{"product_id":"invention-and-innovation-a-brief-history-of-hype-and-failure-9780262048057","title":"Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eInvention and Innovation by Vaclav Smil is a New York Times bestseller that offers a clear-eyed corrective to the overpromises of innovation. It explains the difference between invention and innovation, looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, and offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the twenty-first century's challenges. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength\u003c\/strong\u003e: 208 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication date\u003c\/strong\u003e: 14 February 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: MIT Press Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eTour the History of Human Invention\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this history book from the New York Times-bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eHow the World Really Works\u003c\/em\u003e, Vaclav Smil takes readers on a fascinating journey through the history of human invention. With his clear-eyed perspective, Smil offers a corrective to the overpromises that often accompany innovation, reminding us that even after we have succeeded in introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, as well as those that turned disastrous. He also offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human inge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eA Bill Gates Recommended Book\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Bill Gates recommended book, \u003cem\u003eInvention and Innovation\u003c\/em\u003e is no exception. Smil's books are marked up with lots of notes that I take while reading. In this book, Smil offers a clear-eyed corrective to the overpromises that accompany innovation, reminding us that even after we have succeeded in introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, as well as those that turned disastrous. He also offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human inge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eThe World is Never Finished Catching Up with Vaclav Smil\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eVaclav Smil, author of New York Times bestsellers \u003cem\u003eHow the World Really Works\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEnergy and Civilization\u003c\/em\u003e, is a prolific author who is a favorite of Bill Gates. In \u003cem\u003eInvention and Innovation\u003c\/em\u003e, Smil offers an insightful and fact-filled jaunt through the history of human invention. Impatient with the hype that so often accompanies innovation, Smil offers a clear-eyed corrective to the overpromises that accompany everything from new cures for diseases to AI. He reminds us that even after we go quite far along the invention-development-application trajectory, we may never get anything real to deploy. Or worse, even after we have succeeded by introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks not only at inventions that failed to dominate as promised (such as the airship, nuclear fission, and supersonic flight), but also at those that turned disastrous (leaded gasoline, DDT, and chlorofluorocarbons). And finally, most importantly, he offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eThe Difference Between Invention and Innovation\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, as well as those that turned disastrous. He also offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human inge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eInventions That Failed to Dominate as Promised\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmil looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, such as the airship, nuclear fission, and supersonic flight. He reminds us that even after we have succeeded in introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, as well as those that turned disastrous. He also offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human inge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eInventions That Turned Disastrous\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmil also looks at inventions that turned disastrous, such as leaved gasoline, DDT, and chlorofluorocarbons. He reminds us that even after we have succeeded in introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks at inventions that failed to dominate as promised, as well as those that turned disastrous. He also offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human inge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eA \"Wish List\" of Inventions That We Most Urgently Need to Confront the Staggering Challenges of the Twenty-First Century\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmil offers a \"wish list\" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human inge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e: 500g\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 163 x 237 x 25 (mm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9780262048057\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vaclav Smil","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":44099987767546,"sku":"9780262048057","price":15.74,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/products\/1677853654367_book.jpg?v=1678017609","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/invention-and-innovation-a-brief-history-of-hype-and-failure-9780262048057","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}