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SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc. (Hons.) Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Nicholas Vinen Photography Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Kevin Poulter Dave Thompson SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Warwick Farm, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $105.00 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or the subscriptions page in this issue. Editorial office: Unit 1, 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. Fax (02) 9939 2648. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip Publisher’s Letter We live in a time of plenty and we should all be optimistic Do you get sick of all the bad news on the media? Every day there seems to be another dire story about things getting worse: more pollution, more floods, more fires, deaths, more noise, more disease, scarcer resources, energy becoming more expensive – the list goes on and on. And yet for the vast majority of people, life is not getting worse, life is getting better; profoundly so. Consider, for example, the increasing cost of energy and in particular, the burden that air-conditioners place on our electricity grid. For me, that burden is not bad; that is good. Fifty or sixty years ago in Australia virtually no households had air-conditioning; not even the richest people had it. The same applied to most office buildings. So in summer we all sweltered and many older people died of heat stress. In winter, we shivered and older people were more likely to die of cold or succumb to influenza. But now, most households can afford air-conditioning and unless people are living in areas where they get cooling sea breezes in summer, they elect to have it. And nor do they necessarily moan about the resulting electricity bills. You want the comfort? That’s what it costs! Really, the only argument is whether the electricity tariffs should be as high as they are. I would argue that they are artificially high, partly because of subsidies for renewable energy. But by and large, most people are significantly more comfortable, happier and probably live longer because of air-conditioning. It is a blessing. And what about air and water pollution, soil degradation, desertification and so on? Again, it is pretty easy to gain the impression that everything is getting worse. Well, in the cities of most developed countries of the world, air and water pollution is demonstrably better than it was in past decades. Similar comments apply to soil degradation. Better farming techniques in the advanced countries are slowing the process of soil degradation and as living stands rise in the developing countries, you can see the process of improvement again, with China being a prime example. And think about the range of entertainment that we now have. Fifty years ago in Australia, we did have black and white television in the cities but many households did not have it. Nor did most households have hifi systems. Indeed, many homes did not even have a telephone. Microwave ovens, dishwashers, automatic washing machines, clothes dryers – what were they? Computers, smart phones? – science fiction! And what about developments in medicine with heart, lung, kidney and even liver transplants, hip and knee replacements and so on? Now look at us! The march of technology has brought unimaginable improvements to virtually every aspect of our lives – at least they were unimaginable fifty or more years ago. So why is the news so dire? Why are some people so worried about resources getting scarcer or climate change? As far as natural resources are concerned, I cannot think of one that is becoming scarcer. Sure, fish stocks have been badly depleted in parts of the world but I have no doubt that, with the move to large-scale fish farming, even that may be reversed in the future. After all, look at the rising whale numbers around the world. Which finally brings me to climate change. Why are we so worried? In the past, human ingenuity has adapted to much more adverse conditions and man has thrived. I have no doubt that the wonders of technology over the next fifty years will again bring unimaginable improvements to our lives. We couldn’t imagine them in the past and we cannot necessarily imagine future improvements right now, can we? Be optimistic; I certainly am. Leo Simpson siliconchip.com.au