Category Archives: Books

Matt Simmons “Twilight in the Desert”

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

Once Ghawar and other large fields peak in Saudi Arabia, oil shocks will reverberate throughout the world   Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy August 6, 2005 Matthew R. Simmons, President Simmons & … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Flow Rate, How Much Left, Oil Shocks | Leave a comment

Muscle Power

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

Steven Vogel   Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle    W. W. Norton Reviewed in June 2004. Natural History Magazine Today we have machines for making people move in place: run, walk uphill, push pedals back and forth or up and … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Energy, Muscle Power, What to do | Leave a comment

Book review of Murderers in Mausoleums. Riding the back roads of empire between Moscow and Beijing

Posted on February 28, 2014 by

Book review of Murderers in Mausoleums. Riding the back roads of empire between Moscow and Beijing. Jeffrey Tayler. 2009. This was a very timely book to read while the crisis is unfolding now in the Ukraine. One of the reasons … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Leave a comment

Book review of “Prime Movers of Globalization: the History & Impact of Diesel Engines & Gas Turbines”

Posted on February 26, 2014 by

Alice Friedemann’s book review of: Vaclav Smil. 2010. Prime Movers of Globalization. The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines. Smil makes the case that civilization is based on the billions of engines that make global trade, power … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Peak Oil, Railroads, Roads, Transportation, Where to Be | Leave a comment

How to preserve your wealth in the worst depression ever

Posted on February 7, 2014 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann, June 17, 2009, of: Weiss, Martin D. 2009. “The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide.  How to Protect Your Savings, Boost Your Income, and Grow Wealthy Even in the Worst of Times”. Wiley. The economic crisis … Continue reading →

Posted in Financial | Leave a comment

Book review of Turchin’s “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”

Posted on February 3, 2014 by

This is a book review of both “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”.  I recommend reading “War & Peace & War” first, then if you want to know more about the evidence the theory is built on, read … Continue reading →

Posted in Carrying Capacity, War | Leave a comment

Review of “The Bet: Paul Erlich, Julian Simon, and our Gamble over Earth’s Future”

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

Alice Friedemann book review of “The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future” by Paul Sabin Kind of scary that Bill Gates recommends this book. But then again, to get really good at something, you don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy | Comments Off

Stuck in a Land Rover watching women do all the work

Posted on January 5, 2014 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann of Ann Jones “Looking for Lovedu. Days and Nights in Africa”. 2001. The book deserves 5 stars in terms of hardship and difficulty. It ought to be required reading in schools to alert women … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

Book Review of “Wheel of Fortune. The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia”

Posted on December 28, 2013 by

Alice Friedemann’s review of “Wheel of Fortune. The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia”, by Thane Gustafson. 2012. The main thesis of this book is that Russia will collapse again. Soon.  Unless Russia drills offshore and in the Arctic … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic, Books, Energy, How Much Left | 1 Comment

Read Chagnon’s “Noble Savages” instead – “Falling Sky” is co-written by one of his attackers

Posted on December 3, 2013 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann at energyskeptic of “The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman” by Davi Kopenawa and Bruce Albert. Anyone who knows about the baseless, hateful attacks on Chagnon by Tierney and other cultural anthropologists like … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 5 Comments