Not all important technological advances are flashy bits of IT

THERE ARE many ways to stick things together: glue; solder; welds of various sorts. But one that remains surprisingly popular is riveting.In some ways, riveting is about as old-fashioned a method of union as it is possible to imagine. A rivet is a mushroom-like stud, with a cap and a stem. The stem is pushed through matching holes made in the two materials to be joined, so that its end is proud. The proud end is then made into a second cap, using a hammer or a rivet gun.