Obama, Clinton campaigns opening Easton offices

I'm not a Democrat (I'm more of an independent, thank you very much) but I still find this notable: Obama campaign to open Easton office. Apparently, Hillary's opening one too.

While more than a few talking heads have lamented that the Democratic primary season has dragged on this long, I for one welcome it. Hell, I wish all primaries were as indecisive. It gives people a chance to really grok the candidates, and allows party members throughout the country to participate in the process, rather than just the handful small-but-influential ones who traditionally tried to crown a front runner.

I do find it odd that some of those who seem so passionate about "the people being heard" and "making every vote count" are so quick to wish for a swift primary season. Yes, I realize that gives the candidates more time to focus on the main election ... but it also means cutting millions of participants out of the process. Which would seem to run contrary to the whole idea of listening to the people.

Fortunately, things are running long, and the candidates are listening ... and now you can go talk to their representatives in downtown Easton.

Hobby Hangout Closing

The Hobby Hangout in Easton, Pa. is closing. That's too bad -- I've been in there a few times for train supplies; they always had a good selection and a knowledgeable staff. Unfortunately, I don't do much in the way of hobby building nowadays -- I've never cleared enough space in the basement for a railroad layout, and haven't gotten motivated enough to get back into model rocketry, so I didn't have a lot of reasons to go there, but it was always nice knowing the Hobby Hangout was there.

Family Blog Tag

Sue's been blog tagged by my sister. This has spawned a post in which Sue talks about why she started blogging (which I think is all the more interesting since she just started earlier this month).

Check it out.

Camping at Cabella's

It says a lot about our family that we last Saturday at Cabella's ... and that we were there because of Sue.

Cabella's is a huge outfitter; if you can imagine an outdoor activity, it's likely they'll have the gear for it. Tents, hunting supplies, fishing gear, snow shoes; you name it, they've got it. We were there for a tent, specifically a family tent that we could fit Sue, the kids and myself into. And we went there not because I wanted a tent, but because Sue, aka Nature Girl, wanted one.

Yep, the wife wants to go camping. The husband would rather stay home and play Half-Life 2. But hey, that's why they invented Nintendo DS, right?

Radio Active #63: Geek Survival in the Drupal-Haunted Wilds of New England

On this edition of Nuketown Radio Active, I talk about my trip to the DrupalCon Boston geekfest, spend a few days playing in the snowy wilds of New Hampshire, my wife Sue starts a blog of her own for Red-Tail Designs. Meanwhile, in Netheads, I find out what it takes to survive Giant Robot attacks and live with a Pokeman addiction by listening to the Geek Survival Guide, and meet some fellow gamers who have similar apprehensions about D&D 4th edition with the 3.5 Private Sanctuary podcast. Finally, I find out how to get some great new gamer bling thanks to the blog of the same name. Get the podcast.

Red-Tail Designs Relaunch

My wife's relaunched the web site for her jewelry and craft business, Red-tail Designs. She creates horsehair bracelets, porcupine quillwork, and other niche products, like coffee cuffs. She also teaches workshops on beading and quillwork. Check out the site at www.redtaildesigns.com.

Elucidating Synthetic Culture

I've already posted about this on Nuketown, but since The Atomic Age is nominally my blog about life in Easton, I figured I'd post it here as well: The publisher of the The Elucidator, a print magazine in Easton, Pa., now has a blog called Synthetic Culture.