"Where Good Ideas Come From
By Steven Johnson (2010)
"Chance favors the connected mind," Steven Johnson writes in "Where Good Ideas Come From," and innovation thrives when good ideas connect.
Innovators embrace chaos as a habit of mind, firm in their belief that this is how new ideas are born. Among the innovators -- and connected minds -- Mr. Johnson cites is an engineer named Willis Carrier. In 1902 Carrier was tasked with solving a problem at a Brooklyn, N.Y., plant that printed magazines, catalogs and other publications. A recent innovation in printing -- colored ink -- proved unstable on humid summer days, causing pages to wrinkle and delaying production.
Carrier focused not on the ink but the high humidity levels inside the printing plant. To dry the air, he figured, the building's interior temperature had to be lowered. Air conditioning was born.
"Carrier's narrative fits the classic mold of the genius entrepreneur," Mr. Johnson writes.
"After experimenting with a handful of failed schemes suggested by his colleagues, Carrier followed his own instincts" in building prototypes to cool the air.
Early adopters of his invention included food-processing plants, theaters and hospitals. By the second half of the 20th century, air conditioning, Mr. Johnson writes, "went from a curiosity to a luxury item to a middle-class necessity."" [1]
1. REVIEW --- Books -- Five Best: Books on Inventors and Innovators: Carl J. Schramm --- The author, most recently, of 'Burn the Business Plan: What Great Entrepreneurs Really Do'. Schramm, Carl. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 29 Mar 2025: C8.
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