Ocean State Libraries

"From the New York Times-bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From, a look at the world-changing innovations we made while keeping ourselves entertained. This lushly illustrated history of popular entertainment takes along-zoom approach, contending that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. Steven Johnson argues that, throughout history, the cutting edge of innovation...

"In our always-on, productivity-addicted lifestyles, we tend to think of the pursuit of fun as being indulgent, even immature and childish. When we do find the time to relax or care for ourselves, we tend to turn to activities that are not actually restorative: binging Netflix, scrolling through Twitter, or indulging our FOMO on Instagram. Through years of research, journalist Catherine Price has learned the truth: far from being frivolous or a distraction,...

Handbook on how to avoid boredom by doing fascinating things that todays children's parents did when they were kids.

Presents a series of entries for amusing activities and tricks which include such projects as making a paper boomerang, sending a secret message with a rubber band, and building a domino chain with books and junk items.