regina dugan, author steven johnson, economist paul romer, len baker and innovation maven john kao. >> problems are much more serious than most people realize and the consequences are more grave than most people realize. >> but let's get started by first understanding innovation and watching the effect it has had on societies over the last centuries. >>> so, why does innovation matter? helping explain it all for us today is a man who studied innovation from top to bottom, steven johnson. johnson is the author of a terrific book "where good ideas come from: the natural history of innovation" and he'll show us the impact of innovation over time. >> that's. let's start with a long view that shows just how dramatic the change inaugurated by the modern revolution in innovation has been.