One Fourth of July long ago, I was holding a sparkler and running. Obviously, that was a bad idea, but I was five and kind of prone to bad ideas. As you might imagine, I tripped, fell on my face, and extinguished the sparkler with my torso. I was left with a sparkler-shaped scar on my lower abdomen, and not an ounce of remorse over the event. But, of my many nerdy pastimes, fire safety still looms large. That said, this Fourth––weather, humidity, and local laws permitting––I hope you will don some safety glasses, and set off some serious fireworks. It’s what George Washington would want you to do. Just please don’t run with anything actually aflame, OK? [Read more…]