Opening remarks[]
There's no doubt about it that in the future this particular period of civilisation will be remembered as The Scientific Age. Almost every week the backroom boys of industry invent some new gadget to advance progress and make our lives easier, they tell us. For instance, what housewife could ever be without that new, super electric sewing machine with the 46 attachments that can do everything a tailor can do in half the time? It comes with one compulsory extra, a qualified operator to work it. And what about the latest mixing machine that chops as it grinds as it beats as it whisks as it completely annihilates everything you put into it? This is supplied with six spare sponges for wiping down the kitchen walls after use. Of course, the men are not forgotten, there's now a new electric razor with the ultra-modern rotating bandsaw action guaranteed to shave the toughest beard, provided you're not over 12 years of age. And naturally the Royal Navy is also subjected to a fair share of scientific aids to progress. The latest of these is the reason why Captain Povey and Second Officer McCluty of the WRENs Communication Section have been summoned from Portsmouth to a high-level conference at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall.
