Author Archives: energyskeptic

Invasive insects

Posted on October 21, 2018 by

Preface.  Below is a by no means exhaustive list of insect scourges, just the ones I happen to run across.  Whoever is still around after collapse will sure be hard pressed to survive — unless they add insects to their … Continue reading →

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Book: John Perlin’s “A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization”

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

Preface.  This contains excerpts from John Perlin’s “A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization”. It’s one of my favorite books about natural resources, exploring the role wood has played in the rise and fall of civilizations since they … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Collapsed & collapsing nations, Deforestation, Life Before Oil, Limits To Growth, Peak Resources, Soil, Wood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Book review of “White Trash. The 400-year untold history of class in America”

Posted on September 27, 2018 by

Preface.  This book makes the case that the poor arrived 500 years ago when America was first settled, and most of them never rose to the middle or upper classes because “land was the principal source of wealth, and those … Continue reading →

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Book Review about why the electric grid is fragile and falling apart

Posted on September 18, 2018 by

Preface.  This is a book review of Munson’s “The Business of Power and what it means for the future of electricity”. Although it was written in 2008 and some efforts have been made in some places to improve the grid, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Blackouts Electric Grid, Books, Electricity Infrastructure, Energy Books | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Book review of Hillbilly Elegy and why hillbillies voted for Trump

Posted on September 12, 2018 by

Source: David Horsey / Los Angeles Times Preface. I bought “Hillbilly Elegy: A memoir of a family and culture in crisis” because I’d like to understand why anyone would vote for Donald Trump. Before the election, it was well-known that … Continue reading →

Posted in (Auto)biography, Human Nature, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The dangers of relativism, of not being able to criticize anyone or anything because all of our beliefs are equal

Posted on September 4, 2018 by

[ I’ve been criticized for attacking right-wing Republicans, fundamentalist Christians, astrology, medicinal quackery, and so on.  This is dangerous nonsense. It means I can’t criticize Hitler, because after all, he was a product of his times.  I can’t tell my … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Human Nature, Politics, Religion | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Fantasyland 9. Myths and infotainment

Posted on August 28, 2018 by

Preface. This is the last of the Fantasyland review series. Links to the 9 parts of this book review:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the … Continue reading →

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Fantasyland 8. Religion the main factor in America’s descent into the darkness of superstition

Posted on August 26, 2018 by

[ This is the 8th of nine posts about Fantasyland.  Andersen believes all of the madness and superstition in America originally springs from our history of religiosity. The scariest part of the insanity is that there are Christians trying  to … Continue reading →

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Fantasyland 7. How America became the world’s biggest theme park

Posted on August 23, 2018 by

  Preface. This is the 7th of 9 posts about Fantasyland. Some theme park quotes: One of America’s first theme parks was created in 1894, Black America, with 500 pretend slaves advertised as “Fun for the Darkies” and the “Fun-Loving … Continue reading →

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Fantasyland 6. New Age, alternative medicine, and supernatural madness

Posted on August 20, 2018 by

Preface. This is the sixth of nine posts about this very important book on how and why a large percent of Americans have has been irrational for 500 years. New Age and supernatural beliefs are the religion of people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Human Nature, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment