Category Archives: Books

Quartermaster Meigs was essential to winning the Civil War

Posted on July 8, 2019 by

Preface. This is a book review of Robert O’Harrow’s 2016 book “The Quartermaster.Montgomery C. Meigs. Lincolns general, master builder of the Union army”. I can’t believe I never heard of him, but he is as much responsible for the North … Continue reading →

Posted in Railroads, Ships and Barges, War | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Rare Earth – why we may be the only intelligent species in the universe

Posted on June 2, 2019 by

Preface. I think that Ward & Brownlee’s 2000 book “Rare Earth: why complex life is uncommon in the universe” is one of the most profound and important books I’ve ever read.  What if we are the only intelligent species in … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Human Nature, Life Before Oil | Tagged | 11 Comments

Book review of Mikhail’s “The beekeeper: rescuing the stolen women of Iraq”

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

Preface. This is a gruesome post you may want to skip. My main interest in this book was what will happen to the hundreds of millions forced to flee in the future because of the crash of civilization as oil … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Collapsing, Mass migrations, Middle East, Refugee Camps, Social Disorder, Terrorism | Tagged | 8 Comments

Book review of Jaczko’s “Confessions of a rogue nuclear regulator”

Posted on May 21, 2019 by

Preface. After presenting a lot of evidence for why nuclear power plants are inherently unsafe, Jaczko concludes: “There is only one logical answer: we must stop generating nuclear waste, and that means we must stop using nuclear power. You would … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear, Nuclear, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Power, Nuclear spent fuel fire | Tagged | 3 Comments

Book review: the stranger in the woods. The extraordinary story of the last true hermit

Posted on April 30, 2019 by

Preface.  This has nothing to do with peak everything, but it was an interesting and profound book, and those of you who are survivalists may find yourself in a similar situation… Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: … Continue reading →

Posted in (Auto)biography, Real Estate | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Book review of Wrigley’s “Energy and the English Industrial revolution”

Posted on April 12, 2019 by

Preface. I’ve made a strong case in my book “When trucks stop running” and this energyskeptic website that we will eventually return to wood and a 14th century lifestyle after fossil fuels are depleted. So if you’re curious about what … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Energy, Life Before Oil, Limits To Growth | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Book review of “The Soul of an Octopus”

Posted on April 3, 2019 by

Preface.  The octopus is an amazing creature, more than can be conveyed in the bits and pieces I’ve selected below.  The only downside to reading it is that you may not want to eat octopus anymore! 2018: A team of … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural History | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Rare: The High-Stakes Race to Satisfy Our Need for the Scarcest Metals on Earth by Keith Veronese

Posted on March 31, 2019 by

Preface.  Capitalism believes there’s a solution for everything due to Man’s Inventive Brain, but when it comes to getting metals out of the earth, there are some very serious limitations.  In parts per billion, there’s only 4 of platinum, 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Rare Minerals | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book review of Bryce’s “Power hungry: the myths of green energy and the real fuels of the future”

Posted on March 28, 2019 by

Preface.  This is a book review of: Robert Bryce. 2009. Power Hungry: The Myths of “Green” Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future. This is a brilliant book, very funny at times, a great way to sharpen your critical … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Other Experts | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Book review of Heinberg’s “Afterburn: society beyond fossil fuels”

Posted on March 25, 2019 by

Preface. This book has 15 essays Heinberg wrote from 2011 to 2014, many of them available for free online.  These are some of my Kindle notes of parts that interested me, so to you it will be disjointed and perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in By People, Energy, Peak Oil, Richard Heinberg | Tagged , , | 10 Comments