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How We Got to Now
- Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
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Publisher's summary
From the New York Times best-selling 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 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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The Big Bang is all but dead, and we do not yet know what will replace it. Our universe's "beginning" is at an end. What does this have to do with us here on Earth? Our lives are about to be dramatically shaken again - as altered as they were with the invention of the clock, the steam engine, the railroad, the radio and the Internet.
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More fluff than science
- By Ivan the Reviewer on 04-15-13
By: Adam Frank
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Confessions of an Alien Hunter
- A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
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- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
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This engaging memoir reveals the true story of the Search for ExtraterrestrialIntelligence (SETI), and discloses what we may very soon discover. Chronicling the program’s history with insight and humor, SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak assures us that if there is sentient life in the universe, we are within decades of picking up its signal.
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Somewhat Disappointed...
- By Tim on 11-12-10
By: Seth Shostak
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The Disappearing Spoon
- And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
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- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Reporter Sam Kean reveals the periodic table as it’s never been seen before. Not only is it one of man's crowning scientific achievements, it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in The Disappearing Spoon follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.
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Great Book, Great Narration, But...
- By Henny Button on 09-18-10
By: Sam Kean
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- By: W. Bernard Carlson
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Nikola Tesla was a major contributor to the electrical revolution that transformed daily life at the turn of the 20th century. His inventions, patents, and theoretical work formed the basis of modern AC electricity, and contributed to the development of radio and television. Like his competitor Thomas Edison, Tesla was one of America's first celebrity scientists, enjoying the company of New York high society and dazzling the likes of Mark Twain with his electrical demonstrations. An astute self-promoter and gifted showman, he cultivated a public image of the eccentric genius.
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A detailed examination of Tesla's work
- By Jean on 02-01-14
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Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy
- By: Tim Harford
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Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette's disposable razor to IKEA's Billy bookcase, best-selling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention's own curious, surprising, and memorable story.
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Thought provoking
- By Paul Norris on 09-10-17
By: Tim Harford
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Abundance
- The Future Is Better Than You Think
- By: Steven Kotler, Peter H. Diamandis
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
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Space entrepreneur turned innovation pioneer Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler document how progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing synthetic biology, and other exponentially growing technologies will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the previous 200 years.
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Perhaps multiply his time estimates by 10
- By Rick on 11-06-21
By: Steven Kotler, and others
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Applied Minds
- How Engineers Think
- By: Guru Madhavan
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Through narratives and case studies spanning the brilliant history of engineering, Madhavan shows how the concepts of prototyping, efficiency, reliability, standards, optimization, and feedback are put to use in fields as diverse as transportation, retail, health care, and entertainment. Equal parts personal, practical, and profound, Applied Minds charts a path to a future where we apply strategies borrowed from engineering to create useful and inspired solutions to our most pressing challenges.
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excellent edifying book; great narrator too.
- By Phillip on 01-16-22
By: Guru Madhavan
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The Idea Factory
- Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
- By: Jon Gertner
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
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In The Idea Factory, New York Times Magazine writer Jon Gertner reveals how Bell Labs served as an incubator for scientific innovation from the 1920s through the1980s. In its heyday, Bell Labs boasted nearly 15,000 employees, 1200 of whom held PhDs and 13 of whom won Nobel Prizes. Thriving in a work environment that embraced new ideas, Bell Labs scientists introduced concepts that still propel many of today’s most exciting technologies.
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Great story -- horrible pauses
- By Rodney on 01-29-13
By: Jon Gertner
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What listeners say about How We Got to Now
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andy
- 10-10-14
cool title, unexceptional content
Good effort at tying a few conceptual frameworks together. In the end, not much there.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-08-17
connect the dots
? are you fascinated by the history of science and ideas
? do you ever question the origins of the underpinnings of modern life
? do you enjoy learning about seemingly unrelated innovations
well, steven johnson has put his considerable intellect to work for you
he teases out the history of the foundations of our 21st century lives
his 6 explanations are brilliantly entertaining and incredibly insightful
glass > lenses > telescopes > printing presses > lasers
ice > refrigeration > air conditioning > living nearer the equator
cave echoes > phonograph > music (jazz) > telegraph & telephone > ultrasound
germ theory > sewers > dense urban living > clean water > swimming pools & suits
sun dial > pendulum > clock > tightly time regulated modern lives
candle > oil lamps > light bulbs > photographs > cinema
knowing the historic source of the implements of our current lives is fascinating
it's helpful to remember how most inventions are collaborative joint efforts
the diversity and interactions of cultures so often leads to the best outcome
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10 people found this helpful
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- Max
- 11-14-14
some interesing history
This is another of many recent books that chronicle how inventions changed our lives... I don't really feel this one justifies the title of "how we got to now" ... maybe "a few of the things that got us to now" would be more like it. It has some history that I hadn't heard before, but a little more of stuff I had heard before. It's an interesting listen, I don't regret it, but it didn't blow me away.
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7 people found this helpful
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- S. Yates
- 06-13-16
Interesting but superficial
Any additional comments?
Steven Johnson has a knack for clearly explaining scientific leaps. Though not as good as The Ghost Map, this book takes an interesting approach to progress, examining six general areas of innovation (glass, cold, time, sound, clean, and light) and investigating their history and the confluences of time and place that propelled advancements in each area. It is a neat perspective, and Johnson often stresses that our cultural imaginings of a lone genius inventor and his eureka moment is the exception that proves the rule. In each of these innovative areas, he notes that the inventions made likely could not have been made earlier in time and that had they not been invented by one person, some other contemporary very likely would have come to the same conclusion. In all cases, he stresses that some leaps cannot be made before other leaps precede them, and that the earlier developments move the chains and change was is "adjacent possible." At times he is a bit glib and glosses over specific rationale and skips to his conclusions. But the book is nonetheless interesting a good, swift tour through the fast-changing technologies that made the (western) modern world possible.
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5 people found this helpful
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- CJFLA
- 10-29-14
Really good and interesting book
Where does How We Got to Now rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is really a very interesting book about the development of everyday life tools we take for granted (light, clean water, sound recordings, etc). The stories for each major area are extremely interesting and the narrator does an excellent job of getting the message across. If there is ever a volume two to this series I will definitely get it!
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- DeweyLib
- 08-04-15
Excellent Book
What made the experience of listening to How We Got to Now the most enjoyable?
The content of this book is fascinating! If it had been a physical book, I wouldn't have been able to put it down.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Being a non-fiction book, this question doesn't apply. I think the chapter on "Glass" was perhaps my favorite.
Which character – as performed by George Newbern – was your favorite?
n/a
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
A man spent his fortune transporting ice to the Caribbean, only to learn the people there had no idea what it was or what it could be used for. We take ice for granted, but if you've never seen it, never had a cold drink, or never eaten ice cream, then why would you buy it?
Any additional comments?
Great book! "Out of the box" subject matter!
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- Mark J. Sasway
- 04-04-15
The Adjacent Possible, Network System Innovation
If you could sum up How We Got to Now in three words, what would they be?
Network System Innovation
What other book might you compare How We Got to Now to and why?
Day the Universe Changed, James Burke -Innovation and invention in the context of the Adjacent Possible.
Have you listened to any of George Newbern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No. I don't believe so. Excellent reading of the materiel.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Each chapter, of the 6 innovations, revealed profound insight into our human condition and frame of reference before the event of a given invention that has now become a given.
Any additional comments?
An unusually even handed take on the both the enlightened achievements of our modern era, with the modest realities of many of their unintended & subsequent unfortunate collateral effects.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Apoc_CPA
- 05-23-15
Great stories
Mentions YESCO in the last chapter. I was the CFO there for some time. Wonderful insights into their story and other stories behind inventions. We all stand on the shoulders of previous Giants.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 07-13-15
All around great audiobook
I really enjoyed everything about this book. The history of these everyday technologies that we take for granted are fascinating. I love gaining new perspectives on things that are commonplace. The narrator gave a great read as well. I blew through this book in two sittings. I'll be going back for another listen very soon.
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- Jacob Brenner
- 06-23-15
New insight into famous innovations
Great stories of innovation, while drawing a few general principles from the commonalities of the anecdotes.
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