If you're even remotely interested in the intersection of anthropology and technology, this book should interest and perhaps surprise you. Now that I read that previous sentence, it sounds rather off-putting. I should say that this book is extremely readable, and not overly scientific or technical in any way. On the contrary, Steven Johnson draws some very unexpected connections between technological innovations and subsequent cultural developments. For example, who would have suspected a correlation between sanitary drinking water and women's fashion? If you don't want to read the book, at least check out the PBS series of the same name. One chapter = One episode. Either way, you'll learn something.