How we got to now: six innovations that made the modern world
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Language:
English
Lexile measure:
1230L
Description
Did you drink a glass of water today? Did you turn on a light? Did you think about how miraculous either one of those things is when you did it? Of course not--but you should, and New York Times bestselling author Steven Johnson has. This adaptation of his adult book and popular PBS series explores the fascinating and interconnected stories of innovations--like clean drinking water and electricity--that changed the way people live.
Innovation starts with a problem whose solution sets in motion all kinds of unexpected discoveries. That's why you can draw a line from pendulums to punching the clock at a factory, from ice blocks to summer movie blockbusters, from clean water to computer chips.
In the lively storytelling style that has made him a popular, bestselling author, Steven Johnson looks at how accidental genius, brilliant mistakes, and unintended consequences shape the way we live in the modern world. Johnson's "long zoom" approach connects history, geography, politics, and scientific advances with the deep curiousity of inventors or quirky interests of tinkerers to show how innovation truly comes about.
His fascinating account is organized into six topics: glass, cold, sound, clean, time, light. Johnson's fresh exploration of these simple, single-syllable word concepts creates an endlessly absorbing story that moves from lightning strikes in the prehistoric desert to the herculean effort to literally raise up the city of Chicago to laser labs straight out of a sci-fi movie.
In other words, it's the story of how we got to now!
Innovation starts with a problem whose solution sets in motion all kinds of unexpected discoveries. That's why you can draw a line from pendulums to punching the clock at a factory, from ice blocks to summer movie blockbusters, from clean water to computer chips.
In the lively storytelling style that has made him a popular, bestselling author, Steven Johnson looks at how accidental genius, brilliant mistakes, and unintended consequences shape the way we live in the modern world. Johnson's "long zoom" approach connects history, geography, politics, and scientific advances with the deep curiousity of inventors or quirky interests of tinkerers to show how innovation truly comes about.
His fascinating account is organized into six topics: glass, cold, sound, clean, time, light. Johnson's fresh exploration of these simple, single-syllable word concepts creates an endlessly absorbing story that moves from lightning strikes in the prehistoric desert to the herculean effort to literally raise up the city of Chicago to laser labs straight out of a sci-fi movie.
In other words, it's the story of how we got to now!
More Details
Contributors:
ISBN:
9781594633935
9780553544725
9780698154506
9781594632969
9780553544725
9780698154506
9781594632969
Lexile measure:
1230L
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Grouping Information
| Grouped Work ID | e524c592-38bb-968b-7422-ba33017a7b83 |
|---|---|
| Grouping Title | how we got to now six innovations that made the modern world |
| Grouping Author | steven johnson |
| Grouping Category | book |
| Grouping Language | English (eng) |
| Last Grouping Update | 2023-06-09 03:51:42AM |
| Last Indexed | 2023-06-09 04:15:03AM |
Solr Fields
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auth_author2
Newbern, George, 1964-
author
Johnson, Steven, 1968-
author2-role
Newbern, George,1964-narrator
author_display
Johnson, Steven
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Addison Public Library
Online OverDrive Collection
Online OverDrive Collection
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Adults
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Axis 360
Online OverDrive Collection
Axis 360
Online OverDrive Collection
display_description
"From the New York Times-bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Everything Bad Is Good for You, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas. In this illustrated volume, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes--from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth--How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species-to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe. "--
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Book
eAudiobook
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9781594633935
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9781594633935
itype_addison
Nonfiction
last_indexed
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literary_form
Non Fiction
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Non Fiction
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Addison Public Library Online
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Online OverDrive Collection
Online OverDrive Collection
primary_isbn
9781594633935
publishDate
2014
2015
2015
publisher
Books on Tape
Penguin Audio
Penguin Publishing Group
Riverhead Books
Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA)
Penguin Audio
Penguin Publishing Group
Riverhead Books
Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA)
recordtype
grouped_work
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Audiobooks
Electronic audio books
Inventions -- Social aspects
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Globalization
SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Inventions
Technology -- Social aspects
Electronic audio books
Inventions -- Social aspects
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Globalization
SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Inventions
Technology -- Social aspects
title_display
How we got to now : six innovations that made the modern world
title_full
How We Got to Now Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
How we got to now : six innovations that made the modern world / Steven Johnson
How we got to now : six innovations that made the modern world / Steven Johnson
title_short
How we got to now
title_sub
six innovations that made the modern world
topic_facet
Inventions
Nonfiction
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Globalization
Politics
SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects
Science
Social aspects
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Inventions
Technology
Nonfiction
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Globalization
Politics
SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects
Science
Social aspects
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Inventions
Technology
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