Who Gives a Gigabyte?: A Survival Guide for the Technologically Perplexed

Introduction: Microchips and the Millennium. Computers 101: From Bits to Gigabytes and Beyond. Software: Making a Computer Bend to Your Will. Wiring the World: Telecommunications and Data Networks. Lasers: The Light Fantastic. All in the Genes: DNA Becomes an Industry. Medicine and Molecules: New Approaches to Drug Development. Spare Parts and High-Tech Flashlights: Repair Kits and Diagnostics for the Human Body. Material Improvements: Better Living through Advanced Chemistry. Mother Earth, Wind, and Fire: Energy for a Small Planet. Clean Machines: Technology and the Environment. Conclusion: Great Expectations. Further Reading. Index.

GARY STIX is a senior editor for the National Magazine Award-winning Scientific American. MIRIAM LACOB is a freelance journalist. Her articles have appeared in many publications and magazines, including Scientific American, Data Communications, and Computer Decision.

"An enjoyable and rewarding book." --Choice
From "Scientific American" Stix (an associate editor at Scientific American) and Lacob (a freelance writer) provide a crackerjack tutorial in modern technology for those they call the technologically perplexed. Almost everybody could answer to that designation in one field or another. The fields that the authors discuss are computer hardware, software, telecommunications, lasers, genetic engineering, medical technology, molecular biology, materials science, energy, and environmental science. Numerous boxes focus a spotlight on such subjects as computer language, the electromagnetic spectrum and the polymerase chain reaction, and several of the chapters contain a helpful glossary of common terms in the field. The reward for the reader is a solid grounding in technological literacy.
From "Booklist" Stix, a senior editor for "Scientific American", and Lacob, a freelance science writer, present an informative overview of new and emerging technologies. The authors first tackle the all-pervasive computers, explaining how they do the marvelous things they do, the mysteries of software programs, and a concise history of the Internet. There's also a long section about DNA and gene splitting, and the implications the latter has for the future of humanity--some good, some very troubling. The authors end on an environmental tack, examining the many problems high tech has created for the planet's air, water, and soil, but also how technology might ultimately be a boon to the environment. Although the writing is clear and jargon free, this isn't a book for those completely ignorant about the topics. Recommended readers will have at least a nodding acquaintance with the high-tech areas discussed. "Brian McCombie"