This issue of Evolution looks at electrical equipment from a number of perspectives. The outlook article focuses on the global appliance business, which is blossoming in developing countries as people become ever more dependent on labor-saving devices. If you have a passion for fine cuisine, as I have, you know how difficult it would be to prepare an elegant dinner without mixers, refrigerators, microwaves and other electrical equipment.
    

And, talking of food, take a look at this issue’s Last Word, which tells the story of how the Italians introduced ice cream in medieval times. Today they are still leaders in the ice cream business, especially when it comes to producing ice cream machines.
    

This issue’s spectacular story takes us to New Zealand for a look at a specialized type of boat that is driven by water-jet equipment. We also travel to Iceland for a feature article on Rannveig Rist, described as Iceland’s first lady of aluminum. Rist, who holds environmental issues as a top priority, calls aluminum the “green” metal because it is so easy to recycle.
    

From India comes a look at moped, scooter and motorcycle manufacturer TVS Suzuki. Some 95 percent of the two-wheelers produced in the world each year are produced in Asia.
    

My experience with two-wheelers dates from the 1960s when I was the proud owner of a NSU – a 125cc scooter from Germany that featured an electric starter and foot-controlled gearbox. It was good for more than 100 kilometers per hour.
    

I can still remember the feeling of freedom I enjoyed when riding that scooter.
    

“At the boundary between lubrication and wear,” by Bo Jacobson (who was recently awarded the Tribology Gold Medal by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London), is very interesting but much longer than our usual technology articles. So we are running it in two parts: the first half in this issue and the second half in 3/98.
    

For further information about products, applications and services, please contact your SKF dealer or distributor. Addresses and other information can be found by clicking “SKF Group homepage”.
    
Janerik Dimming  

Editor-in-chief