My favorite part is when Boahen says of binary computing, "It was so brute force." I hadn't thought of it like that before, but it makes sense, and highlights how the perspectives of different people can shed light on a problem.
Most of the would-be inventors of flying machines were afraid of instability, so many of the failed attempts at heavier than air flight were encumbered by very large stabilization surfaces. It took the Wright's insight that dynamic stability could be provided by the pilot to make it work.
The same insight resulted in highly manuverable fly-by-wire fighters like the F-16, which were a departure from aircraft with huge stabilizers for high-speed flight like the MIG-23. (Versions of the MIG-23 actually has a vertical stabilizer that extends below the aircraft, which has to fold-up prior to landing.)
If you're seeking to innovate, think: "What were my predecessors afraid of?" Find those rocks and look under them!