On John Edwards, Redemption Ark, and Fireworks

On John Edwards
Kerry made the right decision in selecting John Edwards as his running mate. Based on charisma alone, I have to admit I sort of like Edwards and the positive message he maintained in the Democratic primary. (As a fellow native of the Tar Heel state, I might be somewhat geographically biased.) Of course, his protectionist views on foreign trade are misguided and abhorrent, and I'm not quite sure what he accomplished in his term in the Senate. Nevertheless, the man can tell a tale like the plaintiff's lawyer he is, and that will only help Kerry.

On Redemption Ark
Enough politics! I finally got around to reading a book I've been eager to read for more than half a year now. Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds. No one can spin a space yarn better than Reynolds, and he has a unique ability to set a breakneck pace through a darkly-riveting universe full of posthumans, aliens, and AIs -- despite the absence of FTL travel! I'm looking forward to reading Absolution Gap, the concluding book in the series that includes Revelation Space, Chasm City, and Redemption Ark, along with a few excellent short stories (Great Wall of Mars is one of my favorite here). Unfortunately, Absolution Gap just came out recently and I am cheap, so it's unlikely that I'll be reading the book until the library gets it (probably two years from now) or I find it on sale at a substantial discount.

On Fireworks
This year we walked from our house to Central Park in Santa Clara to catch the Fourth of July fireworks. It was absolutely fantastic to be able to simply go out the door of our house, take a short walk down the street, and be close enough to the fireworks show to hear the accompanying music! The show itself was nice, but nothing special -- the disadvantage of not being able to take advantage of economies of scale. In fact, as I listened to the disjointed hodgepodge of music that went along with the show, I couldn't help but think about the message on the City of Santa Clara website that had been posted prior to the show. The message indicated that the show would go on despite the city's continuing budget crisis, and encouraged concerned citizens and businesses to contribute to the show. Today's website thanked the contributors, adding: "It's not too late to contribute! Send your checks payable to the City of Santa Clara, to: Fireworks, Attn. City Clerk's Office, 1500 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95050." While this setup is admittedly strange to me, I applaud the notion that individuals should have the choice of contributing or not contributing. Better yet, maybe a charitable organization should take over the responsibility of putting on the show from the city government, provided that the organization abides by community standards of decency and appropriateness. Power to the people!