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I just entered the amount on a site and it says that it is worth $335.00, thats cheap to say the least. Here is the site- http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

Gee we should figure out what the going rate for electrical work was in the 70s and she what a per hour charge should be now

I've uploaded a four-page General Electric watthour-meter advertisement from the May 13, 1957 issue of "Electrical World". The cool thing about this ad is the wonderfully evocative artwork (reminiscent of Edward Hopper) showing a utility executive gazing out his office window at a nighttime cityscape far below, smoke curling from his cigarette as he ponders how to meter all of those kilowatts. But is that *really* what's on his mind?

This one needs a soundtrack; I'm thinking maybe a mournful jazz sax solo?

I've posted the ad in two sizes. The smaller one is a good fit for a 1024 x 768 screen resolution:
http://long-lines.net/other/electrical/ElectricalWorld-1957-05-13/099-102s.html

And a larger version:
http://long-lines.net/other/electrical/ElectricalWorld-1957-05-13/099-102.html

What's on his mind is making money for his company by finding an effective way to meter this usage. He sees a jackpot outside his office window. That's what businesses are supposed to do. That's what executives are hired to ensure.

Anyone who finds fault with a company making money, well....... I am not going to even go there.

Oh...you want a good sax tune to go with that ad???

2 words...Harlem Nocturne.

And I'll answer in one word: PERFECT!

Check out this interpretation, by Wayne Land on the alto sax:
http://www.musicplay.com/piano/music/Harlem%20Nocturne.mp3

At last - an affordable nuclear reactor that's compact enough to fit in your garage! Only $55,000 plus shipping:
http://coldwar-c4i.net/EW-1957-01-28/059.html

I'll bet that quite a few permits were required for that, even back then. Today, such a device would be unthinkable. It doesn't take much to irradiate the whole neighborhood.

In inflation adjusted thems the Job would work out to be about $355 in today's dollars. The work in attic would have been knob & tube, and the wires in the walls would have been run into induvudual braided looms and fished through the hollow spaces.

Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of federal, state and local agencies that would have something to say about it. The NRC would probably regulate both the operation of the reactor and access to the enriched uranium fuel. Then there are the various environmental agencies. And of course you'd want to check with your friendly insurance agent to make sure your homeowner's policy covers the occasional nuclear mishap!

Actually, on another list it was pointed out that the LR reactor design is quite safe, because if it overheats, vapor bubbles will form in the fuel solution, which reduce its density and slow the reaction.

Check out this article about an engineer in Alaska who wants in install a cyclotron in his home, to produce radioisotopes for medical diagnostics:
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2005/12/69726