If, like me, you really, really wish you were at GenCon right now, but like me, you really, really can't go, then check out GenCon (Almost) Live a community podcast project in which the hosts of various gaming podcasts post audio clips, photos and blog entries from the Gaming Holy Land. Unfortunately there's not a lot of "there" there yet, but give them time (and the chance to recover from the first two days of 24-four hour gaming).

For the last few years I've been thinking about getting back into model rocketry -- it was one of my favorite hobbies when I was a kid, and it's just the sort of focused-yet-relaxing activity I could use more of nowadays. Plus, Jordan's now three and loves to build stuff. While I don't think she's ready for rockets just yet, I think she'd really enjoy watching one get built and then launched.

I decided to see if the Lehigh Valley had any rocketry clubs, but so far nothings turned up. I tried the National Association of Rocketry's club list but there's nothing in this area, though there are a bunch elsewhere in Pennsylvania.

The Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society (LVAAS) is based in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, encompassing the cities of Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown. The society's based out of Allentown, and runs regular star parties, society meetings, and education programs. The group's star parties are free and open to the public (including kids!).

Reason science correspondent Ronald Bailey crunches the numbers and finds what deep down we already know: the chances of getting killed in a terrorist attack are exceedingly slim -- to quote from the story:

"your risk of dying in a plausible terrorist attack is much lower than your risk of dying in a car accident, by walking across the street, by drowning, in a fire, by falling, or by being murdered."

And yet, many people are willing to give up libertiy after liberty in a vain effort to feel safer ... and in the process fail to notice that onrushing garbage truck that just blew through the light on Broad Street.