Ever Wonder How Stuff Works?

Are you one of those people who becomes fascinated by gadgets? Do you wonder how and why our modern conveniences came to be? Are you a geek?

OK, maybe that last question wasn't quite fair.

This week's Web Site of the Week selection, HowStuffWorks.com, is the ultimate destination for anyone who's curious about, well, how things work. No matter how small or odd, this site probably has the rundown on how your favorite gadget came to be and how it does what it does.

From electric guitars to flamethrowers, you can find just about anything here, courtesy of Marshall Brain and his staff of resident cognoscenti.

There are topics of interest in the post-Sept. 11 world, such as airport security and chemical/biological warfare, along with informative bits on terrorism and self-defense.

Perhaps the greatest value of the site is what it can provide for kids getting back to school and looking for help with homework and projects. There are ideas to get them started and clearly written articles that won't talk over their heads.

The site navigation is incredibly friendly, and the articles all link to related ones elsewhere on the site.

Say, for instance, little Bobby is doing a project on how electricity works. From a front-page article in the Science and Tech section on how power grids work, links are provided to articles on power plants, circuit breakers, taps and all sorts of other information. Each article also offers a printer-friendly format to avoid that annoying "printing all the border ads" problem.

Browse, explore, and learn. Have fun!