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Sex, Bombs and Burgers: How War, Porn and Fast Food Created Technology as We Know it

Sex, Bombs and Burgers: How War, Porn and Fast Food Created Technology as We Know it

by PeterNowak (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2010

    $84.41
Synopsis

War. Fast Food. Pornography. Pervasive in our culture, these three obsessions may seem to represent the worst qualities of humankind. But what have our lust, greed and rage driven us to achieve? In this surprising and original book, Peter Nowak argues that most of the major technological advances of the last sixty years have stemmed from the trio of billion-dollar industries that cater to our basest impulses. From cling film to aerosols, digital cameras to cold medicine and GM foods to Google, many of the gadgets and conveniences we enjoy today can be traced back to either the porn, military or fast food industry. Nowak reveals such unexpected links as: -how the inventors of toys like Barbie and the Slinky perfected their creations with military-tech know-how. -why one giant leap for mankind brought us better hospital meals and stricter food quality control guidelines. -how innovations in the adult-film industry will help us build better robotic limbs. If you've ever wondered what inspired the invention of Java, online video streaming or even Tupperware - well, you might not want to know the answer. But you will find it in this book.

$84.41

Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 316
 Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 01 Nov 2010
ISBN 10: 174237431X
ISBN 13: 9781742374314

Media Reviews
An entertaining and well-researched read, filled with surprising facts, Sex, Bombs, and Burgers offers a provocative alternate history of 20th-century progress. --Salon.com Hugely entertaining. Nowak--an experienced journalist--confidently treads where other historians of technology might avoid. -- The New Scientist An enjoyable and informative history of the surprising origins of some of the technological 'marvels' that underpin the modern world. -- BBC Focus Thought-provoking. You can think of it, if you wish, as a modern version of Mandeville's The Fable of the Bees, which proposed that society's vices are actually good for overall economic health. -- The Guardian Witty and well-researched ... An engaging read, leaving one with several 'I did not know that' moments. --The Globe and Mail Moving effortlessly from the Slinky to space-age Kimchee, this book is packed with fun, fascinating facts. But don't be fooled: exploring the myriad ways the industrial-military complex has radically transformed human life is serious business. Peter Nowak has given us an impressive contribution to the study of how technology creates and fulfills age-old appetites. --Hal Niedzviecki, author of The Peep Diaries Nowak marshals an impressive arsenal of humor and insight to reveal the surprising history behind some of our best known and most loved technologies and toys. Who knew that sex, fast food, and fighting formed such a powerful, shameful trinity? --Craig Silverman, author of Regret the Error and coauthor of Mafiaboy Nowak weaves a compelling and surprising tale of the profit, drive, and sheer accident that have created much of the technological world around us. From the Internet to Silly Putty, Nowak shows how deeply cultural technology really is. If you think of innovation as an objective process of rational invention, Nowak's look at the links amongst technology, war, sex, and the food industry, will blow your mind. --Nora Young, host of CBC Radio's
Author Bio
Peter Nowak writes about technology for various media outlets around the world and is currently the senior science and technology reporter for CBC News Online. His writing has appeared in newspapers including The Boston Globe, The South China Morning Post and The Sydney Morning Herald.