ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steven Johnson - Writer
Steven Berlin Johnson examines the intersection of science, technology and personal experience.

Why you should listen

Steven Johnson is a leading light of today's interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to innovation. His writings have influenced everything from cutting-edge ideas in urban planning to the battle against 21st-century terrorism. Johnson was chosen by Prospect magazine as one of the top ten brains of the digital future, and The Wall Street Journal calls him "one of the most persuasive advocates for the role of collaboration in innovation."

Johnson's work on the history of innovation inspired the Emmy-nominated six-part series on PBS, "How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson," which aired in the fall of 2014. The book version of How We Got To Now was a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. His new book, Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World, revolves around the creative power of play and delight: ideas and innovations that set into motion many momentous changes in science, technology, politics and society. 

Johnson is also the author of the bestselling Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, one of his many books celebrating progress and innovation. Others include The Invention of Air and The Ghost Map. Everything Bad Is Good For You, one of the most discussed books of 2005, argued that the increasing complexity of modern media is training us to think in more complex ways. Emergence and Future Perfect explore the power of bottom-up intelligence in both nature and contemporary society.

An innovator himself, Johnson has co-created three influential sites: the pioneering online magazine FEED, the Webby-Award-winning community site, Plastic.com, and the hyperlocal media site outside.in, which was acquired by AOL in 2011.

Johnson is a regular contributor to WIRED magazine, as well as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many other periodicals. He has appeared on many high-profile television programs, including "The Charlie Rose Show," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer."


More profile about the speaker
Steven Johnson | Speaker | TED.com
TED Studio

Steven Johnson: The playful wonderland behind great inventions

Steven Johnson: Como a música levou à invençao dos computadores modernos

Filmed:
1,351,401 views

A necessidade é a mãe da invenção, certo? Bem, nem sempre. Steven Johnson nos mostra como algumas das ideias e tecnologias mais transformadoras, como o computador, não vieram da necessidade, mas sim do estranho prazer de brincar. Compartilhe esta cativante exploração ilustrada da história das invenções. No fim das contas, você vai encontrar o futuro naquilo que mais diverte as pessoas.
- Writer
Steven Berlin Johnson examines the intersection of science, technology and personal experience. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
(Music)
0
801
3895
00:16
Roughly 43,000 years ago,
1
4720
2696
Há aproximadamente 43 mil anos,
00:19
a young cave bear
died in the rolling hills
2
7440
2976
um jovem urso-das-cavernas
morreu nas colinas
00:22
on the northwest border
of modern day Slovenia.
3
10440
3376
na fronteira noroeste da atual Eslovênia.
00:25
A thousand years later,
a mammoth died in southern Germany.
4
13840
4096
Mil anos depois, um mamute
morreu no sul da Alemanha.
00:29
A few centuries after that,
a griffon vulture also died
5
17960
3296
Alguns séculos depois,
um abutre também morreu
00:33
in the same vicinity.
6
21280
1200
nas proximidades.
00:35
And we know almost nothing
about how these animals met their deaths,
7
23280
4136
Não sabemos quase nada
sobre como esses animais morreram,
00:39
but these different creatures
dispersed across both time and space
8
27440
4056
mas essas diferentes criaturas
dispersas no tempo e no espaço
00:43
did share one remarkable fate.
9
31520
3176
compartilharam um destino notável.
00:46
After their deaths,
a bone from each of their skeletons
10
34720
3456
Depois da sua morte, um osso
de cada um dos esqueletos
00:50
was crafted by human hands
11
38200
2696
foi transformado por mãos humanas
00:52
into a flute.
12
40920
1200
em uma flauta.
00:54
Think about that for a second.
13
42920
1456
Pense nisso por um segundo.
00:56
Imagine you're a caveman,
40,000 years ago.
14
44400
2656
Imagine que você é um homem
das cavernas, há 40 mil anos.
00:59
You've mastered fire.
15
47080
1656
Você dominou o fogo.
Você construiu ferramentas
simples para caçar.
01:00
You've built simple tools for hunting.
16
48760
2056
01:02
You've learned how to craft
garments from animal skins
17
50840
2616
Você aprendeu a fazer vestes
com a pele de animais
01:05
to keep yourself warm in the winter.
18
53480
2056
para manter-se aquecido no inverno.
01:07
What would you choose to invent next?
19
55560
2736
Qual será sua próxima invenção?
01:10
It seems preposterous
that you would invent the flute,
20
58320
3136
Parece ilógico inventar a flauta,
01:13
a tool that created
useless vibrations in air molecules.
21
61480
3816
uma ferramenta que cria vibrações
inúteis nas moléculas do ar.
01:17
But that is exactly
what our ancestors did.
22
65319
3001
Mas foi exatamente isso
que nossos ancestrais fizeram.
01:21
Now this turns out
to be surprisingly common
23
69200
3416
E isso se tornou surpreendentemente comum
01:24
in the history of innovation.
24
72640
1616
na história da inovação.
01:26
Sometimes people invent things
25
74280
1936
Algumas vezes as pessoas inventam coisas
01:28
because they want to stay alive
or feed their children
26
76240
2936
porque elas querem se manter vivas
ou alimentar seus filhos
01:31
or conquer the village next door.
27
79200
2136
ou conquistar uma aldeia próxima.
01:33
But just as often,
28
81360
1416
Mas, frequentemente,
01:34
new ideas come into the world
29
82800
1896
novas ideias surgem no mundo
01:36
simply because they're fun.
30
84720
2040
simplesmente por serem divertidas.
01:39
And here's the really strange thing:
31
87520
2416
E o mais estranho de tudo:
01:41
many of those playful
but seemingly frivolous inventions
32
89960
3256
muitas dessas invenções divertidas,
mas aparentemente frívolas,
01:45
ended up sparking
momentous transformations
33
93240
2616
acabaram por desencadear
transformações muito importantes
01:47
in science, in politics and society.
34
95880
3096
na ciência, na política e na sociedade.
01:51
Take what may be the most
important invention of modern times:
35
99000
3936
Veja o que pode ser a invenção
mais importante dos tempos modernos:
01:54
programmable computers.
36
102960
1736
os computadores programáveis.
01:56
Now, the standard story is that computers
descend from military technology,
37
104720
4616
A história padrão é que os computadores
vêm de tecnologia militar,
pois os primeiros computadores
foram projetados especificamente
02:01
since many of the early computers
were designed specifically
38
109360
2856
para decodificar códigos durante a guerra
ou calcular trajetórias de foguetes.
02:04
to crack wartime codes
or calculate rocket trajectories.
39
112240
3456
02:07
But in fact, the origins
of the modern computer
40
115720
3496
Mas, na verdade, a origem
do computador moderno
02:11
are much more playful,
41
119240
1656
é muito mais divertida,
02:12
even musical,
42
120920
1296
e até musical, do que você imagina.
02:14
than you might imagine.
43
122240
1256
A ideia por trás da flauta,
02:15
The idea behind the flute,
44
123520
1256
02:16
of just pushing air through tubes
to make a sound,
45
124800
3096
de assoprar ar através
de tubos para produzir sons,
02:19
was eventually modified
to create the first organ
46
127920
2896
foi finalmente modificada
para criar o primeiro órgão
02:22
more than 2,000 years ago.
47
130840
1736
há mais de 2 mil anos.
02:24
Someone came up with the brilliant idea
of triggering sounds
48
132600
3296
Alguém teve a brilhante ideia
de provocar a emissão de sons
02:27
by pressing small levers with our fingers,
49
135920
2896
pressionando pequenas
alavancas com os dedos,
02:30
inventing the first musical keyboard.
50
138840
2376
inventando o primeiro teclado musical.
02:33
Now, keyboards evolved
from organs to clavichords to harpsichords
51
141240
4136
Bem, os teclados evoluíram do órgão
para o clavicórdio, o cravo
02:37
to the piano,
52
145400
1336
e o piano
02:38
until the middle of the 19th century,
53
146760
2656
até meados do século 19,
02:41
when a bunch of inventors
finally hit on the idea
54
149440
2776
quando um grupo de inventores
finalmente teve a ideia
02:44
of using a keyboard
to trigger not sounds but letters.
55
152240
3896
de usar um teclado para gerar
letras, em vez de sons.
02:48
In fact, the very first typewriter
56
156160
2296
De fato, a primeira máquina de escrever
02:50
was originally called
"the writing harpsichord."
57
158480
3160
foi chamada originalmente
de "o cravo de escrever".
02:55
Flutes and music led
to even more powerful breakthroughs.
58
163440
3816
As flautas e a música levaram
a avanços ainda mais poderosos.
02:59
About a thousand years ago,
59
167280
1736
Há aproximadamente mil anos,
03:01
at the height of the Islamic Renaissance,
60
169040
2216
no auge do Renascimento islâmico,
03:03
three brothers in Baghdad
designed a device
61
171280
2336
três irmãos em Bagdá
projetaram um dispositivo
03:05
that was an automated organ.
62
173640
2496
que era um órgão automatizado.
03:08
They called it "the instrument
that plays itself."
63
176160
2880
Eles o chamaram
"o instrumento que toca sozinho".
03:11
Now, the instrument
was basically a giant music box.
64
179960
3136
Bem, o instrumento era basicamente
uma caixa de música gigante.
03:15
The organ could be trained to play
various songs by using instructions
65
183120
4336
O órgão podia ser treinado para tocar
várias músicas usando instruções
03:19
encoded by placing pins
on a rotating cylinder.
66
187480
3200
codificadas por meio de pinos
colocados em um cilindro giratório.
03:23
And if you wanted the machine
to play a different song,
67
191440
2616
Para a máquina tocar uma música diferente,
era só trocar um cilindro por outro
com uma codificação diferente.
03:26
you just swapped a new cylinder in
with a different code on it.
68
194080
2960
03:29
This instrument was the first of its kind.
69
197840
3376
Este foi o primeiro
instrumento desse tipo.
03:33
It was programmable.
70
201240
1736
Ele era programável.
03:35
Now, conceptually,
this was a massive leap forward.
71
203000
3056
Bem, conceitualmente,
esse foi um imenso salto adiante.
03:38
The whole idea of hardware and software
72
206080
3416
Toda a ideia de "hardware" e "software"
03:41
becomes thinkable for the first time
with this invention.
73
209520
3216
se tornou possível pela primeira vez
com essa invenção.
03:44
And that incredibly powerful concept
74
212760
2456
E esse conceito incrivelmente poderoso
03:47
didn't come to us as an instrument
of war or of conquest,
75
215240
3176
não veio para nós na forma
de um instrumento de guerra,
conquista ou necessidade, de forma alguma.
03:50
or necessity at all.
76
218440
1696
03:52
It came from the strange delight
of watching a machine play music.
77
220160
5136
Ele veio do estranho prazer
de ver uma máquina tocar música.
03:57
In fact, the idea of programmable machines
78
225320
3216
De fato, a ideia de máquinas programáveis
04:00
was exclusively kept alive by music
for about 700 years.
79
228560
4656
foi mantida viva exclusivamente
pela música por aproximadamente 700 anos.
04:05
In the 1700s, music-making machines
80
233240
2496
Nos anos 1700, máquinas que faziam música
04:07
became the playthings
of the Parisian elite.
81
235760
3576
viraram os brinquedinhos
da elite parisiense.
04:11
Showmen used the same coded cylinders
82
239360
3176
Em performances, foram usados
os mesmos cilindros codificados
04:14
to control the physical movements
of what were called automata,
83
242560
3936
para controlar os movimentos
dos chamados autômatos,
04:18
an early kind of robot.
84
246520
2016
um tipo primário de robô.
04:20
One of the most famous of those robots
85
248560
1936
Um desses robôs mais famosos
04:22
was, you guessed it,
an automated flute player
86
250520
3376
foi, adivinhem, um flautista automatizado
04:25
designed by a brilliant French inventor
87
253920
1896
projetado por um brilhante inventor
francês chamado Jacques de Vaucanson.
04:27
named Jacques de Vaucanson.
88
255840
1285
04:30
And as de Vaucanson
was designing his robot musician,
89
258279
3497
E enquanto Vaucanson
projetava seu robô músico,
04:33
he had another idea.
90
261800
1936
ele teve outra ideia.
04:35
If you could program a machine
to make pleasing sounds,
91
263760
3976
Se você pode programar uma máquina
para produzir sons agradáveis,
04:39
why not program it to weave
delightful patterns of color out of cloth?
92
267760
4640
por que não programá-la para tecer
lindos padrões de tecidos?
04:44
Instead of using the pins of the cylinder
to represent musical notes,
93
272920
4256
Em vez de usar os pinos do cilindro
para representar notas musicais,
04:49
they would represent
threads with different colors.
94
277200
3096
eles representariam fios
de diferentes cores.
04:52
If you wanted a new pattern
for your fabric,
95
280320
2496
Se você quisesse
um novo padrão para seu tecido,
04:54
you just programmed a new cylinder.
96
282840
1680
bastava programar um novo cilindro.
04:57
This was the first programmable loom.
97
285200
2640
Esse foi o primeiro tear programável.
05:00
Now, the cylinders were too expensive
and time-consuming to make,
98
288560
4176
Na época, era muito caro
e demorado produzir cilindros,
05:04
but a half century later,
99
292760
1536
mas meio século depois
05:06
another French inventor named Jacquard
100
294320
2616
outro inventor francês chamado Jacquard
05:08
hit upon the brilliant idea
of using paper-punched cards
101
296960
4696
teve a brilhante ideia de usar
cartões de papel perfurados
05:13
instead of metal cylinders.
102
301680
1776
em vez de cilindros de metal.
05:15
Paper turned out to be
much cheaper and more flexible
103
303480
3056
O papel se mostrou uma forma
muito mais barata e flexível
05:18
as a way of programming the device.
104
306560
2136
de programar o dispositivo.
Esse sistema de cartões perfurados
05:20
That punch card system inspired
Victorian inventor Charles Babbage
105
308720
4456
inspirou o inventor
vitoriano Charles Babbage
05:25
to create his analytical engine,
106
313200
2496
a criar sua máquina analítica,
05:27
the first true programmable computer
107
315720
2616
o primeiro computador verdadeiramente
programável já projetado.
05:30
ever designed.
108
318360
1336
E cartões perfurados foram usados
por programadores de computador
05:31
And punch cards were used
by computer programmers
109
319720
2696
05:34
as late as the 1970s.
110
322440
2080
até o final da década de 1970.
05:37
So ask yourself this question:
111
325160
2616
Então, faça-se a seguinte pergunta:
05:39
what really made
the modern computer possible?
112
327800
3496
o que realmente tornou
o computador moderno possível?
05:43
Yes, the military involvement
is an important part of the story,
113
331320
4016
Sim, o envolvimento militar
é uma parte importante da história,
05:47
but inventing a computer
also required other building blocks:
114
335360
3736
mas a invenção de um computador
também exigiu outras peças:
05:51
music boxes,
115
339120
1216
caixas de música,
05:52
toy robot flute players,
116
340360
2016
robô de brinquedo tocador de flauta,
05:54
harpsichord keyboards,
117
342400
1496
teclados de cravos,
05:55
colorful patterns woven into fabric,
118
343920
2576
padrões coloridos de tecelagem,
05:58
and that's just a small part of the story.
119
346520
2816
e essa é só uma pequena parte da história.
06:01
There's a long list of world-changing
ideas and technologies
120
349360
2976
Existe uma longa lista de ideias
e tecnologias transformadoras
06:04
that came out of play:
121
352360
1696
que vieram de brincadeiras:
06:06
public museums, rubber,
122
354080
1976
os museus públicos, a borracha,
06:08
probability theory, the insurance business
123
356080
2336
a teoria das probabilidades, os seguros
06:10
and many more.
124
358440
1216
e muito mais.
06:11
Necessity isn't always
the mother of invention.
125
359680
2720
A necessidade nem sempre
é a mãe da invenção.
06:15
The playful state of mind
is fundamentally exploratory,
126
363080
4176
Um estado de espírito lúdico
é fundamentalmente exploratório
06:19
seeking out new possibilities
in the world around us.
127
367280
2960
e busca novas possibilidades
no mundo ao nosso redor.
06:22
And that seeking
is why so many experiences
128
370920
3496
E, devido a essa busca,
muitas experiências que começaram
por simples prazer e diversão
06:26
that started with simple
delight and amusement
129
374440
3016
06:29
eventually led us
to profound breakthroughs.
130
377480
2760
por fim nos levaram a grandes avanços.
06:33
Now, I think this has implications
for how we teach kids in school
131
381040
4216
Bem, eu acho que isso tem efeitos na forma
como ensinamos as crianças na escola
06:37
and how we encourage innovation
in our workspaces,
132
385280
2360
e como encorajamos a inovação
em nossos locais de trabalho,
06:40
but thinking about play
and delight this way
133
388520
3056
mas pensar sobre o brincar
e o prazer dessa forma
06:43
also helps us detect what's coming next.
134
391600
3536
também nos ajuda a ver o que vem a seguir.
06:47
Think about it: if you were
sitting there in 1750
135
395160
2376
Pense nisto: se você
estivesse sentado em 1750
06:49
trying to figure out
the big changes coming to society
136
397560
3536
tentando imaginar as grandes
transformações na sociedade
06:53
in the 19th, the 20th centuries,
137
401120
1896
que ocorreriam nos séculos 19 e 20,
06:55
automated machines, computers,
138
403040
2056
máquinas automatizadas, computadores,
06:57
artificial intelligence,
139
405120
1936
inteligência artificial,
06:59
a programmable flute
140
407080
1816
uma flauta programável
07:00
entertaining the Parisian elite
141
408920
2176
que entretinha a elite parisiense
07:03
would have been as powerful a clue
as anything else at the time.
142
411120
3800
teria sido uma pista tão poderosa
quanto qualquer outra coisa da época.
07:07
It seemed like an amusement at best,
143
415840
2536
Na melhor das hipóteses,
parecia um divertimento,
07:10
not useful in any serious way,
144
418400
2736
nada que pudesse ser útil
de alguma forma séria,
07:13
but it turned out to be
the beginning of a tech revolution
145
421160
3856
mas acabou se tornando
o início de uma revolução tecnológica
07:17
that would change the world.
146
425040
1856
que mudaria o mundo.
07:18
You'll find the future
147
426920
1856
Você encontrará o futuro
07:20
wherever people are having the most fun.
148
428800
2000
naquilo que mais diverte as pessoas.
Translated by Cláudia Sander
Reviewed by Raissa Mendes

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steven Johnson - Writer
Steven Berlin Johnson examines the intersection of science, technology and personal experience.

Why you should listen

Steven Johnson is a leading light of today's interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to innovation. His writings have influenced everything from cutting-edge ideas in urban planning to the battle against 21st-century terrorism. Johnson was chosen by Prospect magazine as one of the top ten brains of the digital future, and The Wall Street Journal calls him "one of the most persuasive advocates for the role of collaboration in innovation."

Johnson's work on the history of innovation inspired the Emmy-nominated six-part series on PBS, "How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson," which aired in the fall of 2014. The book version of How We Got To Now was a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. His new book, Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World, revolves around the creative power of play and delight: ideas and innovations that set into motion many momentous changes in science, technology, politics and society. 

Johnson is also the author of the bestselling Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, one of his many books celebrating progress and innovation. Others include The Invention of Air and The Ghost Map. Everything Bad Is Good For You, one of the most discussed books of 2005, argued that the increasing complexity of modern media is training us to think in more complex ways. Emergence and Future Perfect explore the power of bottom-up intelligence in both nature and contemporary society.

An innovator himself, Johnson has co-created three influential sites: the pioneering online magazine FEED, the Webby-Award-winning community site, Plastic.com, and the hyperlocal media site outside.in, which was acquired by AOL in 2011.

Johnson is a regular contributor to WIRED magazine, as well as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many other periodicals. He has appeared on many high-profile television programs, including "The Charlie Rose Show," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer."


More profile about the speaker
Steven Johnson | Speaker | TED.com

Data provided by TED.

This site was created in May 2015 and the last update was on January 12, 2020. It will no longer be updated.

We are currently creating a new site called "eng.lish.video" and would be grateful if you could access it.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write comments in your language on the contact form.

Privacy Policy

Developer's Blog

Buy Me A Coffee