The Way Things Work 2.0
The Way Things Work 2.0 is the multimedia version of David Macaulay’s book, The Way Things Work. This second version of the CD‐ROM has been updated to provide links via the Internet to a World Wide Web site which aims to contain related articles and activities. The CD‐ROM comes packed in a colourful card case of questionable durability. Frequent handling of the outer card case is likely to lead to the cover becoming worn and shabby in appearance. Instructions for installation are brief and confined to the inside of the cardboard cover. A six page booklet describes the Internet link, mammoth net, and how potential users would go about getting the necessary hardware and software for an Internet connection.
Installation of the product was speedy and problem free. A Windows version of Apple’s QuickTime for replaying the animations was installed automatically by the installation programme. A total of 4MB of hard disk space was occupied by the installation. The minimum hardware specification is:
IBM PC (1): 486DX/33MHz, 12MB RAM, SVGA monitor, double speed CD‐ROM drive plus sound card and speakers, Windows 95
IBM PC (2): 486DX/33MHz, 8MB RAM, SVGA monitor, double speed CD‐ROM drive plus sound card and speakers, Windows 3.1
Apple Macintosh 68LC040 25MHz or better, 8MB RAM, 640 x 480 pixel, 256 colour monitor, double speed CD‐ROM drive, System 7 or later
The Way Things Work 2.0 runs well on a 486DX2/66 with good quality sound and video playback. There was a noticeable improvement in screen updates when the software was run on a 100MHz Pentium.
The Way Things Work 2.0 is a curious product. It is a reference source of material which explains the workings of a range of machines and devices encountered in everyday life. Bibliographies of the devices’ inventors and developers are included with the descriptions of their intimate workings. It is more than an animated electronic version of the book as several additional features add to the core information. The user can use a traditional index which is scrollable. Searching for an item is restricted to typing in the search term. There is no facility to conduct a Boolean search. Other methods of finding information include browsing through: categories of scientific principles, an alphabetic listing of inventions, a time line of inventors and inventions and a list of inventors presented in a filofax style index. A serendipitous voyage of discovery through a graphical interpretation of a warehouse guided by an animated mammoth can best be described as information surfing. It is not recommended for speedy information retrieval purposes as there is no means of navigating through the data. Finding items this way cannot be planned in advance.
The Internet link to mammoth.net allows users to e‐mail the author, download projects, recover screensavers, and obtain printable stationary templates. The site seems targeted at children although there is nothing stopping older users from posting questions. There is a schoolroom section; but the content is minimal and perhaps reflects the newness of the site. The content is limited to the artwork of junior school children’s ideas of what the Internet looks like. Schoolroom material did not appear until mid‐November. An e‐mail query asking for information about the schoolroom was not responded to by the site administrators. The Web site is attractive, graphics‐rich, and surprisingly quick to transfer.
The presentation of the information on the CD‐ROM is very good. It uses Macaulay’s artwork and has a uniform convention indicating the “hot links” to other information. The textual explanations are clear and concise with embedded hypertext links to an extensive glossary and related items. Where this product gains over the printed version is in the provision of animated versions of the diagrams. A static diagram and text serves many learners well but some will still have difficulty grasping some concepts. The animations help to minimize any misconceptions of how a device works. Instead of having to construct a mental image of the operating principles, the animations show exactly how things happen.
Obtaining information from the CD‐ROM is relatively simple. Users will quickly get used to the different interfaces offered by the program and navigate with ease through the contents of the product. On the rare occasion that help is needed, a well annotated set of help screens can be called which explain all of the features of the software. There is also a 30 page file in Windows Write format which deals with hardware problems which may affect the way the product runs. Users with the most recent PC computers are unlikely to have to refer to this file as most of the problems seem to relate to older video cards and hardware.
The Way Things Work 2.0 is not a pure educational resource. There are too many peripheral activities and items included for the title to be applied with accuracy. The peripheral activities and the Web site indicate that the product is aimed at young children. However, for adults and pre‐college students the CD‐ROM can be regarded as a very good alternative to seeking information in a range of encyclopaedias and other reference sources which present the information in a very dry and informal way. It is a product which can legitimately claim to make learning fun. It would make a useful addition to a school’s resource centre or library; and its purchase is worth considering.
