This short essay is in two parts. In his Chapter 1 to Beyond Engineering, How Society Shapes Technology, Robert Pool discusses technologies adopted and subsequently adapted by societies. Among his examples are Thomas Edison and improvements to the light bulb, the Manhattan Project, and Admiral Rickover's influence on the choice of nuclear reactor models for submarines.
In Chapter 4, Pool discusses how a technology can become very complex, a large passenger aircraft or helicopter for example, being dependent on thousands of interrelated parts including a $2 bolt to stay airborne. In Part 1 of your 4-5 page (1000-1250 word) essay, discuss an example of Chapter 1 (Thomas Edison and improvements to the light bulb, the Manhattan Project, and Admiral Rickover's influence on the choice of nuclear reactor models for submarines), the fact that technology impacts on society in general, and encompasses more than the device. In Part 2, relate the themes of both chapters to a technology of your choice that has emerged in the past 30 years.