Low tech

La Jolla’s General Atomics, which makes the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and is working on a new generation of experimental nuclear-power reactors, has entered into a deal with Eastern Kentucky University to make fuel from cellulose derived from “nonedible” plants. As is the case with most General Atomics projects, the federal government is putting up a tidy sum, $4 million, to get the undertaking off the ground. … Even if his faltering football team isn’t going to get there, Chargers owner Alex Spanos is spreading the Super Bowl wealth in his hometown of Stockton. He’s given six pairs of tickets, along with a $2000 travel allowance for each pair, for a raffle to be held by St. Mary’s Interfaith Community Services. By the end of last month, proceeds from sales of the $100 raffle tickets had reached $185,000, according to the Stockton Record. “Dad has always donated tickets,” Spanos’s daughter Dea Berberian told the paper. “Stockton is fortunate.” No word whether Spanos is going to be giving tickets to any San Diego charities.