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Loonshots cover art

Loonshots

By: Safi Bahcall
Narrated by: William Dufris, Safi Bahcall - prologue and introduction
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Summary

This program includes a prologue and introduction read by the author.

Washington Post's "10 Leadership Books to Watch for in 2019", Adam Grant's "19 New Leadership Books to Read in 2019", Inc.com's "10 Business Books You Need to Read in 2019", Business Insider's "14 Books Everyone Will Be Reading in 2019"

“This book has everything: new ideas, bold insights, entertaining history, and convincing analysis. Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world.” (Daniel Kahneman, winner of the Nobel Prize and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow)

What do James Bond and Lipitor have in common? What can we learn about human nature and world history from a glass of water? 

In Loonshots, physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behavior that challenges everything we thought we knew about nurturing radical breakthroughs. 

Drawing on the science of phase transitions, Bahcall reveals why teams, companies, or any group with a mission will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them, just as flowing water will suddenly change into brittle ice. Mountains of print have been written about culture. Loonshots identifies the small shifts in structure that control this transition, the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice. 

Using examples that range from the spread of fires in forests to the hunt for terrorists online, and stories of thieves and geniuses and kings, Bahcall reveals how this new kind of science helps us understand the behavior of companies and the fate of empires. Loonshots distills these insights into lessons for creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries everywhere. 

Over the past decade, researchers have been applying the tools and techniques of phase transitions to understand how birds flock, fish swim, brains work, people vote, criminals behave, ideas spread, diseases erupt, and ecosystems collapse. If 20th-century science was shaped by the search for fundamental laws, like quantum mechanics and gravity, the 21st will be shaped by this new kind of science. Loonshots is the first to apply these tools to help all of us unlock our potential to create and nurture the crazy ideas that change the world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Safi Bahcall (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

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Long winded, disjointed and not convincing!

I wanted to like this book and got it after seeing it on Bill Gates recommended list and reading the synopsis.
However, I could not get into it and felt the whole concept was flawed from the start. The examples are mostly good and interesting stories. But it felt like these examples were cherry-picked to support his concept and interpretation of loonshots.
All defined within the context of large corporations and organisations and trying to categorize those loonshots in different types (you are either a P or an S type)... seems quite restrictive, very black and white very little room for maneuver .
This is even more apparent when it reaches the chapter on "critical mass". Where the author define a self-made equation to support his theory. It appears to be drumming up business for his consultancy business and how companies need to hire someone to define and implement incentives for employees to promote loonshots!
The book is interesting and offers some concepts that are worthwhile studying but to me it didn't work, may be because I don't have a "big corporation" mentality.
The narrator was good, enjoyed his performance.

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An easy listen

The notion of a ‘loonshot’ is quite simple, it’s an idea that people initially dismiss, but is pursued and goes on to be a success. Although the book attempts to make that seem profound, it’s really not. So whilst there are some interesting facts and stories in the book, it failed to hold my attention. It’s relatively well narrated though and was an easy listen, if that’s what you’re after.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good story telling

If not privy to the history of technologies used in the book, it is definitely a great initial source. The stories were told quite well. There were some interesting conclusions but can be repetitive and summarised below 1000 words. Would recommend listening at the gym, shopping, in the car, etc as it doesn’t require very deep focus.

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loved it, I also bought the hardcopy

loved it so much, I bought the hardcopy so could take notes and do a deep dive

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A Fantastic Book

This book is so much more than a business book, what it is, I am not exactly sure. It contains history, science, logic, philosophy and systems knowledge; and there cannot be many people that could use something in this book to help them in some sphere of their life.

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Outstanding read

Open your mind to the traps and pitfalls of the modern day 'successful' company, as they glide into auto pilot and play it safe, ignoring and sidelining new information or technology. This book is an excellent investment in time for all organisational leaders

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spool good, must hear

I'm thinking I might put it on our student reading lists for physics study, new, clear ideas with good punchy stories

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    4 out of 5 stars
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A good "read"

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anybody with an interest in outside the box innovation and the luck/happenstance that got us to where we are today.
My only criticism is that the concept felt like it was stretched a little thin by the end, and the book would probably have benefited from some slightly tighter editing re: overall length.

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Irrelevant

This audiobook is not at all what it promises to be. It is full of long, anecdotal, exceptionally partisan passages which are meant to be making a point but somehow miss it every time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent book full of provocative insights

I really enjoyed this book. The author opens the book and I always prefer to hear the voice of the author. To be honest, I found the voice of the narrator a little annoying at first, but I got used to him and the strong story line caught my attention. it certainly made mowing the lawn and walking the dogs much more enjoyable during lockdown!!!

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