Bi-Coastal Blogging

I am blogging today from a vantage point in Santa Clara, CA where I can see the incredible economic engine of Silicon Valley spread out in front of me.

It is spring here and the normally camel-colored hills are pale green. It has been a year since I last inhaled this warm dry air with its tangy aftertaste of smog and money. The energy level may have abated a bit, since traffic sems to be lighter, but there is still the sense of a society totally immersed and driven by technology.

This isn’t the conspicuous consumption of consumer technology, like pagers, cellphones and instant messages, which we see in every city. There is a subtle difference here which shows up as men and women operating laptops and wireless comunication devices in every hotel lobby, coffee shop, carwash, whever they can find a place from which to communicate.

There is so much electromagnetic radiation flying around that some people could probably pick up the news or random emails on their fillings.

I am out here with Gretchen. She is here on business and I am here to provide her with company and amusement on this long business trip.

I am going off to explore Santa Cruz with an old friend while Gretchen attends meetings. I will have another report later today.