Status Updates From Where Good Ideas Come From

Johnson's talent at describing scientific condition (e.g. the big deal about "primordial soup" as liquid network) make me believe I had very sub-standard science teachers in school... my lessons weren't anything like this.

Enjoying this immensely, and taking my time to annotate it in both Kindle and my Evernote-keeping. Johnson shares very well written stories which highlight scientific history while illustrating his concepts, the points he wishes to make.

Conclusion is almost a self-help styled summary more than a powerful logical supposition. A little disappointing since other people have already put forth the thrust of his seven qualities of innovation, but a reasonable expectation for a journalistic author like Johnson. Still, would have been nice for him to claim something difficult to accept, if only to answer Where Good Ideas Come From with a more concise point.

Shares elements with the other "histories" I've read recently, notably Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and Kevin Kelly's tech history in "What Technology Wants"

Serendipity chapter advocates "reading holidays", a concentrated exposure to many different ideas such as in reading books in bunches at a time, to cultivate serendipitous creative discovery. Hard not to like that idea since it helps justify what I've been doing all year!