapy for Huntington’s disease has a new path toward approval from the Food and Drug Administration after the exit of several Trump officials, particularly Vinay Prasad.

From where I’m sitting, I can hear a piano bar playing Empire State of Mind.

We said goodbye to Amelia’s wheelchair van this week. Sad to see it go, but hopeful it can help another family now. It made a huge positive impact in Amelia’s quality of life and hopefully its next family takes it on even more adventures. We then visited some of the nearby waterfront views.

We went to Northwest Trek for International Batten Disease Awareness Day. I used the lens attachment on my phone. I bought it when Amelia was in the hospital. I held it in her hand and told her we’d use it on all the adventures she still had ahead of her. I miss her so much.

For International Batten Disease Awareness Day (June 9), I'm highlighting Batten Disease mentions in media. First, Netflix's The Saint of Second Chances. This doc follows famed baseball promoter Mike Veeck, whose daughter was born with Batten Disease. It's fascinating and heartbreaking.

Each year, for International Batten Disease Awareness Day, my wife and I produce a video to honor those diagnosed with the CLN1 variant, including our Amelia. It’s a chance to remember and celebrate some amazing people! youtu.be/3SCG2-gnwok

Today is International Batten Disease Awareness Day and it’s our first without our Amelia. I’ll be posting a lot today! First off, huge thank you to my friends at @tvguide.com for letting me update my rundown of Batten Disease representation in movies, shows, and other media.

Seven years ago today, Amelia was diagnosed with CLN1 Batten Disease. We made it our mission to cherish every second we had with her. She deserved so much more and the sooner there are cures for Batten Disease, the better. This was taken a few days after her diagnosis and I miss that smile so much.

Looks like another round of orders is now open for anyone looking to support Batten Disease families! ❤️

Jenn and I had a wonderful time following a large group of orcas up and down the Tacoma shore this afternoon. We saw quite a few across Commencement Bay and then some of them again closer up, including T68C1, T68C3, and calf T68C3A. 📸: iPhone 16 Pro with 2x teleconverter

Anyone interested in supporting the families of those diagnosed with the rare and fatal condition known as Batten Disease? Today’s the last day for this round of International Batten Disease Awareness Day shirts and we could use your support! #TeamAmeliaForever

Orcas were a little too far to get some decent phone pics yesterday, but I got some fun macro shots of these bees. 🐝

Reposting this silly joke from the beginning of the season in honor of the Spurs’ impressive run so far.

Proposed new US funding rules: We can cancel any grant at any time arstechnica.com/science/2026...

Haven’t had that many dreams, or at least remembered many dreams, about Amelia yet. Grief is weird like that, I’m told. But, I did have a dream that @joshgondelman.bsky.social got into a fight with John Cena on a game show. They were both so nice, they kept apologizing while throwing punches. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Freelancing is hard enough already, and inflation sucks. Defector is raising our base freelance rates by 20 percent. Great time to pitch us. Email me or [email protected]

Today, Jenn and I returned to the trail at Pt. Defiance Park that leads to a view of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges. This was the last trail we took Amelia on before she passed. I still remember that day and how we had her BiPAP machine going during the trek. She loved the bumps!

For the west coast dinner folks:

An amazing local group is hosting a virtual fundraiser today. Emma’s Exceptional Equipment Exchange has helped tons of families access special needs gear (including our family). If you don’t have dinner plans yet, adding Fundraiser code 9014228 benefits this incredible group!

Scrub jay grabbing a peanut from our yard. Probably on its way to hide it somewhere. 📸: iPhone 16 Pro with 2x teleconverter lens

We spent a lot of Amelia’s lifetime (especially when she was first diagnosed with Batten Disease) explaining to friends and family why we couldn’t safely attend family gatherings the was we used to. Most understood. Some….

Worth a shot.

Twins with Batten disease benefit from UNC Health drug trial - goo.gl/alerts/AVutDf #GoogleAlerts

We explored the Tacoma shore during a negative low tide with Julia and the kiddos today. Saw lots of sea stars, crabs, sea cucumbers, and other marine life. Jenn wanted to see an octopus, but we came up empty there. Next time, perhaps.

Well, other than a mixup at the restaurant leading to Jenn’s leftovers being thrown away, I think it was a pleasant birthday, all things considered. 😅

Forgot to add: Thank you so much to everyone who voted for the BDSRA this year. I’m hoping they’ll try again next year.

The Batten Disease Support Research and Advocacy Foundation missed the cut again. I wanted this year to be different. Hopefully BDSRA tries again next year. I promised Amelia we’d keep trying. I hope she’s in heaven knowing we’re still fighting! That said, congrats to the amazing recipients.

Happy birthday to the most incredible, inspiring person I’ve ever met. You astonish and amaze me each and every day and I count myself so blessed to be with you on this journey. ❤️🎂❤️

Macro shot of a chill fly on our patio. 📸 : iPhone 16 Pro with a Neewer 2x teleconverter with stacked 200mm + 300mm macro lenses

I was going through external hard drives and came across this photo of Amelia helping us test video baby monitors at Reviews. I miss this girl! ❤️❤️❤️

Jenn’s cousin’s wife’s family needs help with medical bills following her dad’s leukemia diagnosis. Any amount helps! Please donate if you can: gofund.me/7758b730d

Jenn’s cousin’s wife’s family needs help with medical bills following her dad’s leukemia diagnosis. Any amount helps! Please donate if you can: gofund.me/7758b730d

I genuinely don’t know how to approach today. But I do want to celebrate all the amazing moms out there, especially the most amazing person I’ve ever met. My heart goes out to all who struggle with this day.

It’s been 3 months. ❤️

Just wanted to share some recent freelance work I did for the @tvcritics.org : A new installment in their "TCA Approved" series. This time, 1 main video + 5 breakout videos showcasing the best TV show of 2026 (so far). Oh, and feel free to subscribe! ;-) youtube.com/shorts/79fdj...

I used to express my deepest sympathies to any who struggled with Mother’s or Father’s Day, and I have a feeling that’s going to include us this year.

I’d try to give Batten Disease research (and science in general, really) as big a head start as I could.

While we were in Bend, Oregon, over the weekend, we visited Smith Rock State Park. It’s a gorgeous area that’s filled with opportunities to go on challenging hikes or dizzying climbs. So naturally, we chose the easiest, flattest trail possible! It’s a lovey place!

We were honored to help celebrate the life of Tegen with his incredible family and friends. Tegen and Amelia were both diagnosed with CLN1 Batten Disease around the same time and they were lucky enough to meet in person once. We hope they’re finally able to play together. ❤️

My dear friend Bri has stage 3 anal cancer. Her doctors are optimistic but intense treatment is needed. Please donate and boost.

We’re on our way to celebrate the life of Amelia’s friend. On the way, we visited the last PNW Thomas Dambo troll left on our list: Portland’s Ole Bolle. We never got to bring Amelia here, but we brought a little butterfly with some of her ashes inside. Then, we took her to Multnomah Falls.

Today we're launching our first installment of #TCAApproved, celebrating the best shows of 2026 (so far) as voted on by our membership. Check out the five picks below! www.youtube.com/shorts/79fdj...

We’ve watched a lot of go-to faves since losing Amelia. With Batten Disease, we knew what was ahead, so The Good Place always resonated. But it still hits differently now. Plus, we’re discovering more with the Blu-ray’s longer eps. Thanks to @kentremendous.bsky.social for this show and this episode.

Grief is sneaky sometimes. Years ago, I thought of adding a faux fireplace to the living room to make traditional Santa visits sorta plausible for Amelia’s first few years. Thought about fireplaces again today and just now realized Batten Disease took all that away from us.