Before Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, there were no iPhones or iPads. Jobs changed the way we think about many things, including telephones, computers, and books. Because of Jobs, says his biographer(传记作者)Walter Isaacson, entire industries like music and publishing have changed completely.
I recently talked with Isaacson in New York City about his new best-seller, The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, in which he tells hundreds of stories of the people who created the computer and the Internet.
I asked what qualities stood out in the innovators he studied. "They really care about both art and science," Isaacson said. "They really believe it's important to connect the humanities to technology and engineering."
For kids who want to become tomorrow's innovators, he said, "If you're such a person -- very creative and love art, you should not shy away from also learning math and learning coding(编码). If you're an engineer, you should learn to read poetry."
"Every great innovator has passion (激情), determination, and the courage to fail," Isaacson said. "Working in teams makes creative people even more effective(有效的), " he added. "Sometimes, some-one else's suggestions can help improve or perfect your design."
When Isaacson was growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana, he decided early on that he wanted to be a writer. After reading a book by a friend's uncle, he realized that writing is a job you can have, just like being a fisherman or an engineer or a doctor.
Of all the books Isaacson has written, he said that his favorite was a biography of Ben Franklin. "He did everything," Isaacson said. "He was friendly and nice and good to people. Reading all of his letters, I felt I really got to know him and like him."
