| Introduction | 1 |
| 1. A Brief History of Technology | 5 |
| The Underpinnings | |
| 2. Beyond the Calculator | 31 |
| The Complexity of Engineering | |
| 3. The Origin of Problems | 58 |
| The Pushes and Pulls | |
| 4. Design and Invention | 78 |
| The Concept | |
| 5. Mathematics | 106 |
| The Numerical Mystique | |
| 6. Science and Research | 129 |
| The Basics | |
| 7. Development, Test, and Failure | 150 |
| The Proof of the Pudding | |
| 8. Manufacturing and Assembly | 177 |
| The Critical Art | |
| 9. Money and Business | 204 |
| The Grease | |
| 10. Regulation | 221 |
| The Painful Inevitability | |
| 11. Thinking Technology | 239 |
| The Challenge for the Future | |
| Sources and Suggested Readings | 249 |
| Acknowledgments | 257 |
| Illustration Credits | 258 |
| Index | 260 |