Only Henry Petroski, author of The Pencil, could make one never pick up
a paper clip again without being overcome with feelings of awe and
reverence. In his new book the author examines a host of techno-trivia
questions - how the fork got its tines, why Scotch tape is called that,
how the paper clip evolved, how the Post-it note came to be, how the
zipper was named, why aluminum cans have hollow bottoms - and provides
us with answers that both astonish and challenge the imagination. In
addition to an extended discussion of knives, forks, spoons, and other
common devices, the author explains how the interplay of social and
technical factors affects the development and use of such things as
plastic bags, fast-food packaging, push-button telephones, and other
modern conveniences. Throughout the book familiar objects serve to
illustrate the general principles behind the evolution of all products
of invention and engineering. Petroski shows, by way of these examples
as well as a probing look at the patent process, that the single most
important driving force behind technological change is the failure of
existing devices to live up to their promise. As shortcomings become
evident and articulated, new and "improved" versions of artifacts come
into being through long and involved processes variously known as
research and development, invention, and engineering. He further
demonstrates how the evolving forms of technology generally are altered
by our very use of them, and how they, in turn, alter our social and
cultural behavior. In this wonderful mixture of history, biography, and
design theory, Henry Petroski brings us to an understanding of an
essential question: By what mechanism do theshapes and forms of our made
world come to be?
