Fatal conveniences are the toxic products we routinely use and the unhealthy things we do that our culture and corporations have made us believe are safe and necessary for living well and efficiently. These things-from deodorant, cosmetics, dental floss, and sunscreen to laundry detergent, air fresheners, carpets, and crayons to candles, tea bags, cell phones, and chewing gum-are ubiquitous in daily life . . . and they are wreaking havoc on our health and our planet. The environmental toxins found in these products create a cascade of problems, including chemical sensitivities, auto-immune issues, obesity, chronic health diseases, and more.

Darin Olien has spent most of his adult life obsessively researching these “conveniences.” Here he raises our awareness of their dangers, demolishes the myth that “if it’s easy, it must also be good,” and gives us alternative choices to take control of our lives and our health. Now in paperback, Fatal Conveniences offers a fresh perspective and achievable, small tweaks that will lead to big, life-enhancing changes.

‘A wonderful book’ – Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters

‘A masterclass in storytelling’ – Jess Wade, physicist and author of Nano

AS HEARD ON OFF AIR WITH FI AND JANE
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Smartphones, skyscrapers, spacecraft. Modern technology seems mind-bogglingly complex. But beneath the surface, it can be beautifully simple.

In Nuts and Bolts, award-winning Shard engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal deconstructs our most complex feats of engineering into seven fundamental inventions: the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump. Each of these objects is itself a wonder of design, the result of many iterations and refinements. Together, they have enabled humanity to see the invisible, build the spectacular, communicate across vast distances, and even escape our planet.

Tracing the surprising journeys of each invention through the millennia, Roma reveals how handmade Roman nails led to modern skyscrapers, how the potter’s wheel enabled space exploration, and how humble lenses helped her conceive a child against the odds.

She invites us to marvel at these small but perfectly formed inventions, sharing the stories of the remarkable, and often unknown, scientists and engineers who made them possible. The nuts and bolts that make up our world may be tiny, and are often hidden, but they’ve changed our lives in dramatic ways.

How Technology Works demystifies the machinery that keeps the modern world going, from simple objects such as zip fasteners and can openers to the latest, most sophisticated devices of the information age, including smart watches, personal digital assistants, and driverless cars. It includes inventions that have changed the course of history, like the internal combustion engine, as well as technologies that might hold the key to our future survival, including solar cells and new kinds of farming to feed a growing population.

All the way through the book, step-by-step explanations are supported by simple and original graphics that take devices apart and show you how they work. The opening chapter explains principles that underpin lots of devices – from basic mechanics to electricity to digital technology. From there on, devices are grouped by application – such as the home, transport, and computing – making them easy to find and placing similar devices side by side.

How Technology Works is perfect for anyone who didn’t have a training in STEM subjects at school or is simply curious about how the modern world works.