Summary: Steven Johnson and Kevin Kelly discuss the past, present and future of technological innovation, in a conversation with RadioLab's Robert Krulwich. This program was recorded in collaboration with the New York Public Library, on October 18, 2010. Visit http://FORA.tv to view full-length video of any program featured in this podcast. For more topics on technology, visit http://fora.tv/topic/technology. In a world of rapidly accelerating change, from iPads to eBooks to genetic mapping to MagLev trains, we can't help but wonder if technology is our servant or our master, and whether it is taking us in a healthy direction as a society. * What forces drive the steady march of innovation? * How can we build environments in our schools, our businesses, and in our private lives that encourage the creation of new ideas--ideas that build on the new technology platforms in socially responsible ways? Kevin Kelly and Steven Johnson look at where technology is taking us. One of the co-founders of Wired Magazine, Kelly's new book, What Technology Wants, makes the argument that technology as a whole is not a jumble of wires and metal but a living, evolving organism that has its own unconscious needs and tendencies. Johnson's new book, Where Good Ideas Come From, explains why certain spaces, from 18th-century coffeehouses to the World Wide Web, have an uncanny talent for encouraging innovative thinking. - New York Public Library Steven Johnson is the author of several bestselling books, including The Ghost Map, Everything Bad Is Good for You, and The Invention of Air. He is also the founder of several influential websites, including FEED, Plastic, and, currently, outside.in. His most recent book is Where Good Ideas Come From. Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He is the author of New Rules for the New Economy and Out of Control. He is currently editor and publisher of the popular websites Cool Tools and The Quantified Self. His most recent book is What Technology Wants. Robert Krulwich is an American radio and television journalist whose specialty is explaining complex topics in depth. He has worked as a full-time employee of CBS, National Public Radio, and Pacifica.
