Last Friday, I attended the Stir Trek conference here in Columbus. The day got off to an inauspicious start when I turned on my car. There was a high screaming noise, and acrid black smoke poured out from the engine. I opened the hood, pulled out a burning air-conditioner drive belt, and threw it into the bushes beside me. Now the engine ran fine! (Although, for some reason, this did not reassure my wife.) The conference is held in a local movie theater. After a day of technical sessions, the...