If you prefer writers who are succinct and relentlessly linear, well...as
friend of mine once joked, I tend to get from point A to point B by way of Timbuktu. A conversation with me is likely to
careen wildly through various seemingly unrelated topics, from Iraq war conspiracy theories to various film adaptations of James M.
Cain novels, with a few references to NBA trivia and/or punk rock lyrics thrown in.
But I've learned to make that messily serendipitous mindset work to my advantage as a writer. As a compulsive
researcher and autodidact of myriad subjects, I'm able to plunge into a complex, totally unfamiliar topic, make sense
of it, and find the exotic, unexpected angle that others might miss. (Or at least I like to think so.)
Over
the years, I've written for GQ, George, Regardie's, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Philadephia, the Washington Post
Magazine, Mother Jones, Orange Coast, Baltimore and other print publications, and for the websites of the Discovery Channel,
National Geographic Channel, BBC. HowStuffWorks and others. My subjects have included the mysterious disappearance
of a Chicago candy heiress, electronic countersurveillance experts, the supersized American lifestyle, low-budget
Hollywood special effects masters, penny-stock scam artists, apocalyptic millenial cults and the history of protest music,
from folk to hiphop. I currently write a weekly blog, "Is This a Good Idea?" for the Science Channel.
I've won a number of awards for my work, including a silver medal in the "writer of the year" category from the City and Regional
Magazines Association in 1998. In 2004, one of my Los Angeles Times pieces was selected for the Best Writing of the Year list
by Rockcritics.com. I've also appeared as a guest on numerous radio and TV programs, including NPR's Talk of the Nation and Fox
News Weekend.
I'm the co-author, with Martin J. Smith, of two books--Poplorica:
A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore that Shaped Modern America, and OOPS! 20 Life Lessons from
the Fiascoes that Shaped America, both published by HarperCollins. I'm currently working on a new book on radical, paridigm-shifting
inventions and future trends.
I'm a native of Pittsburgh, and I've
also lived in southern California, Baltimore, and the Washington, DC area.
