Table of Contents

Introduction Windmills 9

1 My Brother's Keeper 13

In which an engineer from Boston revolutionises medical research

2 Patients Like Me 24

In which a group of American patients outperform the professionals

3 Bug in the System 40

In which Indian amateurs do 300 years' work in four months and the study of packed lunches reveals a new way to beat disease

4 Rice Wars 73

In which billions of lives are saved and put at risk by one green revolution, and (hopefully) saved by another

5 Running On Air 100

In which an Englishman in a shed solves a century-old problem with his lawnmower and invents two world-saving machines

6 Instant Power 122

In which we learn the lessons of an electric mountain in Wales and the surprising foundation of Singapore's economic miracle

7 Edison's Revenge 132

In which Edison kills an elephant in New York and a small Austrian town comes back from the brink

8 Energy Trilemma 154

In which a basketball ace takes on the corporates

9 Make Way for the Enernet 169

In which an Internet pioneer literally has to eat his words and then re-imagines the entire world energy system

10 Always Bet on the Tortoise 187

In which the people of Detroit reconnect and begin to transform a city

11 How to Make Politicians Popular 211

In which Brazilian neighbourhood activists come up with an idea to reboot politics, try it, and find it actually works

12 Worst School in the Country 240

In which an ex-nightclub owner creates a beacon of excellence and a New Zealand stats man sees the big picture

13 System Addict 267

In which the author sets out his stall

Acknowledgements 273

Inspirations 277

Notes 279