An examination of the commonplace things of everyday life which reveals them to be the marvellous feats of engineering they actually are. It ponders a host of techno-trivia questions - how the fork got its times, how the paper clip evolved, how the Post-It note came to be - and provides us with the answers that both astonish and challenge the imagination.;In addition, the author explains how the interplay of social and technical factors affects the development and use of such everyday things. Throughout the book familiar items serve to illustrate the general principles behind the evolution of invention and engineering.