Who's the No. 2 maker of nuclear power plants? It isn't Westinghouse. You bet we're hiring. If you can't wait for the recruiter, write today to George Garvey, Westinghouse Education Center, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15221. An equal opportunity employer. FEATURES PAGE Spaceship Earth 4 by Vincent Rybicki Terminus 2002 10 Reprinted from Minnesota Technelog, Jan. 1972 by Weston Fisher More Food From Arid Lands 14 by Bob Norby DEPARTMENTS Editorial 3 Puzzle Contest 7 Super Engineer 12 STAFF Don Willemsen Editor Vincent Rybicki Associate Editor Milton Horst Photographic Editor Bob Norby Circulation Manager Alan G. Hoffman Advisor Smoothing the way for perfect thin film bonding. Aluminum oxide, or alumina, is con- other shapes. Holes can be punched at sidered to have the best combination of the same time. properties for thin film circuit substrates. Finally, because of the use of active Until recently, however, the bonding of alumina, the material is fired at an unusu- metal elements to gold-coated tantalum ally low temperature which results in nitride resistor film on alumina was some- smooth substrate surfaces for reliable what unpredictable. thin film bonding. The finished substrate Now, an advance at Western Electric is then ready for the various processes of has made it possible to get practically thin film circuit production. fault-free bonding of these materials. In developing this new process, en- This new perfection in bonding gineers at Western Electric's Engineering came through the development of finer Research Center worked together with grained alumina substrates. engineers at the Allentown plant. The process has four basic steps: Conclusion: This new way to pro- milling, casting, punching and firing. duce substrates is a truly significant con- During milling, alumina is combined tribution for thin film circuit production. with magnesium oxide, trichlorethylene, The ultimate gain from this smoother ethanol and a unique deflocculant. For substrate is for communications itself. 24 hours, this mixture is rotated in a ball For through the achievement of nearly mill. In a second 24-hour period, plasti- perfect bonding of metal leads to tanta- cizers and a binder are included. lum nitride, thin films can be produced The deflocculant plays a major role with even greater reliability and economy. by dissipating the attraction forces that exist between the highly active alumina particles. This prevents thickening, which would ordinarily make an active alumina mixture unworkable. The 48 hours of milling is followed by casting. When the material comes off the casting line, it is in the form of a flexi- ble polymer/alumina tape, dry enough to be cut into easily handled sections. After casting, a punch press cuts the material into the desired rectangles or By the year 2000 the world population will have doubled, energy needs will approach gargantuan figures, and man will be using the last of his fossil fuels. If we are to maintain our present standards of living the limit- ing factors must be overcome. Energy from fossil fuels is the greatest limiting factor, and we have only started to use engineering technology in obtaining energy from other sources. Atomic power parks have been proposed to handle future electrical loads. Reclamation of Deuterium from the ocean has been proposed as a possible source of energy. Sewage treatment has already been started in an attempt to reclaim some of our lost waters. Lake Erie is dead, but scientists are trying to bring it back to life. Our desert waste lands are giving way to arid farm lands. And the ocean produces as much algae as agriculture produces wheat, corn, and potatoes. Algae has been shown to be high in protein content, and could be a possible food source of the future. These are only a few of the ways man may solve his problems, but the tools he will use most in the solution are the engineering skills of his age. Thus the role of the engineer in relation to his en- vironment is increasing rapidly and may soon reach an expotential rate if man follows his strongest instinct- Survival. By Vincent Rybicki Consider fermentation. A few yeasts in the mash rapidly repro- duce. As they multiply, live, and grow they pollute their environ- ment with their own waste products — alcohol. If they run out of sugars or if they pollute their environment past 12% alcohol they die. The yeasts plight is that they are living in a closed system—just as we are. Once we burn all of our oil and coal there is no more. Once all of our iron and aluminum corrodes and disperses over the planet it is no longer available to us. Without these natural resources most of us would die and those who remain would be doomed to a primitive agrarian ex- istence with a life expectancy of less than 35 years. (Continued on Page 6) Dictionaries define hurdling as jumping over a hurdle in a race. Obviously, Webster never made the track team. VA good hurdler never jumps," the experts tell us. "He tries to duplicate the movements of sprinting. The head stays level. It's never higher over the hurdle than it is between them." A level head helps overcome any obstacle. Take bearing problems. They're best approached by a person with training, determination and the ability to think things through. Are you such a person? When you run up against a tough problem, are yon able to take it in stride? And do you like the excitement of rugged competition, and the rewards that come from winning? Then write The Timken Company, Canton, Ohio 44706. Ask our Manager of College Relations to give you a tryout. Ask him about our policy of promotion from within. And while you're at it, ask him to tell you about our $221 million expansion and modernization program. Timken® bearings sold all over the world. Manufacturing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France, South Africa and the U.S.A. An Equal Opportunity Employer (m/f). What are our major obstacles in maintaining a besides muscle, wind, and water. We can't go back high standard of living? Just as with the yeasts, without drastic loss of life and happiness; we can they are: an unchecked population growth, pollu- only go forward. tion, and a diminishing supply of natural resources. By 1980 a great deal of our electrical energy will The population can be stabilized. The industrial- come from fission reactors, but fission reactors are ized nations are well on their way towards ac- still only a crutch on the way to the solution of the complishing this. China and Japan have already problem. Fissionable uranium 235 is a scarce ele- achieved a stable population through self regu- ment and, at $30.00 a pound, is not expected to lation. If a nation does not achieve a stable popu- last as long as our coal reserves. Breeder reactors lation through self regulation, mass starvation will which produce more fissionable material than they do it for them. Our agricultural resources are use extend our energy reserves enormously but a limited. We can only feed, clothe and shelter a vast amount of engineering work is still required to finite number of people. make them practical. Once in operation they could Thankfully, the common man is now aware of extend our energy reserves by 500,000 years as- pollution. Much is being done to solve the problem suming a steady state global population of 7 billion and though the cost will be high, it appears that and a per capita energy consumption 20% more the pollution problem can be solved. than the current U.S. rate. The last major problem of decreasing availa- A dueterium fusion reactor would extend our bility of natural resources is the most crucial. What energy reserves by 2.7 billion years. Though a happens when copper becomes scarce? We will have dueterium reactor would be the best solution, to mine lower and lower grades of ore. The lower fusion technology is still in its infancy and it will the grade of ore the more energy it takes to extract require a great deal of time and research before we and purify the desired product. The more energy can build a reactor. you use the less you have available for future gener- With sufficient energy gold can be extracted ations and the sooner your source of energy runs from sea water, air and water can be converted into out. pertrochemicals, and an extremely low grade ore Our known reserves of fossil fuel are estimated can be converted into a pure metal. With sufficient at 100 years worth with quality drastically de- energy at their disposal our future generations can creasing with time. Our hydroelectric capacity is maintain a high standard of living. near its maximum now besides the fact that new dams meet stiff opposition from local residents REFERENCES and pseudo-ecologists. Large scale solar power is Scientific American, Feb. 71, Sept. 71, Sept. 70. almost pure science fiction at this time. That only leaves us with nuclear energy to provide us with This Endangered Planet, R.A. Falk, Random House power. Many are opposed to nuclear power, but N.Y.1971. without it, in 100 years there won't be any power Graphs from Scientific American. PUZZLE PAGE A five dollar prize will be awarded to the first undergraduate engineering student to turn in the correct solutions in Rm. 210 E.B. 1. Can 1 9 1 9 be represented as the sum of a cube and a fourth power? * * * 2. Reconstruct the following exact long division in which the digits have been indiscriminately re- placed by X's except in the quotient where they have almost been entirely omitted. 8^ XXX)XXXXXXXX _xxx_ xxxx _x_xx__ xxxx xx_xx * * * 3. a) In 1918, on the day that the armistice of World War I was signed, three married couples celebrated by having dinner together. b) Each husband is the brother of one of the wives, and each wife is the sister of one of the husbands; that is, there are three brother-sister pairs in the group. c) Helen is exactly 26 weeks older than her husband, who was born in August. d) Mr. White's sister is married to Helen's brother's brother-in-law. She (Mr. White's sister) married him on her birthday, which is in January. e) Marguerite White is not as tall as William Black. f) Arthur's sister is prettier than Beatrice. g) John is 50 years old. What is Mrs. Brown's first name? * ** 4. Smith, Brown, and Jones agree to fight a pistol duel under the following unusual conditions. After drawing lots to determine who fires first* second, third, they take their places at the corners of an equilateral triangle. It is agreed that they will fire single shots in turn and continue in the same cyclic order until two of them are dead. At each turn the man who is firing may aim wherever he pleases. All three duelists know that Smith always hits his target, Brown is 80 per cent accurate and Jones is 50 per cent accurate. Assuming that all three adopt the best strategy, and that no one is killed by a wild shot not in- tended for him, who has the best chance to survive? What are the exact survival probabilities of the three men? LAST ISSUE'S WINNER: Gary Ingvaldson Last issue's answers. 1- 125,200, 320 and 200, 320, 512. 2. The missing pages were 255 thru 286. 3. The fly's chance of survival is .75. 4. There are CjJ or (N-3) N-2) (N-l) N/24 intersections and C N + CN + 1 or (N-3) (N-2) (N-l) N/24 + (N-l) N/2 + 1 regions in the circle. 5. The free throw is worth 8 points and the field goal is worth 11 points. The International Nickel Company, Inc., Portable gas turbine One tool that more power companies are At the volcanic heart of the turbines, where New York, N.Y. The International Nickel Com- using in both their short- and long-range eftorts temperatures reach 1,800 degrees, only specially pany of Canada, Limited, Toronto. International generators, mounted on barges to close the generating gap is a down-to-earth designed superalloys can be used. Almost all of Nickel Limited, London, England. cousin of the jet aircraft engine, the gas turbine. these alloys contain a high proportion of nickel— and trucks, are being plugged A typical turbine, hitched to a generator, canup to 78 percent. Nickel is vital for the properties required for dependable turbine service. It helps into existing power networks to produce enough power to light a city of 25,000 provide alloy stability and corrosion resistance. people. (Above, eight turbines are ganged on one boost capacity. And nickel's barge. Combined output: 156,000 kilowatts!) Just as our metal is a helper, so International Nickel is a helper. helping make it happen. The beauty of the turbine is that it can be We assist dozens of different industries all bought and set up almost anywhere in amatterof ower the world in the use of metals. We offer tech- weeks. And it can be turned on and off in mere tical information. And the benefit of our ex- seconds. Which makes it ideal for those muggy perience. Often, Inco metallurgists are able to summer evenings when everybody gets home andanticipate alloys that will be needed in the future, hits the air-conditioner button at once. and to set about creating them. Gas turbines have proved such a boon to utili- This kind of helpfulness, we figure, will en- ties that sales of them are soaring. Last year, theycourage our customers to keep coming back to us. actually accounted for more than onefifthof power companies' total new generating capacity And that helps all around. Similar opposition from environmental "inter- terminus ? 2002 By Weston Fisher venors" is beginning to be felt by the coal industry and is intensifying as strip-mining for coal increases in the Rocky Mountain States. Coal gasification In 1971 the U.S. imported 23 percent of its oil, programs and major strip-mining operations for oil and Europe and Japan were almost totally de- shale may also be jeopardized by environmental pendent on foreign oil to meet their demand for opposition. petroleum liquids. In the next decade the world Of major concern are the international, political demand for petroleum is expected to almost and economic implications of a 40 percent de- double. In this same period, U.S. domestic oil and pendency on foreign oil by 1980. Because of rising gas resources are predicted to near depletion. These world demand, and because the Organization of projections are important because of petroleum's Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is bargain- role as an energy resource in the U.S. economy. ing more effectively, the price for foreign oil is Oil and gas together presently contribute ap- likely to rise considerably over the next ten years. proximately 76 percent of our total energy supply, While the U.S. population will be able to absorb coal 19 percent, nuclear power about 1 percent, major price increases by switching to smaller auto- and hydroelectric power about 4 percent. The mobiles, electrified mass transit, train rather than exhaustion of our domestic oil and gas, combined truck transport for produce and manufactured with a doubling U.S. demand for energy in the next goods, and expanded rail passenger service. The ten years, requires that the U.S. energy industries same is not true for Japanese and European con- quickly discover and develop alternatives to sumers; since they are already efficient in their use domestic oil and gas. Government and the indus- of fuels and yet will have to face still higher pe- tries look to coal, nuclear power, and increased oil troleum prices. imports as the only significant alternatives over at least the next thirty years. For example, with the price of gasoline in France at $1.20 per gallon, small cars, subways, Oil imports are expected to rise from the 23 and electrified rail have become common features percent at present to 40 percent by 1980. To pre- of the French transportation system. As a result, vent dependency on foreign oil above the 40 per- further price increases may only be partially ab- cent level will require: sorbed by greater transportation efficiencies; thus -rapid development of Alaskan and offshore making it probable that further increases would oil,/ have very adverse effects on the French economy. -massive development of the coal reserves of Rising prices for imported oil may have a greater the Rocky Mountain Region from North Dakota impact on the economies of the petroleum im- to the Four Corners,/ porting, developing, countries than on the de- -Federal support and encouragement to the de- veloped nations, because import payments for oil velopment of the Colorado, Utah, and Wy- represents such a high proportion of their total im- oming oil shale lands, coal gasification, and port expenditures. Wherever possible, the de- nuclear power. veloping countries should design their transpor- The role of nuclear power is expected to be tation systems and industries to utilize indigenous crucial. To make up the difference between energy hydroelectric and geothermal power and fuel re- demand and the diminishing supply of domestic sources. It is ironic that several of the developing oil and gas, planners project that nuclear energy countries which import petroleum already have use will rise from the present 1 percent to an esti- extensive highway systems, but little or no electri- mated 30 percent by the century's end, with as fied rail systems. This is partly the result of the many as 950,000+ megawatt reactors, of pri- support of highway construction by international marily breeder design. aid organizations like USAID and the World Bank. It does not appear the transition to these For all countries without large reserves of fossil energy sources will be smooth. Already environ- fuels or hydroelectric power, nuclear power ap- mental opposition to nuclear power has produced pears to be the only alternative to deteriorating a slowdown in the entire commercial reactor pro- balance of payments positions. Thus most of the gram, and with problems of solidification and world's developed and developing countries are at- disposal of high level wastes yet to be overcome, tracted to nuclear power, even though the tech- as well as radioactive emissions at plant sites and nology of commercial reactors is barely twenty other technical problems, the slowdown is likely to years old and many unsolved social and environ- continue. A massive commitment to electrical mental problems remain associated with it. Will energy from breeder reactors might not be possible the obvious near-term benefits outweigh long-term if the reactor program is indefinitely delayed for costs, or are the developed and developing countries environmental reasons. taking nuclear power for their bride with only half a promise that their house will be kept clean and NOTES that there is nothing behind the doors? Is there another way of meeting the world 1. U.S., Cabinet Task Force on Oil Import Control. The energy demand? Part of the answer may lie in the Oil Import Question, Wash., D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, Feb., 1970, p. 4 1 , Table C. U.S. growth curve for energy use, since we consume about 35 percent of the world's annual energy 2. Breckenfeld, Gurney, "How the Arabs Changed the supply. Why has our consumption been doubling Oil Business," Fortune, August 1971, p. 114. every ten years while the American population is 3. Starr, Chauncey, "Energy and Power," Scientific doubling every seventy? Could the rate of growth American, Vol. 224, No. 3, Sept. 1971, p. 37. for energy consumption be slowed without a 4. Hubbert, M. King, "Energy Resources," Ch. 8 in Re- drastic fall in the GNP? Might not per capita con- sources and Man, published by Committee on Re- sumption be held constant by a combination of sources and Man, National Academy of Sciences, consumer education, taxation of electricity, natural W. H. Freeman and Company, 1969, p. 183, 190; gas, and gasoline, together with government and see also: Economy Energy and the Environment, industrial support of more efficient use of energy U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, Legis- and of non-energy intensive industries? lative Reference Service for the Joint Committee, 91st Congress, 1 Sept. 1970, p. 53. Stabilization of per capita energy consumption 5. Wilford, John Noble, "The Nation's Energy Crisis: It in the U.S. would of course not solve the problem Won't Go Away as Soon as Demand for Power of how the U.S. might reduce its 95 percent de- Grows," New York Times, 6 July 1971, p. 22, Col. 7. pendency on non-renewal coal, oil, and gas for its energy supply; nor the problem of how to persuade 6. "Power Crisis: Electricity, Oil, Coal," Interview with Thornton F. Bradshaw, President, Atlantic Richfield other developed countries that they should also Company, U.S. News and World Report, 10 May reduce their rate of energy growth. It would, how- 1971, p. 86. ever, minimize the environmental and social im- pact of the short-term alternatives (nuclear power, 7. The Oil Import Question, p. 4 1 ; Breedenfeld, p. 115. M. A. Wright, board chairman of Humble Oil, pre- oil imports, and strip-mined coal) and help stretch dicts more than 60 percent dependency on foreign out fossil fuel supplies until new alternatives are oil by 1985. developed, whether fusion, geothermal or solar in origin. 8. Main, Jeremy, "The Hot Oil Rush in Arctic Alaska," Fortune, April, 1969, p. 120; Sherecoff, Philip, "Nixon Offers Broad Plan for More 'Clean' Energy," New York Times, 5 June, 1971, p. 1, Col. 4. 9. Economy, Energy, and the Environment, p. 40; Franklin, Ben, "Coal Rush Turns West into Another Frontier," Minneapolis Tribune, 22 August, 1971, pp. 1A, Col. 1. 10. "Nixon Outlines His Energy Plan, Proposes Opening Oil Shale Reserves," Science, 11 June, 1971, pp. 1114-1115. 11. Harwood, Bob, "Energy Experts Look to Coal Gratification to Avert Fuel Shortage in 21st Century," Wall Street Journal, 26 July, 1971, p. 16, Col. 1. 12. Van Dyke, Lester F. "Nuclear Plants to Hog Big Slice of U.S. Energy Pie," Oil and Gas Journal, 1, March, 1971, p. 17; Economy, Energy, and the En- vironment, p. 25. Projects 52.5% of electrical energy in the year 2000 will be nuclear. 13. "Senator Seeks to Block Atom Plants," New York A major R. & D. program sponsored by govern- Times, 17 February, 1971, p. 35, Col. 8; "Energy: ment and industry to expand the use of alternative President Asks $3 Billion for Breeder Reactor, Fuel Studies," Science, 11 June, 1971, pp. 1114-1115; sources of energy, and more efficient energy tech- Sullivan, Walter, "Clean Reactor Delayed in Drive for nologies, would help reduce the economic impact Atom Power," New York Times, 8 March, 1971, of a slower growth rate for energy consumption. p. 18, col. 4. In addition, if energy industries could be en- 14. "Nuclear Schedules Face Uncertainty," Electrical couraged to diversify into non-energy intensive World, Vol. 176, No. 8, Oct. 15, 1971, pp. 40-41. conglomerates rather than continue their present movement toward concentrated control of fuels 15. Farney, Dennis, " A t o m Age Trash: Dumping Nuclear (e.g. oil, uranium, and coal), they would be able to Water Proves a Big Problem," Wall Street Journal, withstand the economic effect of public programs 25 January, 1971, p. 1, col. 6; Owen, Ken, "High designed to moderate energy use. Level or Low Level its a Rocky Road for Radioactive Wastes," Electric Light And Power, May, 1971, p. 38. tend Delays, Raise Plant Costs," Science, Vol. 173, States that there are currently no demonstrated tech- no. 5002, September 17,1971, pp. 1112-1113. niques for solidifying high level wastes; Resources 18. Breckenfeld, Gurney, pp. 113-117. and Man, p. 236; Lewis, Richard S., "The Radio- 19. Ibid., p. 114. active Salt Mine," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, June 1971, p. 27. 20. Starr, Chauncey, "Energy and Power," Scientific American, Volume 224, No. 3, September 1971, 16. Toward A Rational Power Policy: Reconciling Needs p. 42. for Energy and Environmental Protection, Environ- mental Protection Administration of the City of New 21. Self, M., "Fusion Power: Progress and Problems," York, April 1971, pp. 30-51, 105-148. Science, Vol. 173, No. 3999, 27 August, 1971, 17. "Scientists Sue AEC, Charge New Reactor is Pollution pp. 802-803. Danger," Wall Street Journal, 26 May, 1971, p. 10, 22. Many proposed efficiencies in energy technology re- col. 3; Gillette, Robert, "AEC's New Environmental quire the use of metals which are in short world Rules for Nuclear Plants May Open New Debate, Ex- supply. How FLOWERS OF ZINC guard steel against rust for 20 years and more The myriad of shining zinc "petals," which galvanizing so widely used in guard rail, bridges, transmission tow- deposits on steel, form both a shield and an "electric ers, reinforcing rods, automobiles and many other indus- fence" against rust. • The layer of zinc protects first as trial applications. a mechanical barrier which completely covers the steel to seal out corrosion's attack. Zinc's secondary defense is called upon when the protective coating is scratched, gouged or worn through to the steel itself. Then, an electrochemical current of galvanic action fences these gaps and the zinc slowly sacrifices itself as it continues to protect the steel. This action takes place because, in the galvanic series, zinc is less noble than steel and will corrode sacrificially . . . fighting a stubborn delaying ac- tion against corrosion's attack. • No other material pro- vides the combination of strength, corrosion-resistance and economy found in galvanized steel. That's why it's Scientists at the University of Arizona believe they have devised an integrated system that will provide power, water, and food for coastline desert. With their approach, waste heat from engine-driven electric generator sets is used to de- salt sea water. The resulting fresh water, in turn, is piped to vegetables planted within controlled- environment greenhouses of air inflated plastic. Approximately 14 percent of the world's crop lands under irrigation produce a fourth or more of the world's agricultural crops. As the food needs of rapidly growing population continue to increase, more and more of the arid and semiarid regions will be cultivated, for much of this land is capable of year-round use, and conditions are more favorable than in humid regions for the control of insects and disease and the advantageous timing of water appli- cation. One estimate is that by the year 2000 there will be twice the present 370 million acres under irrigation, even though the cost of new irrigation projects, which now average almost $400 per acre, is substantially higher than the cost of bringing new land in humid regions under cultivation. The investment required means that irrigation agri- culture can be economically successful only when combined with sophisticated farm technology. Jordan began constructing a large scale irri- gation project in the Jordan rift valley, or El Ghor (see fig. I) as it is referred to locally in August, 1958. The East Ghor irrigation project in- volves the diversion of the river Yarmuk to provide an irrigation supply for approximately 30,000 acres of cultivable land in the northeastern part of the Ghor. The canal offtakes from the Yarmuk is about five miles above the Jordan-Yarmuk con- ference. The flow of the river is diverted through a side channel excavated below the natural bed of Because they lack beams or other supports, the river. From the diversion point the water is these greenhouses admit more sunlight; they are carried through a mile long tunnel through a rocky also less expensive and easier to erect than con- spur to the 45 mile long canal. ventional greenhouses. Using the normally wasted Unfortunately, due to the inefficiency of tra- heat of the engine-driven generator sets to provide ditional farming methods, the project is not as suc- fresh water for agriculture is practical and more cessful as expected. In an attempt to improve agri- efficient, although this method is far too costly for cultural practices in the project area, in particular openfield farming. to encourage farmers to experiment with new The Arabian Shiekhdom of Abu Dhabi is crops, improved seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, planning to construct a power-water-food center the Agricultural Extension Service provides a designed by the University of Arizona and pre- technical assistance and advice program. Cash loans fabricated in Tucson. This facility will have forty and incentive grants are made available to farmers, greenhouses, each consisting of double half- but, most important, farmers are encouraged to cylinders connected by tunnels and each covering adopt better methods of irrigation. At present, 4,600 square feet. Abu Dhabi now imports its fresh farmers are often wasteful and extravagant in their vegetables from Lebenon and these sell for as much use of water. as $1.50 a pound. Their goal is to reduce this cost to about 20 cents a pound and to produce perhaps References two million pounds of high-quality vegetables a year. Gale Young, Dry Lands and Desalted Water, Science, January, 1970. Even the use of all available land combined with Ian R. Manners, The East Ghor Irrigation Project, our rapidly improving agricultural technology can Focus, April, 1970. keep pace with our growing population much Dael Wolfle, The Use of Arid Lands, Science, June, longer. People must recognize the need to stabilize 1969. the world population before we exhaust our Carle O. Hodge, The Blooming Desert, Bulletin of resources. Atomic Scientists. Not a sound, right? You won't get a peep out of any other stereo ads in this magazine, either. Just the same pretty pictures and technical facts. That's why there's only one way to buy stereo. Go listen to it. If it's really good, your ear will tell you. We say this because we're confident you'll be impressed when you hear a Sylvania stereo. Our stereos sound as good as they look. Take the matched component system, MS210W, over on the right. That turntable is automatic, with cueing and anti-skate controls. It's precisely matched to a Sylvania solid state FM Stereo/ FM/ AM receiver. Inside, where you can't see it, is a solid state amplifier that delivers 50 watts of peak music power to that pair of air suspension speakers. Which sound as good as standard speakers two sizes larger. Especial ly when they hit those important low bass notes. And since they put out wide-angle sound, you can sit almost any- where in the room and get the full stereo effect. But don't believe a word you read. Hearing is believing. Go listen to a Sylvania stereo before you buy. Then, whenyou hearour price, you'll believe. HOW CAN A MICROBE HELP TURN GARBAGE INTO FOOD? The petri dish at the bottom process work on a large scale. of the page holds a special It's a technological innova- strain of thermophilic microbes. tion with a good chance of solv- What does it have to do with ing one of the biggest problems garbage? facing the country today. But, The microbes digest cellu- then, that's hardly surprising. lose. And cellulose is what Technology is one of the surest nearly two-thirds of all munici- ways of solving social problems. pal garbage and farm refuse are That's why, at General Elec- made of. tric, we judge innovations more So the microbes can digest by the impact they'll have on your garbage. But that's not all people's lives than by their sheer they can do. They can convert technical wizardry. it into a high-protein substance Maybe that's a standard you that livestock will accept as food. should apply to the work you'll This strain of microbes was be doing. Whether or not you first isolated in a General Elec- ever work at General Electric. tric research lab a few years back. Because, as our engineers Today, our engineers are will tell you, it's not so much working to design a pilot plant what you do that counts. It's to make the waste-conversion what it means.