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erlhopkins's review
5.0
5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
this book is so freaking cool.
i, a lover of strange and unusual facts that i somehow (read: intentionally) stumble upon, gleaned so many new things while reading this !!
catch me at the next party talking about how thomas edison wasn’t the first to invent the lightbulb, how doctors loved to go deliver babies after having their hands in dead bodies, the phonograph was used opposite how it was intended, and a really uncomfortable fact about sperm whales.
gah. there’s so many fascinating things.
this book is so freaking cool.
i, a lover of strange and unusual facts that i somehow (read: intentionally) stumble upon, gleaned so many new things while reading this !!
catch me at the next party talking about how thomas edison wasn’t the first to invent the lightbulb, how doctors loved to go deliver babies after having their hands in dead bodies, the phonograph was used opposite how it was intended, and a really uncomfortable fact about sperm whales.
gah. there’s so many fascinating things.
yates9's review
3.0
Great start of a book but the author doesn’t carry through a d doesn’t justify the title which seems to promise cimpleteness.
The book is a fun romp across connected technologies and how they enabled each other leading to deep changes in culture and society.
The book is a fun romp across connected technologies and how they enabled each other leading to deep changes in culture and society.
karoldgg24's review
5.0
This book is so interesting and I love how the author tell the story for each invention. I feel more educated now after reading this book, knowing all these details.
author_d_r_oestreicher's review
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
How We Got to Now: by Steven Johnson a history of technology and innovations The author’s twist on this well-trodden topic is to identify unexpected connections. For example, the Gutenberg printing press led to Galileo’s telescope. How? The printing press increased the interest in glass lenses because the newly literate Europeans discovered they were farsighted. The improved lens technology cleared the way for telescopes and microscopes. The author’s topics are glass, cold, sound, clean, time, and light. A well-written history of inventions and inventors.
For my extended notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2024/01/how-we-got-to-now-by-steven-johnson.html
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stevenyenzer's review
3.0
An entertaining if breezy rundown of some of the least-known but most important modern inventions.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
4.0
Author does a great job in weaving the history of six different topics and their consequences (intended and not). Concludes with an example to highlight inventions before their time compared to simultaneous discovery, and some of the possible influences for both. Excellent book and well read