hen David Macaulay released his The Way Things Work in 1988, he could not have completely realized that he was tapping into a vast fascination with the hidden innards of the technology that surrounds us. Whether the subject is ancient catapults or cutting-edge DVD players, the gadgets that have contoured mankind's existence throughout history have been used by many and understood by only a few. But there's something hopeful lurking in the breast of the average layperson—and especially in the hearts of science-fiction fans—which tells us that we could easily grasp the complications of such devices, if only we had a talented, earnest guide to explain it all for us.
Macaulay created a mini-empire doing just this. And naturally, his success has inspired others. One such is a fellow with the unlikely name of Marshall Brain. The author of several How Stuff Works books and originator of cable TV shows on the same theme, Brain also gives away a tremendous amount of information on his Web site, Marshall Brain's HowStuffWorks. Here, you can choose from 15 "Supercategories"—"Automotive", Engines", "Toys & Games"—which lead to hundreds of individual entries that seek to make manifest in the clearest possible way the engineering beneath the most common objects (bicycles) or the most exotic (military "pain weapons")—or even organic technologies such as chocolate! Plenty of visuals and clever animated applets aid immeasurably.
If you're not looking for anything specific, browse through some of the featured items that change daily. You're bound to learn something fascinating. Participate in the regular surveys, enter a forum, learn about getting HowStuffWorks materials into your child's school system, or pose your own puzzler. Perhaps the only question you won't find answered here is what David Macaulay thinks of his rival!
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—May 13, 2002
s science fiction has slowly penetrated the ranks of the academic world, it has spawned a need for serious research tools that analyze and critique the genre. It's a niche that the Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database fills nicely, offering more than 55,000 historical and critical speculative fiction articles, reviews, obituaries, news reports and commentaries.
Database queries are possible based on author, title, subject or imprint, and yield bare-bones entries listing the who, what and when of the resource in question. A more advanced form allows complex
"and/or/and not" type searches, as well as the ability to sort the results based on a given field. Unfortunately, the database doesn't return summaries with its results, so searchers will need to rely solely on the title and keywords to figure out if a given article is right for their purposes.
The site is hosted by Texas A&M University, and the database includes a link to the science fiction and fantasy collection at the university's Cushing Library. This section provides an overview of the library's book, periodical and manuscript collection as well two notable articles: "Horny Toads and Ugly Chickens: A Bibliography on Texas in Speculative Fiction" and "The Man Who Sold the Future: A Research Guide to the Fiction of Robert A. Heinlein."
— Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week—May 6, 2002
efarious fleets thunder across dining room tables around the world, seeking to destroy the flagships of a thousand sentient species, and Starship Combat News is there to cover it all.
The site's dedicated to tabletop starship battle simulations—the stellar equivalent of wargames—ranging from border skirmishes between frigates to massive flight actions involving capital ships and dozens of combatants. The vanguards of fleet combat—Star Fleet Battles, which features space combat in the Star Trek universe, and Babylon 5 Wars, which tackles fights in the venerable space station's universe, are but a few of the 30-odd systems detailed here.
The home page sees frequent updates announcing new product releases, industry announcements, sneak peeks at new miniatures and plenty of other stories sure to make gamers salivate. Each of the major games have its own dedicated news page with new and archived headlines.
The site also offers tabletop captains a way to connect online, thanks to its "online games" section, which links to a variety of Web sites coordinating online battles. Rounding out the site is its "In the Works" section, which discusses games under development, and its stunning photo gallery, which depicts exquisitely painted minis.
— Ken Newquist
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