How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery

　　身為三家新創公司與麻省理工學院科技研究的領導者，Kevin Ashton對消費性產品研發經常可獲得第一手情報。現在，他要為大眾揭露有史以來，重要發明背後的驚人史實：晶體實驗室裡，一位長期被忽略的女性率先發現去氧核糖核酸（DNA）的秘密；隱形轟炸機的誕生竟然肇因於一局25分錢的賭注；在俄亥俄州賣單車的萊特兄弟為了想讓馬飛起來而研發出飛機……。



　　學識兼備的Kevin Ashton於書中旁徵博引，討論範圍從莫札特到布偶、阿基米德到蘋果電腦、康定斯基到可樂罐，除了描述發明者曾經遇到的困境以及他們克服萬難的過程，同時探討為何有創造力的人無法見容於大多數的組織？以創意著稱的企業營運狀況又是如何？希望能藉此鼓勵所有人，發明不是一蹴可幾的幸運，只要有熱情與毅力，平凡的小點子很可能變成推動世界進步的大發明。（文／博客來編譯）

Essential reading for would-be creators and innovators: ＂If you want to tap your creative potential, buy this book. It’s the last one you’ll ever need to read＂ (Toronto Star).

To create is human. Technology pioneer Kevin Ashton has experienced firsthand the all-consuming challenge of creating something new. Now, in a tour-de-force narrative twenty years in the making, Ashton demystifies the sacred act, leading us on a journey through humanity’s greatest creations to uncover the surprising truth behind who creates and how they do it. From the crystallographer’s laboratory where the secrets of DNA were first revealed by a long forgotten woman, to the Ohio bicycle shop where the Wright brothers set out to ＂fly a horse,＂ Ashton showcases the seemingly unremarkable individuals, gradual steps, multiple failures, and countless ordinary and usually uncredited acts that lead to our most astounding breakthroughs. Drawing on examples from Mozart to the Muppets, Archimedes to Apple, Kandinsky to a can of Coke, How to Fly a Horse is essential reading for would-be creators and innovators, and also a passionate and immensely rewarding exploration of how ＂new＂ comes to be.

Kevin Ashton led pioneering work on RFID (radio frequency identification) networks, for which he coined the term ＂the Internet of Things,＂ and cofounded the Auto-ID Center at MIT. His writing about innovation and technology has appeared in Quartz, Medium, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.