Author(s): Peter Nowak

Popular Science

War, porn and fast food quite rightly deserve their bad reputation. War is responsible for untold human suffering and death; porn is blamed for everything from marital infidelity to the erosion of our morals; and fast food is causing rising obesity levels, and the increasing uniformity and blandness of western culture. So why celebrate them? According to Peter Nowak, if it wasn't for war, porn and fast food, we might all still be living in caves. Sex, Bombs and Burgers is a pacy history of the potentially dry world of technology. Based on research into the histories of all three industries, it includes extensive interviews with inventors, experts, academics, executives and commentators. It is also a chronicle of popular culture, chock-full of surprising 'fancy that?' moments. From cars to high-definition televisions, from website logins to microwave popcorn and slinkies, it reveals how our everyday lives have been shaped - for the most part indirectly - by war, porn and fast food.