Repeat visitors may notice improvements to the look of the site (we started work on the graphics for this issue early this time, and Marsha has been helping me greatly) and enhancements to the functioning of the Photo Gallery, Ask the Experts and Classified Ads sections. "Mister Swedish Iron," Bill Webb, contributed a fine essay, and Robin Bock provided photos and information for a new edition of Star Cars. Our great thanks to them, to all who sent photos, and to several others who submitted material which will appear in the October issue. This publication can only be as good as the content sent in by our readers -- please keep those E-mails and JPGs coming, folks!

What didn't happen: we did not manage to get much in the way of technical articles or product reviews written in time for this issue, but, I promise, they will be back later -- first on the list will be a series on rebuilding engines. The long-awaited Volvo Owner's Registry didn't make it to the launch pad once again, but we did farm out the programming chores for it to our good friend Geoff McCausland, so it will be along presently (I can manage HTML, but learning PERL5 is a bit much for me at the moment). With the demands of "real" jobs and family, time for the magazine can be in short supply -- we promise to persevere in bringing you the best content and presentation we can manage.

Now for a serious note: the world lost many celebrities recently -- Brian Keith, James Stewart, Charles Kuralt and Robert Mitchum, for a start -- but none saddened us more than the passing of Jacques Cousteau, to whom Marsha and I wish to dedicate this issue of the magazine. Please take a moment to consider the man's contributions.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau first achieved public notice as the co-inventor of the Aqua lung, which permitted free-swimming humans to observe the oceans from a new viewpoint. His best-selling books and "The Undersea World" television specials came into most of our homes. With an old war-surplus wooden boat (Calypso) and no wealth at all, he led a volunteer crew in exploring first the world's oceans, and later the most remote locations of South America, Africa and Asia. Appalled by the degradation of the environment he witnessed even in the most isolated spots on Earth, he founded the Cousteau Society to educate us about man's threats to life on the planet -- and particularly to mankind itself. While it was always easy to poke fun at his slight physique, hawk-nose visage and careful, accented English, I can think of no other figure who did as much to bring environmental concerns to the public at large, and who did it with such grace and a shared sense of wonder. The Cousteau Society will continue -- and we shall miss its captain.

We urge you to visit The Cousteau Society on the web.

Be safe, stay well, and keep 'em rolling. Enjoy the magazine!

Phil Singher, Editor

The photo of Jacques Cousteau is from the June 1997 issue of Calypso Log, a publication of The Cousteau Society.