The Atomic Age

Test post

2009-06-22T23:44:00.001-04:00

A blogger test post

Recruiting a new RPG player in the Lehigh Valley

2009-05-20T12:24:00.001-04:00

My gaming group is looking for a new player. Full details on Nuketown.

mcall.com: Easton Farmers' Market draws a fresh crop of farmers

2009-05-01T17:16:00.001-04:00

The Morning Call has a nice article about the Easton Farmers' Market attracting a bunch of new farmers this year, due in part to young, second-career farmers joining the industry. Just as importantly, they're going to be running trolley service from downtown to College Hill, which means if it gets really hot this summer, we can still walk down with the kids and then ride back on the roll.

Hat tip to my wife for finding the story.

Easton Farmers Market Returns!

2009-04-29T12:46:00.004-04:00

Winter is over, spring is in the air and the Easton Farmers Market returns this weekend! Our family makes regular pilgrimages down from College Hill to the Easton Centre Square because of the Farmers Market throughout the late spring, summer and fall, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the habit.

An added bonus is that May 2 is Free Comic Book Day; you can pick up your comics at Slacker Comics, which is also located on the Easton Centre Square. It's a win-win for geeks and their significant others!

IronPigs in Facebook

2009-04-20T08:44:00.002-04:00

The IronPigs have a page in Facebook. There's not a lot there; a handful of pages for players, a bunch of photos from games, and a few of their "As the Bacon Turns" promotional videos, but it is good to see them using social media. Here's to hoping they keep using it, as I'd much rather hear about the 'Pigs then get 30 more invites to "vampires vs. werewolves".

Pubcrawl for Celtic Classic

2009-04-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

According to the Morning Call, Bethlehem's Celtic Classic has been hit hard by hurricanes and rain; first Hurricane Ivan swept through a week before the show in 2004, and then last year it rained all three days. As a result, they've accumulated a boatload of debt, laid off their three employees, and gone back to their roots with a new pubcrawl fundraiser.

The Hell or High Water Kilted Celt Crawl and Walk will be held 2 p.m. May 17. The registration fee is $25. For more information: 610-868-9599. The Call article says they're hoping to raise $50,000.

Local contributors increasing presence of Lehigh Valley on Wikipedia

2009-04-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Express-Times has an article up about local folks contributing Lehigh Valley articles to Wikipedia. There are a bunch of articles about Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown, as well as the region's history; you can learn more about what LV content is available on Wikipedia through the Lehigh Valley Wikiproject.

Online Adventuring

2009-04-14T09:56:00.003-04:00

I've got two posts up on Nuketown reviewing about ways to scratch your online-adventuring itch. The first is the Legends of Zork, which is a sort of lightweight MMORPG inspired by Zork (but without the innate cleverness you'd associate with Zork). The second is D&D Tiny Adventures, which is also a straightforward hack'n'slash game, but bulks it up with an enjoyable narrative.

IronPigs, Twitter and Baseball

2009-04-13T12:24:00.003-04:00

Baseball returned to the Lehigh Valley last week as the IronPigs had their opening game at Coca-Cola Park against the Scranton Yankees (and, ahem, proceeded to get swept by said Yankees). On a geeky note, the IronPigs are on Twitter now. They've been tweeting their games, which is very cool, and it's a great way to keep up with how the team's doing.

Powering up Atomic Age...

2009-04-13T12:22:00.001-04:00

The Atomic Age has been slumbering for the last few months, but I'm going to be powering it up again. Don't expect having blogging, but there will be the occasional geek/baseball/Lehigh Valley related posts.

Radio Active #77: Footsteps in the Night

2009-04-13T12:18:00.003-04:00

On this episode of Nuketown Radio Active, Neutron Lad gives up diapers for good, StarGirl and I get in a game of Settlers of Catan, I head back to the gym (again) and set some goals and I share my reviews of a bunch of new games, including Resident Evil 5, Star Ocean and Ticket to Ride.

In Netheads, I take a look at the Launchy fast-application launcher for Windows and Linux, and share some Tor.com-inspired thoughts about the future of comic books.

Get the episode from Nuketown.

Radio Active #74: The Sound of Distant Crashing Xboxes

2008-12-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

On this episode of Nuketown Radio Active, I dream of a good night’s sleep, remember the adventure that is potty training my son, recount my Xbox 360 "Red Ring of Death" woes and talk about the boatload of games I’ve been reviewing. In Netheads, I try out the “Is Gd” url shortner, test drive the Obsidian Portal gaming wiki, and round out the show by geeking out over the Star Wars RPG game master’s screen.

Get the episode at Nuketown.com

Radio Active #73: The Cold Touch of Autumn

2008-10-22T08:33:00.002-04:00

The kids are getting over colds and we've got another round of home
improvement under our belts as Nuketown Radio Active returns for more
adventures in geek parenting.

In this episode I've got a run down the video games I'll playing over the next few weeks, I take a look at Green Ronin's new Wizards and Warlocks
role-playing game and find kindergartners playing chess with spaceborne
astronauts. Rounding out the show is a review of Apple's iPod touch,
the one geeky gadget that could conceiveably replace my trusty black
iPod...

Get the episode at Nuketown.

Haunted Walking Tour of Easton

2008-10-12T17:49:00.006-04:00

There's going to be a "Haunted Walking Tour of Easton" on October 24 and 25, 2008 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tours leave from Centre Square, Easton, Pa. The cost is $7 in advance, $10 on the tour date. Tickets are available at Pearly Baker's Ale House, Porter's Pub, the Csmic Cup, Partyology, Connexions Art Gallery, Easton Yoga and the Easton Farmer's Market.

Learn more by visiting the Scarecrow Festival page on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/eastonscarecrowfestival

Mike's Mets: Mets 08 Lament (with an eye to 09)

2008-10-07T08:30:00.002-04:00

OK, technically it's Dave Mills writing, but I think he sums up the Mets season pretty well. There were some bad breaks throughout the season (probably the worst of which was the loss of Wagner as a killer closer), but they fought hard, and this September's defeat doesn't feel nearly as numbingly awful as '07. Fans can always rally around cries of "Next Year!" but in this case I think they've got a lot of the foundation in place, they just need to make some tweaks, figure out their closer situation, and they'll be in prime position for another run at the pennant.

In Your Schools for 9/26

2008-09-29T09:56:00.001-04:00

The Morning Call has posted their "In Your Schools" column for 9/26. Nothing earth shattering there, but useful all the same.

Radio Active #72: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition

2008-09-28T14:42:00.001-04:00

Radio Active #72 contememplates the best way to organize a geeky bookshelf, takes another turn at chess with kids, finds out that Neutron Lad has a lot to talk about, asks questions about Nuketown's long-dormant RADIATIONS newsletter and finally reviews Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, the latest edition of the venerable role-playing game by Wizards of the Coast.

Get the episode at Nuketown.com.

Radio Active #71: Summer's End

2008-09-15T14:54:00.002-04:00

Summer's over and Nuketown Radio Active's back in the saddle as I talk about a different kind of game day, dodge a bullet with a crashed hard drive, get ready for a Western-themed NukemCon 2008.

My promised review of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition has been bumped to Radio Active #72, and instead I talk a little about the challenges of reviewing the game, and what my gaming group's decided to do with the new edition.

Get the podcast.

A Lehigh Valley Gaming Club?

2008-08-27T18:35:00.002-04:00

In my latest blog post, I speculate about the possibility of a gaming club in the Lehigh Valley, Pa. Check it out and if you're interested, post a comment or email me at nuketown@gmail.com

Easton Garlic Fest 2008

2008-08-26T13:39:00.004-04:00

The Easton Garlic Fest will be held Saturday, October 4 in downtown Easton. If memory serves, they take over the entire Center Square traffic circle to accomodate the throngs of people that arrive to "Eat, Drink, and Stink".

Learn more at their web site: http://www.eastongarlicfest.com

Reason: Maybe the GOP is Worried About Barr

2008-08-22T08:29:00.004-04:00

The Republican Party's trying to challenge the Libertarian Party's ballot access in the fall 2008 election. Reason's Hit and Run blog explains why that's bogus ... and why the Republicans are running scared from a third party candidate.

I haven't decided who I'm voting for yet, but I'm strongly leaning toward Bob Barr (the libertarian candidate) and I'm in Pa., so I'm keenly interested in how this turns out.

Photos from the 7/9 Mets vs. Giants Game

2008-07-21T10:48:00.002-04:00

DSC05020
Originally uploaded by Nuke_18042

I've finally posted my photos from the 7/9 Mets vs. Giants game at Shea Stadium. It was a fantastic game, complete with home runs, rain delays and bright lights illuminating New York night ... and I wish I could go back there tomorrow.

Nuketown Radio Active #70: A Day at the Ballpark

2008-07-17T21:11:00.001-04:00

On this episode of Nuketown Radio Active I talk about my trip to Shea Stadium to watch the Mets, give an update on my summer reading list, and talk about planning the next Nuke(m)Con.

In Netheads I speculate about this year's PodcampPhilly podcasting conference at Temple University, check out Dark Horse Comics' online preview of the upcoming Solomon Kane comic book, look at the Monsterpocalypse giant monster miniature battle game, and geek out about the Star Wars RPG.

Get the episode.

Easton Recycling Guidelines

2008-05-21T08:44:00.005-04:00

It seems there's a huge amount of confusion surrounding recycling in Easton, so I thought I'd help clear it up with a post on ye olde blog.

The city government's Curbside Recycling page spells out exactly what they'll accept, and how they accept it. A big change in recent months has been that they now accept a wider variety of plastics: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #7 (note they don't take #6).

This was huge for my wife, who used to stockpile the #4, #5 and #7 stuff to take over to the Bethlehem recycling center. Another important note is that when you put out newspapers, you should bundle them in paper bags, not plastic ones; the city gets penalized for when you use the plastic ones.

Waxed cardboard and food contaminated cardboard (like all those pizza boxes) are still no-nos.

Radio Active Promo: Short Bumper

2008-05-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

This is a short, 13 second bumper-style promo for Nuketown Radio Active. It simply says "Nuketown Radio Active: A podcast dedicated to life, liberty and the pursuit of geekdom. Get the show at nuketown.com. Get the promo.

Radio Active #66: Gut Checking Your Productivity

2008-05-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

On this episode of Radio Active, geek fitness gets a gut check, Nuketown delves deep into statistics, I discover a new path to gaming adventure with the Pathfinder RPG alpha, I try two new online productivity tools and offer my thoughts on how to write a better role-playing game adventure in less time. Get the podcast.

Free Comic Book Day (5/3/08)

2008-05-03T11:27:00.002-04:00

Free Comic Book Day is today (Saturday, May 3). In Easton, you can head down to Phantom of the Attic, 125-129 3rd St. and check out a whole bunch of free books from a dozen or so publishers.

Radio Active #65: Escaping to the Ballpark

2008-04-23T21:31:00.004-04:00

On this episode of Radio Active, Jordan loses her first tooth, but finds Narnia with the Magician's Nephew, baseball season gets underway as I discover the wonders of DVRing games and having a new AAA baseball team in the Lehigh Valley, Nuketown's comment section explodes with conversation, gaming advocacy gets a new voice with the EscapistCast, I check out a new podcast dedicated to the Mets and find a blog for the Lehigh Valley's new AAA baseball team, the IronPigs.

Get the podcast.

Primary Day

2008-04-22T08:42:00.003-04:00

It's Primary Day in Pennsylvania, that long anticipated Democratic political apocalypse. Obama's got chalk signs on campus, while Ron Paul activists have papered College Hill with signs. We got three phone calls from the Democrats yesterday reminding us to vote, and our house has been hit by both Obama and Clinton volunteers, neither of whom stayed to talk, instead choosing to slip fliers into our door. I blame the dogs, though they never scared off the Mormon missionaries...

As for me ... being the independent minded guy I am (and registered Libertarian to boot) I don't get to vote in either primary, so I'll just sit back and watch the spectacle.

Re-imagining Reusability

2008-04-22T08:32:00.002-04:00

My wife Sue's got a new Earth Day-inspired post about reusability up on Red-tail Designs. The 1941 Singer sewing machine she talks about is a beauty, but geeks will probably appreciate the steel & stained glass chandelier more; it looks like something out of the Addams Family mansion.

The Original Iron Pigs Blog

2008-04-21T20:36:00.003-04:00

I haven't been to an Iron Pigs game yet, but I have been trying to keep up with the team. The Original IronPigs Blog helps with that, providing summaries of the team's home and away games, player profiles, news off call-ups to the Phillies and notes about other team happenings.

Radio Active #64: Opening New Portals to Geek Parenting

2008-04-19T11:57:00.004-04:00

This is old news now, but I figured it was still worth a crosspost: Radio Active #64 is available over on Nuketown. It's got a review of the excellent puzzle game Portal, reviews of the Critical Hits and MacMommy blogs, and speculation on when Jordan should see Star Wars.

And on an entirely different note ... this is the 400th blog post on The Atomic Age. Not bad for a little backwater blog I only remember to post to about half the time.

Blog It

2008-04-17T10:25:00.001-04:00

The folks at Six Apart (Moveable Type, TypePad) have created Blog It, which allows you to post to a variety of services, including Blogger and Twitter, from within Facebook. If you live in Facebook, this app makes a lot of sense; for those of us who are just visiting, well, it could still make a lot of sense. Being able to update all of your online apps from one location at once is very appealing, as is the ability to only update a handful of them.

Cosmic Coffee Collaboration

2008-04-08T11:39:00.002-04:00

The Cosmic Cup in College Hill, Easton, is hosting a coffee cupping on Friday, April 18th at noon. At a cupping, you try samples of several different kinds of coffee and report on their fragrance, taste and body. It's quite the process as you look at the grinds, the initial mixture after hot water is added to them, and then finally the completed cup of coffee. I think it took about an hour the last time I tried it; if you're into coffee, it's well worth checking out.

Obama, Clinton campaigns opening Easton offices

2008-03-28T17:09:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

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

2008-03-22T13:10:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

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

2008-03-16T20:54:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-13T13:22:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-11T08:54:00.002-04:00

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.

Radio Active #62: Do Macs Dream of Electronic Balticons?

2008-02-29T20:15:00.004-05:00

On this issue of Nuketown Radio Active I struggle to wake my narcoleptic MacBook Pro, try out The Bourne Ultimatum as a movie on demand, discuss my upcoming convention trips to DrupalCon Boston and Balticon 42 and spend some time trying to infiltrate the Secret Lair podcast. In Netheads, I figure out how to actually enjoy exercise and take a look at a Savage Worlds wiki, and then spend some time ranting about why Wizards of the Coast has chosen to slash and burn Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition. Get the podcast at Nuketown.com and check out episode #61 while you're at it.

Jonathan Coulton in the Lehigh Valley?

2008-01-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

Geek musician/singer Jonathan Coulton lives in Brooklyn, New York, which isn't all that far from the Lehigh Valley. Yet to the best of my knowledge, he's never played here, which is something I'd like to change.

I've created a "demand" for him via Eventful:

http://eventful.com/demand/D0-001-000000412-0

Click the link and vote if you'd like to see him perform in the area.

Future Debt

2008-01-24T18:45:00.001-05:00

So it seems like the federal government's going to go ahead and cut everyone in America a check, which is nice and all except for a) it will likely do little to stop a recession, seeing as how it's a tiny sliver of GNP and b) we'll have to pay for it later since there aren't any spending cuts elsewhere to balance the expenditure.

We're basically borrowing (stealing if you're of a more cynical mind) from our future selves to pay our present selves. But on the plus side, it will help me pay off my MacBook Pro...

Behold ... the Dice of the Elder Gods!

2008-01-23T17:04:00.001-05:00

Behold ... the Dice of the Elder Gods!
Originally uploaded by Nuke_18042

My new dice. Aren't they're cool?

Radio Active #60: NaNoWriMo Wrapup, Zelda, Podcast Roundup

2008-01-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

Radio Active returns from its holiday hiatus with a wrap up National Novel Writing Month and news about my new reviews up at SCIFI.com. I also talk about my family's adoption (finally) of a TiVo, ramble on about boys and their trucks, spend some time playing Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and get caught up on a half-dozen different gaming and political podcasts. Get the Episode.

Under the Geek Tree 2007

2007-12-26T17:25:00.001-05:00

Under the Geek Tree 2007
Originally uploaded by Nuke_18042

A snap shot of the Geek Tree's skirt and small horde of geeky presents, including Expedition to Greyhawk Ruins and the Gunslinger Born graphic novel.

Spawn of the Geek Tree

2007-12-26T16:41:00.001-05:00

Spawn of the Geek Tree
Originally uploaded by Nuke_18042

This is the smaller Geek Tree that I put up at work. It features a variety of micro ornaments that used to be on the main Geek Tree, but had to be taken down for fear that our toddler might try and eat them.

Phantom of the Attic Moves to Downtown Easton

2007-11-21T12:37:00.000-05:00

Phantom of the Attic, my friendly neighborhood gaming/comic book store moved to downtown Easton, Pa. this week. The store's located at 125-129 Third Street, one block east from the Route 22 4th Street exit. The new location is great -- it's got beautiful hard wood floors, expansive amounts of space, and the Silver Surfer flying in one of the two display windows.

The shop moved from the 25th Street Shopping Plaza location, which wasn't nearly as nice as this one. A couple of my friends have remarked that parking might be an issue downtown, but in my experience it's a heck of a lot easier to navigate and find a spot in downtown Easton then it is having to run the automobile gauntlet that is 25th Street during rush hour (or any hour for that matter).

The store's still in flux, but the comics are racked and things appear to be coming together nicely. There's a prime gaming space in the back. so prime that I'd even consider having my group meet down there once in a while.

It's that nice. Or has the potential to be. I'm also thinking of volunteering to run a Savage Worlds one shot at the store in December, once NaNoWriMo is behind me and normality returns to the Newquist household. I've been itching to get in a game of SW; this would be a good way to do it.

Anyway, if you're in the Lehgih Valley (and I know a number of you are) stop by, check out the store, and buy something. This is the only truly geeky shop we have in Easton; we should make an extra effort to support it.

Marching Downtown

2007-11-19T10:57:00.001-05:00

The Easton Area School Board voted 7-2 to go ahead with $30 million in renovations and expansions to March and Paxinosa Elementary Schools, a move that will see both schools closed in 2008-2009 while the kids temporary spend a year at the old Middle School (sans Middle School students, who will be moving to the new Middle School).

I was at the school board meeting last Thursday, and there was very little talk about this from the school board, which was disappointing. As a former reporter, I know that's likely because they've already talked it to death at the monthly Buildings and Grounds meetings, but still, they could have at least explained their reasoning. A few parents spoke; some were concerned about the suitability of the building for little kids (which has been my biggest hangup about the move) and one was paranoid about alleged drug deals and crime happening down town, which inspired this article in the Express-Times.

Personally, I don't think it's class or race at issue, or at least, I don't think that's the primary issue; it's more lack of knowledge, or rather, lack of accurate knowledge. People read the paper, see headlines about crime downtown, and get nervous. Kerry Myers, the new school board rep quoted in the article, is right: the suburbs are hardly immune to crime (as illustrated by a murder that happened just last month in Forks) and I'd be willing to bet there's just as many drug deals in the burbs as there are downtown. The difference is, you don't see them when everyone's hiding on their 1/4 acre.

There's certainly a perception of crime downtown, but at the same time, I've never felt like I was taking my life into my hands going to the library, getting dinner at Porter's, or having a drink at Which Brew, all of which are on Northampton Street.

I'd love to see some GIS data showing crime in Easton and the surrounding area (which sounds like a great project for the PoliSci department at Lafayette. Or maybe the Express-Times could do some number crunching...); nothing fights ignorance like facts.

Meanwhile, we still haven't heard enough about the changes being made to the old Middle School to make it suitable for K-4th graders. I want to hear about traffic management (as legions of parents compete with parents to get and drop off kids), playground equipment (last I heard, there wasn't any) and the not-insignificant issue of trying to herd 1,000 or so elementary school kids around a school that's much bigger than what they're used to.

Geeks Can Run for Office ... and Win!

2007-11-18T16:59:00.000-05:00

Atlas Games President John Nephew's been elected to city council in Maplewood, Minnesota. According to Gaming Report, his opposition tried to play the "games are evil" card, but clearly it didn't work. I'm not saying I want to run for city council in Easton, I'm just saying I find it interesting that a gamer was able to do it ... and win.

Nephew talks about his win and the mainstreaming of games at ICv2.

Easton Area School Board Meeting Tonight (11/15)

2007-11-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Easton Area School Board's meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Easton Area Education Center, 1801 Bushkill Drive, Easton, as it does the third Saturday of every month. What makes tonight different is they'll be discussing (and likely voting on) plans to renovate March and Paxinosa Schools. It's item K under section XI. NEW BUSINESS of the agenda. As part of these renovations, the school district has stated they intend to close Paxinosa and March schools next year (2008-2009) and have the students attend the old Middle School instead (its students having been moved to the new Middle School in Forks).

Parents of the affected schools met about two weeks ago to discuss this, and submitted a number of questions about the projects and their associated plans to the school board. The board has said they'll answer at least some of those tonight.

My wife and I live on College Hill and our daughter would have attended kindergarten at March next year, so this issue's of keen interest to us. I'm planning to attend the meeting; I'll be the guy with the dark green shirt, orange tie and the MacBook Pro in tow. :)

Radio Active 59: Novel Update, Seeds of Destruction, NanoMonkeys, Invincible Super Blog

2007-11-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

On this edition of Nuketown Radio Active, I update folks on my quest to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, check out a new LEGO Chess set, debate what to call a hybrid unicorn/pegasus.

In Netheads I talk about Chris's Invincible Super Blog, a blog featuring capsule reviews of current and classic comic books and the NanoMonkeys Podcast, which returns for its second year of offering advice and encouragement to those participating in National Novel Writing Month. Rounding out the podcast is a review the Hellboy graphic novel Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. Get the episode at Nuketown.com

Of Charters and City Councils

2007-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Easton voters approved changes to the city's charter yesterday, implementing home rule, diversifying its taxing powers and expanding the city council to seven seats while making the mayor president of the council. I'm a little surprised at how few people voted on the issue, given how important it was: 2,289 vs 3,643 for the mayoral race.

Democrat Sal Panto was elected mayor again, and brought with him a string of Democratic councilmen and women.

The big question now is ... where do we go from here? The city's got serious financial problems, which is why I voted for the charter yesterday -- relying entirely on real estate taxes to fund government services clearly isn't working. But what kind of Democrats got elected yesterday? The fiscally responsible kind that will use their new tax powers wisely, or the tax-and-spend kind that will spawn a few dozen pet projects that will dig the city deeper into the hole?

Based on what I've read, I'm hoping for the former, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Radio Active #58: Chess for Kids, Geek Dads, D&D 4E

2007-11-07T08:51:00.000-05:00

On this episode of Radio Active, I discuss my daughter Jordan's sudden desire to learn chess and my approach to teaching her, contemplate the impending arrival of National Novel Writing Month, check out the Geek Dad Podcast and Simian Farmer blog and offer some thoughts on the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Get the episode at Nuketown

Capitol Ideas, Two Rivers Daily

2007-11-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

For a variety of reasons, some relating to my novel work for NaNoWrimo, some personal interest, I've been checking out the areas newspaper web sites recently. The PennLive remains a jumbled Borg-like mess that some how managed to assimilate a half-dozen newspaper web sites, including our local paper, the Express-Times, but the redesigned is surprisingly clean and reader-friendly. Moreover, its spun off a number of new blogs.

Of particular interest to me on Election Day was the political blog Capitol Ideas, which featured live blogging of election results and occasional quotes from activists at the various polling places. It's an amusing read that mixed together politics with Queen references. I kid you not. Honestly, I didn't think reporters were allowed to have this much fun, at least in public.

Their new Easton blog is Two Rivers Daily, which sounds great until you realize that it's died an unceremonious death on October 10. Prior to that it lived up to its name with a steady stream of local happenings and press releases. There wasn't much there in the way of personal observations or opinions, the sort of thing a blog really needs to keep people interested, which may explain the doom that befell it.

Voting

2007-11-06T07:36:00.000-05:00

Here are some useful links for figuring out whose running and who you want to vote for:

Election Coverage
League of Women Voters 2007 State Municipal Election Guide.
The Morning Call's take on the guide (PDF)
Express-Times' Endorsements
Morning Call Endorsements

Voting Information
How to use the voting machines
Where to vote in Northampton County

March School Closing for Renovations?

2007-10-27T21:39:00.000-04:00

College Hill is a abuzz with news that March School, as well as Paxinosa Elementary in Forks, may be closing during the 2008-09 school year for $30 million in renovations and expansions. Read the story in the Express-Times.

Students from both schools would be sent downtown to the former middle school, and no ones particularly thrilled about the decision, or how the school board made the preliminary decision without soliciting public input. The board votes on the plan at its November meeting, but folks in College Hill intend to meet and talk about it before then. There will be a meeting of concerned citizens at 7:30 PM in the basement hall of the College Hill Presbyterian Church on Monday.

Followup

There's also an article about this at the Morning Call. The article echos the express one; there are a few more quotes but that's about it. There's no reference to how/if the school might be modified (or procedures at the school modified) to accommodate the new students or if the administrative structure (principles, etc.) will remain the same or be merged. The Call article also has a six-post comment thread that gives some of the history on previous elementary school movies and shows some of the anger parents have for how the move came about (as well as previous promises made).

I'm coming into this late; our daughter will be entering preschool next fall, so it wasn't on our radar until this year, so I can't really comment on what's come before.

Radio Active #57: Nanowrimo, Kit Bag, Crisis on Finite Macs, Unquiet Desperation, Halo 3

2007-10-23T09:53:00.000-04:00

I finally got out a new episode of Radio Active. In Episode #57, I become an uncle again, contemplate a Crisis on Finite Macs, geek out about Halo 3, look ahead to National Novel Writing Month, listen to the Unquiet Desperation podcast and the geeky Secret Agent internet radio station and consider the merits of a geek dad kit bag. Check out the podcast.

National Novel Writing Month

2007-10-21T12:49:00.000-04:00

Because, you know, I wasn't busy enough. Details on Nuketown. Friend me on Nanowrimo.org

Uncle Redux

2007-10-19T11:57:00.001-04:00

I posted this over at Nuketown, but it's worth mentioning here as well. I'm an uncle again; my sister had a baby boy -- Benjamin Francis -- on Tuesday. He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 22.5 inches (what a tall kid!). More on her blog.

Museum of Indian Culture’s Fall Powwow

2007-10-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

The Museum of Indian Culture's Fall Powwow will be held this weekend in Allentown, Pa. The powwow features food, dancing demonstrations and lots of other fun stuff. My wife Sue (Red-tail Designs) will be there selling jewelry and demonstrating porcupine quillwork.

The cost is $5 per adult; $3 per senior; $3 per child (kids under 12 free). Driving directions are here; more information about the event can be found on the museum's web site at www.museumofindianculture.org.

Easton Arts Council

2007-10-18T08:49:00.000-04:00

One of the great things about Easton is its art community, which has been growing steadily since I moved here a decade ago. The Easton Arts Council provides a framework for bringing the city's artists together and sponsors and/or coordinates a number of events throughout the year.

The web site lists the group's annual events as well as upcoming ones. A member list is in the works (come on guys, let's see that blog roll!); you can join the group by downloading its membership form.

Lehigh Valley Crafters Guild: Blog & Podcast Links

2007-10-17T07:07:00.000-04:00

My wife Sue and I gave a presentation on "Blogs, Podcasts and Other Modern Marvels" last night at the Lehigh Valley Crafters Guild. Sue's a member of the guild -- she designs horsehair and porcupine quill jewelry -- and has her own business, Red-Tail Designs. She spoke about how blogs and podcasts can help artists, from finding inspiration to promoting their work, while I talked about the technology behind them.

Here are some quick notes from the presentation, including links to the blogs and podcasts we talked about.

Blogs
A successful blog has:
• Lots of pictures and some text
• Lots of close up pictures
• A good balance between personal and professional information

Example Blogs
• Art Biz Blog, http://www.artbizblog.com
• Craft Magazine Blog, http://craftzine.com/blog
• Paul Grecian Photography, http://photonz.wordpress.com
• Monkeyfoot Designs, http://monkeyfootdesigns.blogspot.com
• Soule Mama, http://soulemama.typepad.com
• Out West Carving, http://outwestwoodcarving.blogspot.com
• Pottery Blog, http://potteryblog.com
• Quilling, Art and Expression, http://quilling.blogspot.com
• Wee Wonderfuls, http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com
• Wicker Woman, http://wickerwoman.blogspot.com

Blog Hosting Services
• Blogger (free), http://www.blogger.com
• Typepad (fee-based), http://www.typepad.com

Podcasts

What are podcasts?
• Free internet radio that you can listen to whenever you want.
• You can listen to it on your computer or portable music player.
• Doesn't require an iPod.

Example Podcasts
• Art Biz Blog, http://www.artbizblog.com
• Craft Sanity, http://www.craftsanity.com
• Craft Cast, http://www.craftcast.com
• Wood Talk Online, http://www.woodtalkonline.com

Podcast Directories
• iTunes, http://www.apple.com/itunes
• Podcast Alley, http://www.podcastalley.com
• PodcastPickle.com, http://www.podcastpickle.com

Podcast Hosting
• Libsyn, http://www.libsyn.com
• PodBean, http://www.podbean.com
• PodShow, http://www.podshow.com

Tina Madonia at Connexions

2007-10-11T08:46:00.000-04:00

Connexions Gallery is featuring Tina Madonia's show "The Lehigh Valley As I See It" Sept. 27 through Nov. 11. The gallery's located at 213 Northampton St., Easton Pa. Its open Thurs-Fri, 12-5 p.m., Sat. 11-6 p.m., and Sun. and Mon. from 12-4 p.m. Alas, there's no web site, so I can't link to it, but the landscape on their promotional card looked beautiful, so take my word for it that this show is worth checking out.

Scarecrow Festival

2007-10-08T20:53:00.000-04:00

The 16th Annual Scarecrow Festival will be held October 19th and 20th in downtown Easton.

There will be a farmer's market, scarecrow clinic, face painting for kids, pumpkin bowling, henna painting and a tattoo and body art competition (the last one seems a little out of place but hey, it takes all kinds). You can learn more by visiting the Easton Farmers Market web site.

No word on whether Batman will be there.

Easton UnDressed

2007-10-07T22:17:00.000-04:00

I first learned of Easton UnDressed at the Cosmic Cup, where I saw a postcard for the blog.

Checking it out revealed a hodgepodge site that that incorporates blog posts, a mishmash of weather and media links, and an online chat/forum. It can be a bit difficult to follow, as it assumes a more comprehensive understanding of what's going on in Easton and the surrounding area then most people have (or at least, more than I have).

Visitors can find notes (and audio) about City Council meetings, editorials on Easton politics, interviews with political candidates and much more.

The Phillies are out

2007-10-07T22:12:00.000-04:00

'Nuff said.

Lehigh Valley Ramblings

2007-10-06T19:50:00.001-04:00

Blogging has been catching on in the Lehigh Valley, so much so that newspapers like the Morning Call and the Express Times have started paying attention to them (which in turn is what got me looking for new LV blogs.

Lehigh Valley Ramblings is a blog featuring a hodgepodge of political news and scuttlebut from around the Valley, including geographically-clueless mayoral candidates in Easton, proposals for free box seats at IronPig games in Allentown, challenges for minority-owned businesses (also in Allentown) and the race for state attorney general.

Josefina's of Easton

2007-10-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for some excellent South American food, check out Josefina's, located at 1104 Butler Street, Easton, Pa. Some friends and I went there for a great, satisfying $5 lunch. Haven't tried it for dinner yet, and can't pronounce half of what's on the menu (ok, I can't pronounce most of what's on the menu, but hey, I failed most of your major European languages in high school, so this should be no surprise to friends and family).

The Mets are out...

2007-10-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

Well, the Mets are out of it. Even worse than the loss, IMHO, was Tom Glavine's first-inning implosion.

Yes, I know that may seem contradictory, but Glavine was good for so much of the season that -- what with winning 300 games and all -- that to see him crash like that was mentally painful.

The rest of the game was also difficult to watch, particularly once Casto's would-be grand-slam fizzled ... it became just a question of counting down the innings until the season was over.

Oh well, there's always 2008...

Apple Geeks Rejoice!

2007-09-25T11:22:00.000-04:00

Apple's new store at the Lehigh Valley Mall opens this weekend; specifically 10 a.m. this Saturday. I think a weekend expedition with the kids is in order.

Eat. Drink. Stink.

2007-09-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

The Easton Garlic Fest is coming Saturday, October 6. Check it out at www.eastongarlicfest.com. Unfortunately I won't be able to go this year, but I've heard nothing but good things about it so go, eat and enjoy the tasty wonders of garlic.

It's also First Weekend, so there's plenty to do even if you don't like garlic (though really, have you tried it?). According to the "First Weekend" brochure for October, on Saturday, the Farmer's Market will be in full swing, Porter's Pub is having a kilt night at 8 p.m. (wear a kill, get a free pint) and Nanny's Treasures will be having their grand opening (they're at 19 South Second Street).

Video: "Downtown Easton - Expect Great Things"

2007-09-21T09:32:00.000-04:00

Dan McDonald, a student at Lafayette College, created a promotional film for Easton. Check it out.

Facebooking the Cosmic Cup

2007-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Troy Reynard, proprietor of the Cosmic Cup and barista extraordinare, is in Facebook. Friend him, you legions of Easton, friend him now!

Jazz at the Cosmic Cup

2007-09-19T21:14:00.001-04:00

The Cosmic Cup had live jazz tonight (with my boss on drums, so I stopped by with the kids for coffee, hazelnut chocalate gelato, and good music. We didn't stay long -- Jordan was tired after a big day at preschool -- but the kids seemed to enjoy it, and it was a great break from the regular routine. Luke really liked it, and spent half the time bouncing up and down on my lap, smiling at my friends, and occasionally pretending to be shy.

All in all, a good outing -- I hope Troy hosts more live music and other nighttime events this semester.

Radio Active #56: Facebook, Morphing Toddlers, Heroic Cthulhu

2007-09-19T18:54:00.000-04:00

On this edition of Radio Active, Nuketown ventures into Facebook, the epic MacQuest gets an update (and the nifty new/old iPod nano arrives) and Halo 3 looms like a shadow over all that we do. We've got Mighty Morphing Toddlers as Luke walks and talks like never before, and Jordan delves deep into Princess Star Wars.

Netheads round out the podcast with Heroic Cthulhu, a podcast/alternative ruleset that lets characters live more than one session, and Starship Dimensions, a web site for sizing up ships from myriad TV shows and movies. and Call of Cthulhu goes heroic. Get the podcast

Lafayette Day in the Square

2007-09-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 15 is "Lafayette Day in the Square", with a free trolly service running from Lafayette College down to Center Square. Once there students will find free food, the Easton Farmers Market, free food, and a fall fashion show, and to round things out, you can watch "Dr. Strangelove" under the stars from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Riverside Festival of the Arts at Riverside Park.

Riverside Festival of the Arts

2007-09-13T07:54:00.000-04:00

Easton's Riverside Festival of the Arts will be held September 15th & 16th; Saturday it will run from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday it'll be open 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

It will be held at the Riverside Park & Amphitheater, on Larry Holmes Drive, overlooking the Delaware River. It will include a juried art show & sale, live performances, art demonstrations, and a showing of the movie Dr. Strangelove under the stars.

Complete details are available on the Festival's web site.

Nuketown Radio Active #55: After GenCon, Podcamp Philly, MacQuest, Too Many Games

2007-09-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

Yep ... the podcast is back.

On this edition of Radio Active I've got some thoughts on GenCon 2007 and Podcamp Philly, catch folks up on what's happening at Nuketown, try and figure out what it takes for me to buy a Mac, discover the BioShock soundtrack, stop by Vegas After Midnight, delve into the D&D Insider, contemplate the Master Plan Podcast and review the pile of gaming goodness I picked up at GenCon. Get the show.

Main Street Initiative

2007-09-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize it, but Easton's Main Street Initiative has a web site: www.eastonmainstreet.org. It has a shopping and dining directory, a calendar of events and a fledgling newsletter (which is not yet available via e-mail)

Thoughts on Podcamp Philly 2007

2007-09-09T20:06:00.000-04:00

For a while, it looked like the Unconference was going to live up to its name: while Podcamp Philly had a list of proposed seminars, we didn't get a concrete schedule until Wednesday. No worries though -- Podcamp's organized chaos congealed at the last moment, providing a rambling structure to a Saturday full of podcasting goodness.

The chaos lurked just behind the corners as folks tried to use the guest ids scribbled on whiteboards around the Drexel University classrooms to log into the wireless network … at least until they figured out that the IDs only worked on the lab computers. Wired connections for the wandering bands of Mac, Windows and Linux laptop owners were scrounged however, giving rise to deep-sea scuba-like drama as people swapped Ethernet cables back and forth to share net connections.

The sessions were about what you'd expect at any conference: some good, some blah, with the best ones being those that encouraged audience participation (the exception being Apple's GarageBand session, which gave a lightning fast overview of the software, but still managed to provide some helpful insights into it. Of course, the conference itself was free, which gives it an edge up over many conferences I've gone to that had so-so seminars but cost a few hundred dollars.

I was disappointed by lack of education-specific seminars -- there was one on parenting and podcasting, one on podcasting in K-12, and one about Drexel's Second Life Island that unfortunately ran out of time before we got to the island. Next year I'd like to get together with some of the other colleges and universities in the area to see if we can get a full track's worth of education podcast seminars together.

Organizationally, I'd love to have had a map of the buildings that would be hosting the sessions, more hands-on sessions (e.g. editing with Audacity or GarageBand) and a schedule that was firmed up a week in advance of the conference (the better to persuade my co-workers to attend).

It was excellent getting to meet Doug (Geek Acres) and MA (Better L* Than Never) in person and that alone made it worth going to the conference; everything else was just gravy.

The conference got great support from Philadelphia area businesses, including Comcast (free coffee form Starbucks), Microsoft (raffle for a fully-loaded Xbox 360) Otto's Mini (a car dealership which provided t-shirts) KYW News Radio (lots of free air time for commercials), Blogger & Podcaster (free subscriptions giveaways) and many, many more.
The event had plenty of things to do socially, with gatherings Friday and Saturday night. I didn't attend them -- I'm going to enough conferences this year that I thought it prudent to only go Saturday, and head home early to spend time with the family (and rescue Sue from the kids). But I could definitely see spending a full day there next year.

On a related note, I learned about Podcamp Second Life at this conference, and I'm definitely planning on attending when it's held in 2008. I think this could either be a fantastic venue for a podcamp (allowing a lot of people to attend from all over the world) or a disaster (as Second Life crashes under the strain). Either way, it'll be interesting but I do wonder how we'll get our t-shirts...

Overall, I had a lot of fun at the conference, learned enough to make the seminars worthwhile, and left with a thousand idea that I want to implement right now!

* * * Update * * *

Reading over my post again, I realized it may seem more negative than I meant to write. Chalk that up to a morning of vacuuming and a 4 a.m. wake up call from my daughter (and by wake up call, I mean, a scream about needing to go potty).

In any case, while there were some logistical challenges, I think the (un)conference was well worth attending and I went home eager to start trying out new things and reinvigorated about my own podcast (and with my mind spinning about another one I've been thinking of launching for about six months now).

The other thing it got me speculating about was the possibility of having some sort of meet up for Lehigh Valley podcasters and bloggers. I'm not thinking of anything like Podcamp Philly, but I was highly envious of the community they've got going down there. It seems to me that with all the colleges and businesses in the valley, we should be enough people and interest to get *something* going.

And on the topic of constructive suggestions for new seminars:

* Public Relations for Your Podcast: Tips on coming up with media kits, business cards and other supplemental material to promote your podcast.
* Video Podcasting Workshop: Have people bring their own video cameras, shoot video, and then workshop editing it into a vodcast

On the education front I'd love to learn how colleges and universities are using podcasting, from videotaping lab procedures to audio recordings of lectures to convincing faculty that all this stuff really can help (or talking about cases where it *didn't* help, 'cause I'm sure that has happened to.

Podcamp Philly 2007: Help, I hate the sound of my own voice!

2007-09-08T14:50:00.000-04:00

Presented by Rick Glasby, Crashbang Digital, who discusses what mic to use, where to record, and how to tweak your recordings into shap

Which mic to use: you want to use some sort of condensor mic:

Samson CO1U - cardioid sensor

Audio Technica AT2020 - phantom power, cardiod sensor

Blue Snowball Mic (cardiod or omni directional, about $100, USB connection).

Alesis USB podcasting mic (usb, stand, headphones)

Tascam US-122LTNT (requires mixer, but uses a USB mixer)

USB Mics

Easily portable

Latency

Mixers:

Not easily portable

But easy to support multiple mics.

Follow the Path

Watch how the sound transits from microphone to computer to software. Follow the signal path to make sure you're not clipping at any point. You don't want the sound to clip (spiking waveforms that get horribly distorted and "clipped" in the final file.

Where do your record?

Want a place that absorbs a lot of sound -- carpeted room or walk-in closet. Not in a room with a lot of echo.

Addressing the mic

Proximity effect (closer is often better)

Wear headphones!

Watch your "P's" -- talk to the side of the mic or get a pop filter.

How to talk

try standing at your microphone.

Morganicsmethod.com for advice on speaking.

Podcamp Philly 2007: Your Podcast Statistics

2007-09-08T14:08:00.000-04:00

Presented by Rob Safuto, RawVoice and the New York Minute Show.

Start off with round-table introductions and thoughts about statistics. Ideas include:

Libysyn

Know Your Audience - engagement

FeedBurner - RSS feed, media

Know Your Web site - Google analytics, wordpress.com

What's your goal:

I just want to know: what are my stats?

# of downloads

geographics

referrers

what clients are downloading stats

how can I tell how many are listening/viewing (and should I?) People are very sensitive to the big brother effect (e.g. the Sony Rootkit Incident of '06)

But what can I do with those stats?

use referrers to network with other podcasts who are linking to you.

use client list to determine which software to test your feeds in.

How do I know what they do?

Build the community; get feedback directly from comments and forms.

General advice

Don't assume that people will visit your site if the feed goes dead or fallow.

Sites that will track your podcast stats (and usually do someting with advertising):

Podtrac

Blubrry

Radio Tail

Web site statistics

Google Analytics

Mint

How do you share these stats?

Media kits (skepticality)

With regards to advertisers, they're going to want to know how many people they got referred, how many people got converted to buying the product/becoming a subscriber. Use specific codes/landing pages to track how well a campaign is working.

Run contests, ask people for feedback, social networks -- anything that builds community.

Podcamp Philly: Audio Editing Techniques

2007-09-08T11:52:00.001-04:00

Presented by Mark Blevis, Electric Sky and Canadian Podcast Buffet.

The workshop's popular enough to push us into an overflow room. That means we can't interact with the presenter, but we do have wired connections and power! Mark is using Cubase on the Mac. Starts off talking about the ancient old days of tape editing, then transitions to digital editing.

First up, the clean cut, doing simple editing of clips with little background noise.

Second, editing clips from a coffee ship with heavy background news and some uhms. Talking about using crossfade to edit clips with busy ambiant backgrounds. Audacity can't do crossfades built in, so you have to separate into two tracks, fade one out and fade the other in.

It's possible to remove too many ummms and ahhs and breaths, making them sound robotic. People occasionally pause to think and your audio should for reflect that. Strongest, loudest aprt of your speech is always when you start a sentance. He's talking about actually editing breath sounds in to give things a more organic flow by putting them infront of peaks. That's just crazy talk!

In editing interviews, edit to the focus of the interview and leave in the ahs and ums, or at best, remove every other one. In recording interviews, if the interview is going to be 10 minutes, record 12 or 13 so you have an extra question or two you can swap in for a less-interesting or botched one.

Listening to this, it occurs to me that there are a lot of filters that I could be experimenting with for the podcast. Maybe I need to start a "Testing Range" podcast just to try out new techniques...

Wondering what's legal when you're doing podcasting & interviews? Check out the Podcasting Legal Guide.

Podcamp Philly: Second Life

2007-09-08T10:34:00.000-04:00

I'll be cross-posting here and at Nuketown about Podcamp Philly; posting here allows me to easily tag stuff as belonging to PodCampPhilly2007.

On the geek side of SL, there are audio book examples for J.C. Hutchin's "Proto-Womb" for Seventh Son and a game field for Scott Sigler's The Rookie. In education, there's Drexel Island.

This conference, like GenCon, re-affirms that I need to get my act together with business cards, t-shirts and such. Bad form to show up without these in hand, and I've got a bunch more conferences and workshops coming up this year (both at work, and at home).

Ride into the Sunrise with SpaceWesterns.com

2007-08-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

Longing for more Firefly? Wishing that the Verse would bless us with a Serenity sequel? Then check out SpaceWesterns.com, a webzine dedicated to the intersection of the Final Frontier with the Wild West. You can find original short fiction, space western-themed news, interviews, and much more.

The site's in the middle of a publicity drive, so if you like what you see, tell someone about it!

So they can win when I'm watching

2007-06-24T21:37:00.000-04:00

In a nice change from the rest of June, the Mets actually won a few games this weekend, sweeping the A's in three games. Lo Duca ended up to look like a crazy-eyed fool in Game 2 of the series, but as cringe-worthy as that was, the rest of the series was fun to watch, particularly the parts where the Mets actually won.

Radio Active #51: Shadowrun, Walking & Baby Talking, Mac Envy, Star Wars RPG

2007-06-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

Baby Luke's trying hard to become Toddler Luke as he learns to walk and starts baby talking. In more geeky news, I've got a review of the Shadowrun first-person shooter for Xbox 360/Vista, an announcement about my Libris Mortis review on The Tome podcast and geek out over Apple's new edition of Mac OS X.

I also take a look at Google's new themes for its personalized iGoogle home page service, and do an in-depth review of the Star Wars: Saga Edition RPG from Wizards of the Coast. Get the podcast.

The Mets win ... when I'm not watching

2007-06-19T10:03:00.000-04:00

I'm noticing a trend this season: if I watch the Mets, they almost always lose. If I don't, then they win. Oh ye Gods of Baseball, what have I done to offend thee?

Forza 2 Achievements

2007-06-17T08:08:00.000-04:00

After spending a few hours driving around in circles in Forza 2, I started wondering what achievements are available. And lo, Achieve360Points.com had the answer. Most of this looks doable; I think I could hit 750/1000 with this game.

Radio Active #50: Summer Reading, Nosebleed Seats, Wicked Good Podcasting

2007-06-10T15:48:00.000-04:00

Radio Active reaches a milestone with Episode #50, but it ends up being a fairly quiet birthday with news of a Nuketown road trip, a GenCon update, adventures in parenting with nosebleeds, and a summer reading list. I also run down my favorite Radio Actives from the first 50 episodes, talk about the Wicked Good Podcast, and throw out a buch of new podcasts that I've queued up, but won't have a chance listen to until I retart my third-floor painting project. Get the episode.

Books Like Dust

2007-05-31T10:18:00.001-04:00

My friend Damon's launched a new blog Books Like Dust to discuss his book collection and what he's reading now. He's a first-time blogger, so stop on over and offer him some encouragement.

Major League Baseball Widget

2007-05-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

Keep up with your favorite team with the Major League Baseball widget for Mac OS X's Dashboard. It lists upcoming games as well as X number of played games (where X is determined by you).

That Summer Reading List...

2007-05-28T14:19:00.000-04:00

Over at Nuketown, I'm putting together my Summer 2007 Reading List. There's not much (ok, any) response to the post yet, but perhaps it's not "summer" enough yet for folks to be thinking about what they're going to be reading.

Khelez-Mar: The Earthshaker

2007-05-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

The Cast of Characters

Vogg of Clan Toron
Sir Ottamar, Knight of the Sword
Moriam, Cleric of Ulaa
Manasi, clouder of men's minds
Heydrich
Kull of the Mountain

The Earth Quake

After destroying the wyvren rookery, the dwarves and their allies retire back to Khelez-Mar, where they divy up their treasure and then retire for the night. They are woken by a skull-shattering earthquake and are shaken out of their beds as the disturbance suddenly ends. They find scattered damage throughout the fortress, and Kull, Rencor, Moriam and Manasi decide to consult the Clergy to see what the Mountain might be telling them. They move to the lower level, and find that the path down is has been badly broken. Manasi teleports the four to the level below, to the fungi forest where they find a number of badly wounded dwarves hurt by falling debris. Rencor quickly moves to heal them, while Moriam studies the cavern for instability. Rencor utters "the blessings of heironeous upon you", drawing concern from the dwarves. Kull follows, saying "fear not, his is a strange religion, but he is a strong warrior and has slain many orcs! He has a good heart!"

Continue on word to Farak-Dur, the fortress protecting the Forge level. Find the area is still being restored, and is filled with equipment and supplies. The area itself is not badly damaged, indicating that it was some how reinforced or protected. Guards wave them through Farak-Dur, to the Forge. Learn that the earthquake disrupted the Forge, and the dwarves are struggling to recover.

Once there, Moriam is met by Steel-giver, a well-respected armorsmith, who asks if the earthquake is a sign from Ulaa. Moriam replies that he thinks that the clerics of Dumathoin (sp) might have answers. See statues of Dumathoin (sp), Vergadin (sp) and Moradin. Go to speak with Arval (Blood-Messenger), cleric of Dumathoin, find him comforting the masses, "you are dwarves! you are better than this! calm down!"

Moriam stands up before the crowds and says "Ulaa does not speak this way -- you must return to your work, to forge the weapons to fight the orcish scourge!"

Confronted by Dolor (Riddle-master of the Sword) who demands to know what the gods would have them do. "We will investigate this mystery. We are dwarves, a long lived race. Patience is our virtue ... back to work!"

Seeking the Follower of Secrets

The party speaks with Arval, who does not know why Dumathoin would send such an earthsquake, since he usually does such only to reveal secrets beneath the earth. Kull, who has spend years wandering the mountains of the Drachensgrabs, asks if it might be some other diety ... perhaps the strange elder earth spirit known as the Earth Dragon, a diety who's power has been seen to be growing through cults in Blue and Obsidian Bay.

Into the Mines

Moriam considers seeking out Clan Jarzak (miners of the blood), the master miners of the fortress, to see what they might have learned. Moriam dispatches Kull to warn mining clans not to disturb and clutches of gems that might be revealed by the collapse. Back at the cave fungi room, Kull finds that the way back up is exceedingly difficult. Reluctantly, he turns around, and then remembers that there is a tavern on the Forge level named "Baz Dol'est" (Sword of Fire Cavern). Find many abandoned meals there, and hear someone yelling about cleaning up and stowing gear.

Meet barkeep, Delgan, who gives them directions into the mines, to the "elevator room". Take the elevator down, going 40 ft. down. Moving deeper, they find an area where a fight has broken out. Come closer, find crowd gathered around a shattered rock, including black vein of corruption. Manasi and Kull look closer as the black vein. Touching the black with his axe reveals it is some sort of metal, and a miner informs them that it had been silver when it was first revealed, then turns dark and corrupt.

A final bit of advice from Manasi is "If it looks different, poke it like we did."

The Knight Above

Concerned by the possibility of attack, Sir Ottomar seeks the Knights of the Shield stationed in the fortress, working with them to prepare for a possible strike. The 15 Knights are in their chambers, donning their armor, saying prayers to St. Cuthbert in preparation of war. The Knights were stationed within the fortress as part of the dwarves' defense pact with Obsidian Bay. Sir Ottomar approaches them as they pray, and joins them. He speaks with Sir Cryllic, the leader of the Knights in this place, asking where they should assemble for defense.

Arval's Vision

Arval tells Moriam that he is ready for the communion, but that they should find the dwarven leader Thror Du Bok and Galanak, high priest of Moradin. Seeking these leaders, they head deeper into the Forge level, find a craftsman repairing statue of Domathoin. He's able to find them, and brings them together with Arval in the temple. Galanak and Arval consecrates the area, and then Arval casts his invocation at the statue of his god. The god's head turns, his eyes glow golden, and he speaks. Arval asks if Domathain if he sent the message; god replies he didn't. The dwarf asks if it was sent by an enemy and if it was an unnatural event. The god says "it was an attack, and it was target it at the dwarves, though the agent was unknown and hidden." Arval is shocked that the keeper of secrets under the mountain did not know who did this.

Kull and Manasi arrive, reporting on the corrupted vein. The leaders say it is a horrible portent, saying they don't know what it might be. The miners find no sign of any other corrupted silver mine. Moriam wonders if the evil dwarven god Albathor might be responsible for this foul act.

Kull wonders if the passages to the UnderDark should be checked on. The Elders agree, and ask Moriam to take his friends down to investigate while they consider the possibility that Albathor might have been behind the attack. Back up on the first level, Manasi and Kull gather together their friends and explain what had happened.

Into the Dark

Sir Ottamar seeks out the general store, speaking with its proprieter, who tries to sell him everything at significantly increased costs.
After gathering together, the party then heads into the dark. Head to the great hall that leads to the great hall, where the dragon once lived and was slain by D'lar, Moriam, and the Blackrazors. Talk with the dwarven and human guards stationed here, who say that the area is very quiet, aside from the earthquake.

Hanging out at the Dire Cafe

2007-05-24T12:25:00.000-04:00

I have this blog for cross promotional purposes, so I might as well do some cross promotion. The Dire Cafe is the UncleBear.com-spawned social network for escapist geeks. So sayeth the Bear: "If you're a casual fan of movies, scifi, fantasy, horror, comics, or tabletop rpgs you're in the right place." Go there. Hang out. Have fun.

Radio Active #49: Monster Week, Catan, Dire Cafe, Geek Dad Blog

2007-05-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

Thoughts about Nuketown's upcoming Monster Week extravaganza leads off Episode #49 of Nuketown Radio Active as I discuss about the movies I want to review and ask listeners for suggestions.

With the monsters out of the way, I talk about my progress on the geek fitness front and my experiences registering for GenCon 2007. In Netheads, I take a look at the upcoming SimCity game for Nintendo DS, suggest folks check out the Dire Cafe social networking site, ramble on about Pirate solitare, and discover a Geek Dad Blog at Wired.com. Finally, this week's review is the board game Catan for Xbox 360, a computerized version of the classic German board game Settlers of Catan. Get the podcast at Nuketown.com.

Radio Active #48: Sickness Returns, Crafty Podcasts, D&D Manager, Jupiter

2007-05-11T12:44:00.000-04:00

A particularly nasty round of family colds sidelines Radio Active for a month, but the show's finally back with an update on Baby Nuke's new love of Cheerios, news of Nuketown's new Top of the Pile comic book review column, a rundown of my wife Sue's favorite crafty podcasts, and news of a new D&D utility for the Mac. Rounding out the podcast is a review of Ben Bova's science fiction novel Jupiter, in which a science team searches for life in the deep, high-pressure water ocean beneath the king of planet's cloud deck. Get the episode at Nuketown.

Nerds!

2007-04-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
Drama Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

No big surprises here. There weren't much in the way of coding/computer questions, else my possession of a vintage Timex Sinclair and my code monkey day job might have pushed me into the computer nerd category.