The evening wrap, Tues. 5/3

Spent most of the day reading Pournelle's book. In one respect things seem pretty bad, but there are little signs of light that keep the optimism alive. Sometimes, it seems hopeless. But the thought of just one bit of good news can change everything. The death of bin Laden isn't that. In the larger scheme of things, he didn't matter much. Nor does the fate of the current batch of politicians. The thing that would really make me feel like jumping up and shouting would be if a way to net fusion power was positively confirmed. If energy can be mastered, so can spaceflight. And therein lies the hope for the future. Pournelle thinks that way. So do I.