How to Fly a Horse

The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery

By: Kevin Ashton

Narrated by: Kevin Ashton

As a technology pioneer at MIT and as the leader of three successful start-ups, Kevin Ashton experienced firsthand the all-consuming challenge of creating something new. Now, in a tour-de-force narrative twenty years in the making, Ashton leads 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 electromagnetic chamber where the stealth bomber was born on a twenty-five-cent bet, 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.

Creators, he shows, apply in particular ways the everyday, ordinary thinking of which we are all capable, taking thousands of small steps and working in an endless loop of problem and solution. He examines why innovators meet resistance and how they overcome it, why most organizations stifle creative people, and how the most creative organizations work. Drawing on examples from art, science, business, and invention, from Mozart to the Muppets, Archimedes to Apple, Kandinsky to a can of Coke, How to Fly a Horse is a passionate and immensely rewarding exploration of how “new” comes to be.

really fun to read(listen)

Would you listen to How to Fly a Horse again? Why?

Yes, great stories and subjects and interesting spin. Could learn more from listening again

What did you like best about this story?

Fascinating stories that you've probably never heard

Which scene was your favorite?

So many great ones it's hard to choose from. Only downsides were a section on gender equality and racial equality...i feel like most people reading this book are likely in support of both of those subjects

Amazing!

What made the experience of listening to How to Fly a Horse the most enjoyable?

This is a new born classic in creativity studies.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ashton himself as a humble creator that inspires.

What does Kevin Ashton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Credibility and "in the trenches" experiences...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me stand up and get my game together and create. Do, not talk: Show me!

Any additional comments?

If you are into product discovery this is a MUST in your life.

Do away with paralysis

Kevin Ashton reveals the power of small incremental steps. A book for anyone feeling paralyzed by the enormity of their goals.

Personal

Any additional comments?

Good to read when beginning a long, challenging problem.
Contrary to Kuhn's 'paradigm shift'(although incorporates this as an example) - proposes iterative progression of major ideas. No big leaps, all incremental. Some examples glorified and not historically accurate and story incomplete(angiogenesis). Question accuracy of some of the other stories(Dyson 5000 prototypes in 10 years, so 500 per year, more than one every single day?).
Point is well-taken - keep at it.
Experienced practitioners make it look easy because of the countless hours spent building the foundation.
Even 'flashes of insight' are iterative.
Makes a good argument that things don't happen spontaneously, but after long, hard work.

Brilliant

Ashton presents an accessible and engaging case for creativity loaded with insights that informs and inspires.