Steven Johnson is a writer, media theorist and best-selling author of eight books. His latest book is so fascinating it spawned a six-part PBS special. It’s called “How We Got to Now: Six Innovations that Made the Modern World,” and Steven is talking to Growing Bolder about those six innovations and explaining how he picked them.

He’s not discussing the latest “it” items like GPS, iPhones or even the Internet. He’s looking back deeper into our history and explaining how things like transparent glass changed our limes in innumerable ways.

It’s a fascinating conversation that ties together unexpected events, such as race relations with civil rights and the invention of lasers with big-box stores. Spend some time thinking about how we got to now.