Eric Weiner takes the reader on a trip through time and space to explore locations that experienced brief periods of explosive creativity and genius. From Socrates and the teachings of the ancient Greeks of Athens, to the advances of the poet emperors of 1300 Hangzhou China, to the brilliance of Leonardo and Michelangelo in Florence, to the modern thinkers of Edinburgh, to the random ideas of Calcutta, to the artistic and then scientific advances of Vienna, to finally the technologic advances of Silicon Valley. He tries to tie them all together by the three T's (technology, talent, and tolerance) but more appropriately by the three D's (disorder, diversity, and discernment). Bright individuals from various places came together to drink wine, beer, and coffee and share ideas and talents. The geniuses are the surfers that "will ride the wave beautifully." Or as Linus Pauling said, "You have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones."
