Quick Observations from the Road

The Democratic Convention: Bill Clinton was a rock star. Future Senator Obama, who will not be confused with America's most entertaining psychopath, Alan Keyes, was good. I didn't see Edwards in action.
Teresa Heinz-Kerry is a space cadet - "We sent men to the moon, and when that was not far enough, we sent Galileo to Jupiter, we sent Cassini to Saturn, and Hubble to touch the very edges of the universe in the very dawn of time." will go down as one of the geekiest sentences in any major political speech - and John Kerry was John Kerry (I missed the campaign's well attended stop in Flagstaff, AZ by one day). His convention speech was a very safe, rather banal, laundry list.

One thing that he is shading - improving fuel efficiently through better technology will in no shape or form reduce U. S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil. The Persian Gulf reserves are the most accessible in the world, and reduced demand by America will simply destroy the affordability of all the other potential oil sources. The only way to cut the link to Saudi Arabia are by increasing the price of all oil (i.e. raising gas taxes), embargo (a la Jimmy Carter's 1979 politically catastrophic sanctions on Iran) or letting the place go to pot (the end result of the Bush Administration's Grand Strateragy).

Of course, none of theses are going to happen soon (except for maybe the last).

---

AMTRAK: While I stopped in Flagstaff at 6:00 am Monday, the Southwestern Chief went on up the line to Albuquerque with my luggage. My errant bag, separated from a pile of Boy Scout backpacks, came back on the return train at midnight. In an interesting twist, that train was two hours late - apparently due to a plague of light fingered transvestites that forced the train to stop for a surprised sheriff in Kansas.

---

JPL: I will try and write more about my Planetary Science Summer School experience. A couple of observations. The place runs on thumb drives - which I had never really encountered before - due to a Lab-wide addiction to Macs contrasting with a substantial Windows investment.
Also, JPL's spacecraft are designed on Microsoft Excel - which might explain a lot. (I'm kidding)

---

Drinking: Done some (responsibly) over the last few days. PSSS finished at JPL's Team-X happy hour at Mc Murphy's Tavern, and then a small group of us headed out to an exclusive Hollywood nightclub situated under the neon lit ominous bulk of the Church of Scientology on Sunset Boulevard. Somehow my normal outfit was not up to scratch - so I ended up wearing exclusive Hollywood nightclub clothes contributed by a local Persian. Long story.
The next night was a subdued evening of watching HBO at the Pico Rivera Days Inn, while a loud Mexican wedding boomed mariachi music well into the evening. Attack of the Clones is still a terrible movie.
In Flagstaff I saw my first full-on bar brawl in these parts (seconds after Matt the Englishman commented on the lack of drunken fighting in America). The second night was composed of pool, karaoke , and politics, in approximately that order, with a large amount of beer and wine.
Might take it easy tonight - my train goes through Flagstaff at 5:22 am tomorrow - and they will not wait (unless there is another tranny invasion).
Update: Okay - 25 ¢ yellow beers at the dubious Joint bar undid that plan. Nice young English lass informed me that I resemble Jim Carry.

I frankly dont see it.

I did manage to get up at the required 4:00 am - but the Chief was delayed 6 hours.

---

Posted from Starbucks Flagstaff