A computer role playing game with no dragons, or zombies, or post-apocalyptic giant rats to battle? Who would ever conceive of such a thing? As it turns out, Rudyard Kipling did, though he didn’t know it at the time.

When he turns 100 this month, Alvin J. Lannon Jr. will have an impressive century to look back upon. He had a long and happy marriage, raised a family, and enjoyed a 36-year career with what was then the state’s Department of Natural Resources, all the while keeping up with the tremendous technological and cultural changes that have taken place since 1916. He also experienced a World War II odyssey that took him from the southernmost part of the Pacific Theater of combat, to Japan itself. As Veteran’s Day approached, he sat down to reflect upon his time in the service.

It was the night before the Super Bowl, and I was completely preoccupied thinking about the game. When I say “the game,” though, I’m not referring to the Super Bowl. I’m talking about hnefatafl.

For several years I’ve been wanting to try 3-D printing, but I’ve been uncertain about how to get involved without a major investment. So when I heard about a free, browser-based 3-D design and printing app from one of the most respected names in design software, it piqued my interest.

Spring never fails to bring out the Boy Scout in me. As soon as the equinox hits, I start having thoughts of camping, kayaking, and maybe even getting back into rock climbing. So when a friend alerted me to the existence of Knots 3D by Nynix, the timing was perfect.

“Full steam ahead.” “Just blowing off steam.” “Building up a full head of steam.” For most of us, those are just old clichés of unknown origin. But for Smithfield resident Tom Laferriere, they’re a very real part of every drive in his vintage Stanley steamer.

We see the cruisers every day, sitting next to Citizens Bank or at the Hess Station, patrolling on Rte. 7 and Putnam Pike, parked outside the police station… Usually the sight causes us to look at the speedometer, slow the car down to the limit, and hope we don’t see any flashing lights in the mirror. What’s going on inside the police cruiser, however, is a thousand times more complicated, as officers pursue the dual goal of enforcing the law, and keeping themselves alive.

Seeing a classic car in Smithfield isn’t that unusual. Northern Rhode Island has more than its share of finned fifties classics, sixties muscle cars, and road-worthy Model A Fords. But seeing a four-wheeled representation of America’s gilded age, a time when wealthy industrialists took on the role of American royalty – that’s something different. And that’s exactly what Smithfield automotive treasure hunter Tom Laferriere has found.

For one week in the beginning of March, the media center at Smithfield High School had students and their parents glued to three 46-inch video screens, gasping, gaping, and cheering as if they were watching a fireworks display or an IMAX presentation. As children and adults held up cell phones to photograph what they were seeing, it was evident that they were experiencing something greater than a fleeting visual spectacle. They were experiencing the thrill of scientific discovery as it happened, live, before their eyes. They were given this opportunity through a high-tech hookup between Smithfield High School and oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard.

A unique piece of auto racing history rolled through town last month, on its way to a private collection in New Hampshire. For a short time Greenville resident Ed Picard’s garage housed a prized possession that had been spending time in Pennsylvania’s Eastern Museum of Motor Racing – a 1938 Rudy Adams midget race car.