Captain's Log

How things work.

Have you ever wondered how something you use every day works? Maybe as mundane as a lawn sprinker or as complicated as a continuously variable transmission. Here are two excellent resources for figuring out what's going inside whatever you are wondering about:

First, there is the book, The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay. I bought the 'New' version of this book a few years ago, after I saw it at friends place and couldn't put it down everytime I went over. (Thanks Mary) On the surface it looks like it geared toward children, but the subjects and concepts that it covers are hardly meant only for children. There are some simple explanations like the level and screw, and other more complicated ones like the coin tester in coke machines. The elephant-filled illustrations are simple but still descriptive. It's a book that satisfies curiosity of all ages. Definitely one of my favorite books on my shelf.

Second, there is one of the most awesome sites on the web HowStuffWorks.com. It covers a TON of topics, it is constantly updated, covers currently hot topics (e.g. SARS), is searchable, has neat flash animations, and best of all is free. Too much information all in one place I think. It scares me sometimes. I finally understood how automatic transmissions really worked after I watched the moving flash animations on howstuffworks. Many friends and I have spent countless hours on howstuffworks. As soon as you are done reading one topic, you scroll to the bottom and see "Related topics" and the madness never ends. It's one of the best sites on the web.

So if you've ever wondered how a differential works, or if you don't even know what one is, just head to HowStuffWorks.com or check out The New Way Things Work.