Whenever I go out into the desert to look around, I always run across one of three basic humanoid groups: geeks, grunts, or gearheads. The geeks are there because scientists are often banished to the howling desiccated wilds to carry out their explosive or radioactive experiments or to simulate life on other planets. The grunts are there because large arid expanses are perfect places for soldiers to drop bombs, play war games, and even fight real wars. And gearheads have been fans of dry lake beds ever since cars were invented because they are free of radar guns and traffic lights. Continue reading »

When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem, and Murder by Steve Fischer One unexpected but delightful feature about moving to Las Vegas is meeting the locals. Even if they've only been here a decade, they have stories about the good old years to tell -- like back in 1998 when the Bellagio opened. Better still are the folks who've spent a lifetime here, and still remember watching the original Ocean's Eleven being filmed on the Strip or seeing Liberace at Carluccio's before he was a ghost... Continue reading »