The King of Thrones

by Daniel McGinn Wired Magazine, March 2005 Ashish Kulkarni has a doctorate in chemical engineering. He used to develop plastics for General Electric. Now he's in the bowels of a research facility in central New Jersey, dropping golf balls into a toilet. "Three, six, nine, twelve . . .," he tallies, each count punctuated with a small splash. Eventually the toilet -- one of five mounted chest-high along a wall -- holds 24 Titleists. Kulkarni hits the flush lever and a full-throated whoosh roars from the plumbing. Two dozen balls tumble out of the bowl, captured in a wire basket hung beneath the outflow line. Read the article