BUSINESS |

Magnetic levitation
company is afloat

with novel

A NORTH Vancouver
company is bringing levity
to a world bound by gravi-
ty.

Maglev Sales Inc. (MSI) was
recently formed as an associated
company of Pacific Levitation
Systems Inc. (PLSI), a leader in
magnetic levitation technology.

While PLSI focuses on indus-
trial mag-lev applications such as
frictionless magnetic bearings,
MSI is pursuing the novelty and
advertising specialty market. The
potential spin-off products are
limitless, given the eye-catching
nature of levitation in action.

PLSI has already scored in the
novelty arena with a levitating
globe. MSI’s business plan iden-
tifies other items including a
mag-lev desk fan, floating pens,
picture frames, calculaters,
mobiles, bottles, cans as well as
an educational levitator.

Enter Warnett Kennedy, self-
described ‘‘flamboyant introvert’’
and man of ideas. Kennedy
recently took on the job of direc-
tor of design at MSI after ending
a stint as a director at North Van-
couver’s Plasma Computer Pro-
ducts.

Right now he’s hot on the idea
of turning the levitating globe into
a larger Braille version so that the
blind will be able to feel the rela-
tive sizes and shapes of countries
and continents.

high
tech

Michael Becker

‘The satisfaction of the product
arises from the fact that for the
first time in history, thousands of
individuals who are disabled by
blindness will be able to imagine
the physical reality of the planet
in which they live,’’ Kennedy said.

As he speaks, he floats an even
grander notion: Why not build a
giant room-sized levitating globe,
give it to the Canadian am-
bassador who would then present
it as a gift to the United Nations?

Kennedy says MSI is negotiating
with Disney to market a levitating
Mickey Mouse.

WV women market
outdoor umbrellas

TWO WEST Vancouver women
have set up a mini manufacturing
plant in a West Vancouver house

and are now producing ‘‘the
beautiful, simple market um-
brella,””, a natural canvas um-

brella, which is very popular in
Italy and California.

The umbrella is becoming the
“statement of the ’90s’’ as an
outdoor backyard umbrella.

Last year, Gillian Simpson, a
well known West Vancouver ar-
tist, decided to make one of the
umbrellas for herself. She design-
ed a large square umbrella which
had the European ‘‘market’’ fook.

fcr a one year duration.

ex

Z

NOTICE TO MOTORISTS
CASSIAR CONNECTOR PROJECT
WALL STREET DETOUR

A 370 M temporary detour is presently being constructed north of Wall
Street at Bridgeway Street. The opening of this 4 lane detour has been
postponed until the weekend of July 7, 1990. The detour will be in effect

This detour will facilitate construction of structures at Bridgeway and
associated roadworks for the Cassiar Connector Project.

Your cooperation and understanding regarding this matter is appreciated.

George Dean
Construction Manager
Fenco Lavalin Corp.
Project Managers for the Cassiar Connector Project

For further information, please call the Ministry of Transportation and
Highways Road Report Information System 660-9775.

Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Transportation and Highways
Honourable Rita M. Johnston, Minister

She then teamed up with
another West Vancouver resident,
Tish Davis and, working out of
Davis’ house, the two have now
started a smal! cottage industry
and are manufacturing the out-
door umbrellas.

Research has shown that the use
of a natural fibre cuts out all the
ultra violet rays at the same time
as providing real shade.

Simpson and Davis are now
making custom umbrellas using
fabrics in floral designs to match
people’s patio furniture.

Simpson also paints designs on
the canvas umbrellas for people
wanting something unique.

ideas

For golfers he’s come up with
an ideal trophy — the ‘‘hole in
none.”’ ‘‘What it will be is a piece
of green grass and then the golf
ball suspended just above the
hole,”’ he said.

Levitating spherical objects are
not totally new to Kennedy.
Looking back over his varied ca-
reer in architectural and display
design, he recalls an interplanetary
spaceship and a brief brush with
royalty.

He was commissioned by the
British Board of Trade to design
and build a futuristic space ship
for the Hall of the Future exhibit
cf the 1946 Britain Can Make It
exhibition held in South Kens-
ington.

A model of the round ship was
suspended by wires above ‘‘the
surface of the moon."’ At the time
Kennedy was a member of the
British Interplanetary Society,
whose president was science-fic-
tion novelist Arthur C. Clarke.

“Our thesis was that when the
age of fission came :here would be
unlimited power. You wouldn't
need rockets to thrust through the
atmosphere with great force. The
day will come when you can
assemble an entire city and let it
go up through the atmosphere as
slowly as you like with fission,’’
he said.

Many visitors filed past the
model he displayed in the Hall of
the Future. But on opening day

33 - Sunday, July 1, 1990 - Nurth Shore News

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

MAGLEV SALES’ flamboyantly introverted Warnett Kennedy displays
the levitating globe, a novelty item produced by the company. Maglev
Sales was recently formed «s an associate of Pacific Levitation Systems
Inc., a North Vancouver-based world leader in magnetic levitation

technology.

he was requested to stand by the
model so that he might explain it
to his majesty King George VI.

Said Kennedy, ‘‘I stood by. He
started looking at this thing and
he couldn’t understand what he
was looking at. The more | tried
to explain, the more excited I
became and the faster the accent
(Scottish). And he couldn't under-
stand a bloody word I was saying.
His neck got red with anger and
frustration. Oh, it was terrible.

“Then 1 get a tap on the
shoulder and it was the Queen
Mother. She asked me to step
back and explain it to her. So I
stepped back and went over the
same thing with her. She siepped
forward and I could see her ex-
plain everything I said in detait (¢o
the King). And I saw the color of
his red neck suddenly go pale
again and he turned around very
graciously and shook hands and
thanked me and then he walked
away,’’ Kennedy said.

NOW OPEN

For improved claim service, a second ICBC claim
centre is now open in North Vancouver, across

from the North Shore Winter Club.

B
°
°
k
s
b
a
n
k

The bad news is that auto

insurance claims continue to
increase throughout B.C. The
good news is that now North
Shore residents have
claim centres to choose from
for fast, efficient service.

veesoguser

Main Street

pointment
two

ICBC

If you're in a motor vehicle
accident, call Dial-A-Claim,
at 520-8222, to make an ap-
. Please have your
insurance papers, driver's
licence and accident info
ready when you call.

ory