We live in amazing times. But where did all this stuff come from? And by stuff, I mean computers and the internet, and all the amazing platforms like Wikipedia, that exist on the internet. There are many answers to those questions. A common theme is, people who were very good at math. But that includes a woman, crippled by measles, living in the nineteenth century as the daughter of one of the most famous poets of all time, and a man living a hidden homosexual life in an era when that was a criminal offense, leading a team of code-breakers in England during WW2. Those were two of the most famous innovators investigated by Walter Isaacson.
In today's show, you'll also hear about a truly loathsome man who played an indispensable role in the birth of the transistor and the semiconductor. Also, how Wikipedia challenges and rewards collaborative data mining.
What do you think? Comment below, email Colin@wnpr.org, or tweet @wnprcolin.
GUEST:
- Walter Isaacson is the author of many books, including his most recent, The Innovators: How A Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution. He’s also the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute
SONGS:
- "A.D.A." by Helen Arney
- "Innovators" by Urban High Society
- "Oh, Internet" by Hannah Hart
