How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation. Invention. and Discovery

To create is human. Technology pioneer Kevin Ashton has experienced firsthand the all-consuming challenge of creating something new. Now in a tour-de-force narrative twenty years in the making Ashton demystifies the sacred act leading us on a journey through humanity’s greatest creations to uncover the surprising truth behind who creates and how they do it. From the crystallographer’s laboratory where the secrets of DNA were first revealed by a long forgotten woman to the Ohio bicycle shop where the Wright brothers set out to “fly a horse” Ashton showcases the seemingly unremarkable individuals gradual steps multiple failures and countless ordinary and usually uncredited acts that lead to our most astounding breakthroughs. Drawing on examples from Mozart to the Muppets Archimedes to Apple Kandinsky to a can of Coke How to Fly a Horse is essential reading for would-be creators and innovators and also a passionate and immensely rewarding exploration of how “new” comes to be.

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (September 15 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0804170061

ISBN-13: 978-0804170062

Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches

Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces