Name: Where good ideas come from
Uploaded: 2010-09-21T08:50:00Z
Duration: 17 min 28 s
Description: People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London's coffee houses to Charles Darwin's long, slow hunch to today's high-velocity web.

People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London's coffee houses to Charles Darwin's long, slow hunch to today's high-velocity web.

Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from

Where good ideas come from

Transition from alcohol to coffee and tea in British culture sparked the Enlightenment, turning a drunk society alert and innovative.

Ideas are networks, not single eureka moments. Innovation thrives in 'liquid networks' where diverse thoughts intersect and combine.

The genesis of GPS: A hunch overheard in a cafeteria evolved into a pivotal innovation, exemplifying chance favoring the connected mind.