IT IS much easier to look back than it is to look forward, although in physics, as in other walks of life, it helps to know what you are looking for. The Higgs boson, a quantum theory of gravity, non-baryonic dark matter, a theory of high-temperature superconductivity and a full understanding of turbulence are all well known goals in fundamental research. Smaller, faster and cheaper switching and storage devices are ever-shifting goal posts in the electronics, information and communications industries. Future energy sources must be economic and environmentally friendly. More accurate diagnosis and reduced doses are among the targets of medical physicists. But Twill leave these tasks to die experts. As the editor of Physics Wbrld, I want more readers and a bigger magazine. Marketing campaigns, circulation drives and advertising revenues are all crucial to these goals, but here I will concentrate on the top priority of any editor - the editorial content of his or her magazine.
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