Kevin Ashton

Kevin Ashton collected a bunch of great stories ultimately building into a fine book. He opens with the story of vanilla - once of the most expensive spices in the world, and now vanilla is well...vanilla. Then there was the story of Ignaz Semmelweis who died in an asylum after being beaten by guards after 14 days admittance. He was driven mad because no one would listen to his advice on doctors washing hands. And poor Rosalind Parker who was the first person to view DNA but didn't get credit for it until she died.

The book is for everyone who wants to be creative, meaning anyone. Kevin believes anyone can be creative and this book can inspire one to be creative. It's not a how to book. It's more of a "show me" book. He describes how "ordinary" people end up creating extraordinary results.
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Some of mankind’s greatest creations and inventions have not been discovered in the way that people think; rather than the ‘eureka’ moment where something suddenly makes sense, the process is a series of small steps and failures as the design or idea is refined. In this book, Ashton, draws on various examples and anecdotes to bring us the history of invention.

The orchid that produces the vanilla pod is a wonderful thing, the exotic flavour from the pods are used in so many things now, ice cream being the obvious, but you will find its scent in famous perfumes. Until the middle of the nineteenth-century no one knew how the flowers were fertilised, or if there was a way that they could improve this artificially. It was a small boy who demonstrated that they could be fertilised very simply and gave birth to the multi-million dollar industry that we have today. He explores just how man learnt to fly, hence the title of the book, with the foolhardy parachutists of Paris to the Wright brothers who solved each problem of flight before tackling the next. There are examples of critical breakthroughs that individuals had, like the re-invention of the vacuum cleaner and the development of the stealth bomber after one engineer decided to prove that it was possible.

This was a really enjoyable and accessible read for those interested in the creative process. I particularly liked the chapter on the can of coke where he shows just how many countries and processes are required to get the 330ml of soft drink in your fridge. Ashton is best known for the invention of the phrase ‘internet of things’, and phrase that many have not come across as yet, but will hear of soon. In this he blows some myths out of the water about the creative process, demonstrating just how the iterative method is so much better. He also describes how creative type struggle in the corporate world where uniformity and blandness are celebrated rather than genuine innovation and development. Overall a very interesting book.… (más)

This book is for people who want to learn about creativity and who enjoy a little history and science. While I enjoy the usual books about creativity by and for artists, this one was so much more useful to me because it discussed so much more than just artistic creativity.The author debunks the myth of the creative genius and the eureka moment while using art, science, invention, and business as examples of creativity and the creative process. He not only talks about the ingredients for great things, but all the impediments. It's an incredibly interesting book full of history and wisdom.… (más)