The Handy Technology Answer Book

Naomi Balaban · James Bobick

dic 2015 · Visible Ink Press

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Exploring technology and how it made—and continues to change—the modern world!

Technology pervades our daily lives and modern society, and not just when it comes to computers and smart phones. Before there was the computer, there was the abacus. Before the smart phone, there was the telegraph and ball point pen. Electricity, penicillin, and the compass have all led to revolutionary changes in how we live. From the relationship between science and technology to the four major branches of engineering to nanotechnology, robots, and predictions for future technology, The Handy Technology Answer Book is an ideal introduction to technology in everyday life. The newsworthy, the practical, the latest and historical, are all detailed in this entertaining and informative book. It brings the vast changes and major innovations into focus through well-researched answers to more than 1,100 common questions on technology, such as ...

What are the major time periods of technology?

Who is considered to be the first engineer?

Which individual was granted the most U.S. patents?

Who is the only U.S. president to receive a patent?

How do copyrights differ from patents and trademarks?

What is the Turing Award?

What are the tasks of an operating system?

How did the term “glitch” originate?

What was the first computer game?

What is "phishing"?

What is a Uniform Resource Locator, or URL?

How many time zones are there in the world?

What is the world population of robots?

What is the most destructive non-lethal weapon?

Why is mining an important technology?

Why are the rare earth elements important?

What is “green building”?

Who built the Brooklyn Bridge?

How are U.S. highways numbered?

How popular are electric vehicles in the United States?

Why is the right side of a ship called “starboard”?

What is the largest aircraft?

How long will fossil fuel reserves last?

What are the different types of newer, energy-efficient light bulbs?

What is the carbon cycle?

What products are made from recycled plastic?

Who was the first person to receive gene therapy?

Can human beings be cloned?

What is the future of wearable technology in health care?

Providing the facts, stats, science, and a little bit of history, The Handy Technology Answer Book answers important questions about the most important inventions, key breakthroughs, and the towering personalities behind them. It spotlights the tallest, smallest, fastest, longest, and the wide range of human firsts and current bests. This informative and fun book also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness.

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Naomi Balaban, a reference librarian for more than twenty-five years at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, has extensive experience in the areas of science and consumer health. She edited, with James Bobick, The Handy Science Answer Book, The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, and The Handy Biology Answer Book. She has a background in linguistics and a master’s degree in library science.

James Bobick recently retired after sixteen years as Head of the Science and Technology Department at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. During the same time, he taught the science resources course in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He recently co-authored, with G. Lynn Berard of Carnegie Mellon University, Science and Technology Resources: A Guide for Information Professionals and Researchers. He has master’s degrees in both biology and library science.