Kevin writes to Mike:
 > MR> times. A mere 50 years ago steam power was on its sunset days. 
 > MR> Today's kids know it only from seeing it in a museum. They find 
 > MR> those old machines quaint.
 > 
 > Hmmm... Perhaps you should go to the library and check out a book on 
 > marine propulsion systems.  You will find that most of the world's 
 > military ships are steam powered.  The only difference in the theory 
 > of operation between a WWII ship and a modern nuclear aircraft 
 > carrier is that the nuke ship uses a heat exchanger to heat water, 
 > while the older ship uses oil.
I'd wager that over 90% of the electrical power in this country is generated 
by steam-driven generators. About 80% of which are powered by coal-fired 
boilers. (ancient technology!) The rest are powered by nuclear fission, but 
it's still steam.
Quaint, indeed.
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