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Jul 20, 2010

Thoughts on 'Where Good Ideas Come From'

Just finished Steven Johnson's new one, found in the arcs cupboard last Friday night. Yes it's non-fiction and he's the guy who wrote Ghost Map and The Invention of Air. Published in October it's about yes 'where good ideas come from' but also how they stick around and grow and evolve into - in some cases - unexpected forms. How mistakes can be a good thing and why eureka moments are a lot rarer than you'd think, they're more like hobby hunches simmering in the brain of the scientist, writer, doctor, etc. Johnson also shows us how some institutions are idea factories and others are set up to squelch ideas, which can cost lives.

Before work this afternoon I'm going to the online water cooler to join a chat with Tana French about Faithful Place.

Update 13.07pm - the chat was 1.30 Eastern Standard oops! but here is the link to the replay

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishersoffice/subcontent/watercooler.html

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