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

Which new technologies will change our lives the most in the years ahead? Introducing today's brave new world of gene therapy, quantum computation, designer drugs, and recyclable cars, Who Gives a Gigabyte? surveys the exciting range of technological wonders reshaping our world--as well as those soon to come--and offers simple, engaging explanations of what they are and how they work. 

Scientific American senior editor Gary Stix and journalist Miriam Lacob combine their skills to take readers on a wonderfully lucid and fast-paced tour of the most important recent developments in genetics, medicine, cybernetics, telecommunications, robotics, micromachines, environmental cleanup, and more. 

Based on interviews with today's leading technology developers as well as extensive research of the scientific literature, Who Gives a Gigabyte? explains in plain English what the new technologies are, how they work, how they will most likely evolve in the near future, and how they will affect our lives in the next century. Focusing on areas that are most important to today's consumer, the book explores:

• Computing
• Telecommunications
• Laser Beams
• Bioengineering Materials
• Alternative Energy Sources

Readers will be entertained by vivid descriptions and illustrations, refreshed by the authors' wonderfully jargon-free writing, and intrigued by all of the exciting possibilities revealed. Who Gives a Gigabyte? is indispensable reading for careful consumers, forward-thinking investors, and concerned citizens alike.