As at least two of you (viz., Leonard and Adam) know, Leonard and Adam and I visited San Francisco's Exploratorium yesterday. I found myself comparing it favorably with Stockton's Children's Museum of Stockton (a more all-around play-with-stuff place) and Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science (where Dan used to work). Perhaps my childlike enthusiasm was a bit influenced by a childhood memory of the Exploratorium. Also, I got the vicarious joy of showing off the museum to Leonard and Adam, both of whom had never been there before.

The hours just flew by! Granted, there were breaks from compulsive exhibit-handling to watch short math-inspired films and eat lunch (surprisingly good, unsurprisingly expensive). But the variety of interesting stuff and clever demonstrations of various scientific facts and principles edified and uplifted me.

I was surprised by the openness about sexual reproduction exhibited by the biology displays, and by the presence of exhibits that taught linguistics or psychology rather than, say, optics or biology or some other hard science.

In conclusion [applause], fun. I especially liked the film Komposition en Blau and watching Adam get lost in sound-experiment goodness. Oh, and the Classic Mac set up as a four-track recorder.