Sex, Bombs, and Burgers : How War, Pornography, and Fast Food Have Shaped Modern Technology

A fun and fascinating exploration of modern technology, Sex, Bombs, and Burgersreveals how these three billion-dollar industries have shaped our everyday lives. It's also a chronicle of popular culture, chock-full of surprising revelations. Take a look around your home. Your microwave? A British military scientist invented its technology by accident while trying to devise a death ray to blow up enemy planes. Your handheld video recorder? Developed by the military in World War II but adopted and made affordable by post-war pornographers. That vacuum robot on late-night infomercials? Born of a mine sniffer patrolling the caves of Afghanistan. From the unexpected origins of aerosols, silly putty, and the Internet to Saran Wrap, Tupperware, and video games, here is an engaging look at modern life as we know it.

Peter Nowak is the senior science writer and technology expert for CBC News Online. His award-winning work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Toronto Star, the South China Morning Post, and the New Zealand Herald. He lives in Toronto.