It’s July 1st. Hang Up and Drive. (On Over To Buy That Bluetooth.)

Tomorrow is going to be a great day.

Not just for those of us who prefer public safety over the current cell phone insanity but for our gasping economy as well. Now gadget-lovers (like me) don’t need to justify our electronic obsessions — as of July 1, we have an urgent reason for rushing on over to the big sales at Best Buy, Radio Shack and Circuit City or logging on to sites like headsets.com or Parrot, where you can sign a petition to make the Parrot California’s official state bird, in recognition of its handsfree heroism.

California’s new law, taking effect tomorrow, July 1st, will require drivers to use hands-free devices when dialing and driving and bans anyone under 18 from using a cellphone or other mobile device behind the wheel. An officer can pull over and issue a citation to a driver of any age if, in the officer’s opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. A similar law goes into effect in Washington state, also tomorrow.

Drivers under the age of 18 may not use a wireless telephone, pager, laptop or any other electronic communication to speak or text while driving in any manner, including the use of hands-free devices.

The new law will reportedly save almost one life per day when it takes effect, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

A couple of handsfree devices getting the highest marks from the gadgets pros at CNET:

• The Aliph Jawbone 2 wins a CNET Editor’s Choice in May 2008  
  The good: The Aliph Jawbone 2 is a fashionable Bluetooth headset with a comfortable fit and an array of noise-canceling and voice-enhancement technologies that result in amazing sound quality.
  The bad: The Aliph Jawbone 2 doesn’t have a volume rocker, and the LED light is located directly on top of the Talk button.
  The bottom line: Despite its quirks, the Aliph Jawbone 2 is quite possibly the ultimate Bluetooth headset in terms of design and sound quality.

  Price range: $129.99 – $154.86

• Jabra

  The good: The Jabra BT8040 is a small Bluetooth headset that is packed with features such as MultiPoint technology (the ability to connect to two different devices simultaneously), A2DP for streaming music wirelessly, plus an intelligent noise reduction and volume equalization technology that offers great sound quality.

  The bad: The Jabra BT8040 may take awhile to fit properly in the ear.

  The bottom line: The Jabra BT8040 is a compact yet powerful Bluetooth headset that offers more than enough features for the mobile professional at an affordable price.

  Specs: Type: Microphone Built-in; Product type: Headset; Design: Over-the-ear  

• Price range: $54.99 – $79.99

And should you be in the market for a new car, check out SYNC, the built-in voice-activated system created by Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp., which lets users do both things hands-free: play music or make phone calls using voice commands.

The Big Sur Basin Wildfires: Update from the Land of Soot, Smoke and Red Sun.

We came home last night to discover soot all over the deck and a bright red sun sending mad, shimmery beams of crimson down below. As we watched this fiery freak show, the thick brown fog rose, swirled and swallowed the sinking sun in one smoky gulp. Very Sci-Fi Channel. Like Mars over the Monterey Peninsula.

So far the Basin Fires in neighboring Big Sur have burned 39,606 acres and 16 homes, with 1200 more being threatened. More than 700 firefighters, 6 helicopters, two air tankers and 46 engines are hard at work fighting the blaze. This part of the world –Carmel and Big Sur, especially, is very six degrees: we’re a small, close-knit community where everybody knows someone who is a firefighter or someone who lives on Partington Ridge or Palo Colorado.

Funny how the maps they show on the evening news always seem so distant — until the roads they’re pointing to are the roads that lead to your home.

Photographs courtesy of Katie Carroll