Marshall Brain's MORE How STUFF Works

Book excerpt: Have you ever wondered. * How an ATM verifies your identification and account information and dispenses cash in a matter of seconds? * What, if anything, is able to escape from a black hole? * Why workplace surveillance is becoming more common? * Whether human cloning is possible? In this full-color follow-up to the bestselling How Stuff Works, Marshall Brain travels inside your computer, to the depths of diamond mines, across the African plains, and on board an Apache helicopter to explain the magic behind how stuff works. Based on the much-lauded Web site HowStuffWorks.com, this book is your A-to-Z guide to PDAs, MRIs, LEDs, and dozens of other intriguing topics! With More How Stuff Works, you'll never again look the same way at a car wash, clothes dryer, or electronic scanner. * More than 125 captivating articles * Hundreds of full-color photos and illustrations * Fun facts and sidebars * A special chapter on "Police, Military, and Defense" Praise for HowStuffWorks.com: "A+" -Washington Post Online " Top 100 Classics." -PC Magazine "Best Science & Technology Resource." -Yahoo! InternetLife "A-" -Entertainment Weekly "Great Site." -MSNBC "Super Site." -TBS Superstation