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Publisher & Editor-In-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus. Editor Greg Swain, B.Sc.{Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.{Elec.) Robert Flynn PUBLISHER'S LETTER Advertising Manager Paul Buchtmann (02) 979 5644 Mobile: 018 28 5532 Victorian Representative McDonald Woodside & Associates Pty Ltd, 143a Como Parade East, Parkdale, Victoria 3194. Phone (03) 587 5155. Contact: Cameron McDonald. Regular Contributors Jennifer Bonnitcha, B.A. Garry Cratt, VK2YBX John Hill Jim Lawler, MTETIA Bryan Maher, M.E., B.Sc. Jim Yalden, VK2YGY Darren Yates Bob Young Photography Bob Donaldson Editorial Advisory Panel Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Norman Marks Steve Payor, B.Sc., B.E. SILICON CHIP is published 1 2 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. All material copyright {c). No part of the contents of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher. Typesetting: Magazine Printers Pty Ltd, Rozelle, NSW 2039. Printing: Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW 2830 . Distribution: Network Distribution Company . Subscription rates: $42 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, refer to the subscription page in this issue. Liability: Devices or circuits described in SILICON CHIP may be covered by patents . SILICON CHIP disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the manufacturing or selling of any such equipment. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 39, 5 Ponderosa Pde, Warriewood, NSW 2102. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 979 5644. Fax (02) 979 6503 . ISSN 1030-2662 2 SILICON CHIP The story of electrical energy This month, we introduce a new series entitled "The Story of Electrical Energy" which will tell all about the generation and major uses of electrical energy. Written by Bryan Maher, we hope it will be just as popular as his previous long-running series, "The Evolution of Electric Railways", which concluded in the March 1990 issue. When that series started, in our very first issue, there' was some critical comment from readers who did not see why such material should appear in an electronics magazine. This was probably because the initial chapters largely dwelt on steam locomotives. As the series developed though, readers began to see just why we had elected to run it - because there is a great deal of technology in electric transportation that you just don't get to read about anywhere else. Towards the end of the series, we had readers commenting that they really looked forward to reading each chapter even though they were not interested in trains! Some were even beginning to worry that they might be becoming train buffs! Heaven forbid. What's wrong with train buffs, anyway? We have high hopes for this new series on electrical energy and we think that readers will find it just as engrossing as the story of electric railways. Bryan Maher is, above anything else, an enthusiastic storyteller and his extensive engineering background gives each article solid credibility. As the person who usually sub-edits this material, I look forward to each chapter too. Not just because I enjoy reading about the subject matter but because I also enjoy delving into our library to check the technical material. As the series was being planned, I wondered why it had not really been done before, either in a book or in magazines. When you think about it, there are any number of articles, books and magazines devoted to the subject of electronics which, for the most part, is engineering on a miniature scale. Silicon chips are the prime examples of this. By contrast, the generation and transmission of electrical energy is engineering on a truly vast scale and with far reaching effects and consequences in the lives of all of us. Without cheap electrical energy, how would we function today? I look forward to Bryan Maher's Story of Electrical Energy and hope that you enjoy reading about this fascinating subject. Leo Simpson OUR NEW ADDRESS: Unit 39, 5 Ponderosa Pde, Warriewood, NSW 2102. Phone (02) 979 5644. Fax (02) 979 5644. Our postal address remains: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097.