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Growth
- From Microorganisms to Megacities
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 26 hrs and 15 mins
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Growth
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How the World Really Works
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We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not a good format for this book
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Grand Transitions
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What makes the modern world work? The answer to this deceptively simple question lies in four "grand transitions" of civilization - in populations, agriculture, energy, and economics - that have transformed the way we live.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Nihil novum sub soli
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Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment - your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Strange book
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In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many fundamental variables. Power density—the rate of energy flux per unit of area—is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy uses.
By: Vaclav Smil
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Invention and Innovation
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The world is never finished catching up with Vaclav Smil. In his latest and perhaps most digestible book, Invention and Innovation, the prolific author—a favorite of Bill Gates—pens an insightful and fact-filled jaunt through the history of human invention. Impatient with the hype that so often accompanies innovation, Smil offers in this book a clear-eyed corrective to the overpromises that accompany everything from new cures for diseases to AI.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the best from Vaclav, but near the top
- By Tan on 07-19-23
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 995
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We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Let me save you a credit: progress is hard
- By Dalton on 06-06-22
By: Vaclav Smil
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Energy and Civilization
- A History
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- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 571
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 466
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 467
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not a good format for this book
- By C. Hoogeboom on 05-19-18
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Grand Transitions
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- Narrated by: Robert Fass
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 72
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
What makes the modern world work? The answer to this deceptively simple question lies in four "grand transitions" of civilization - in populations, agriculture, energy, and economics - that have transformed the way we live.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Nihil novum sub soli
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Numbers Don't Lie
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 573
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 445
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 444
Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment - your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Strange book
- By Stephen on 05-25-21
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Power Density
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- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 9
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Story4 out of 5 stars 9
In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many fundamental variables. Power density—the rate of energy flux per unit of area—is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy uses.
By: Vaclav Smil
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Invention and Innovation
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the best from Vaclav, but near the top
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Elon Musk
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 6,451
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,746
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5,740
When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.
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4 out of 5 stars
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megalomania on display
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Made in the USA
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
In Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a relic of predigital history and that the loss of American manufacturing is a desirable evolutionary step toward a pure service economy. Smil argues that no advanced economy can prosper without a strong, innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates. Smil assesses various suggestions for solving America's manufacturing crisis, including lowering corporate tax rates, promoting research and development, and improving public education. Will America act to reinvigorate manufacturing?
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3 out of 5 stars
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first half was good
- By Jim on 12-12-22
By: Vaclav Smil
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Energy: Bolinda Beginner Guides
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Dave Ferguson
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 84
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 68
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Story4 out of 5 stars 72
In this user-friendly and informative audiobook, prolific author and academic Vaclav Smil provides an introduction to this far-reaching term and gives the reader a greater understanding of energy's place in both past and present society. Starting with an explanation of the concept, he goes on to cover such exciting topics as the inner workings of the human body, and the race for more efficient and environmentally friendly fuels.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Listening to the Encyclopedia of Energy
- By See Reverse on 03-02-18
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Oil: Bolinda Beginner Guides
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 92
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Packed with fascinating facts and insight, this book will fuel dinner party debate and provide listeners with the science and politics behind the world’s most controversial resource. Without oil, there would be no globalisation, no plastic, little transport, and a global political landscape that few would recognise. It is the lifeblood of the modern world, and humanity’s dependence upon it looks set to continue for decades to come. In this captivating audiobook, Vaclav Smil explains all matters related to "black gold", from its discovery in the earth, right through to the political maelstrom that surrounds it today.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Masterful! Comprehensive yet succinct.
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Size
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 6
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Story4 out of 5 stars 6
Size explains the regularities—and peculiarities—of the key processes shaping life (from microbes to whales), the Earth (from asteroids to volcanic eruptions), technical advances (from architecture to transportation), and societies and economies (from cities to wages).
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4 out of 5 stars
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Worth a read
- By Rurik McKaiser on 05-21-23
By: Vaclav Smil
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A Thousand Brains
- A New Theory of Intelligence
- By: Jeff Hawkins, Richard Dawkins - foreword
- Narrated by: Jamie Renell, Richard Dawkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,470
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,214
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,200
For all of neuroscience's advances, we've made little progress on its biggest question: How do simple cells in the brain create intelligence? Jeff Hawkins and his team discovered that the brain uses map-like structures to build a model of the world - not just one model, but hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. This discovery allows Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Starts out good, ends up a train wreck
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By: Jeff Hawkins, and others
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An Elegant Defense
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- By: Matt Richtel
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 595
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 594
A magnificently reported and soulfully crafted exploration of the human immune system - the key to health and wellness, life and death. An epic, first-of-its-kind audiobook, entwining leading-edge scientific discovery with the intimate stories of four individual lives, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Weak foundation, good conclusion
- By David on 03-24-19
By: Matt Richtel
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Our Oriental Heritage
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- Length: 50 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,278
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,137
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,129
The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful
- By Michael on 11-30-13
By: Will Durant
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The End of the World Is Just the Beginning
- Mapping the Collapse of Globalization
- By: Peter Zeihan
- Narrated by: Peter Zeihan
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,858
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,036
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4,999
For generations, everything has been getting faster, better, and cheaper. Finally, we reached the point that almost anything you could ever want could be sent to your home within days - even hours - of when you decided you wanted it. America made that happen, but now America has lost interest in keeping it going.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Everyone dies except Americans
- By preetam on 06-22-22
By: Peter Zeihan
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The Rise and Fall of American Growth
- The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War
- By: Robert J. Gordon
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 30 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 513
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 422
In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, home appliances, motor vehicles, air travel, air conditioning, and television transformed households and workplaces. With medical advances, life expectancy between 1870 and 1970 grew from 45 to 72 years. The Rise and Fall of American Growth provides an in-depth account of this momentous era.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Over-detailed, with no engaging message
- By BehA on 01-31-17
By: Robert J. Gordon
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Cryptocurrency
- A Beginner’s Guide to Trading and Investing in Bitcoin and Other Blockchain Currencies
- By: Louis Zeman
- Narrated by: Eric Linden
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 82
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Story5 out of 5 stars 83
Fiind everything you need to know in order to get started investing and trading cryptocurrency successfully including a simple, easy-to-understand explanation of just what cryptocurrency is and why you should care about it. You will also learn the basics of investing successfully and a complete, step-by-step walkthrough that will have you buying and selling cryptocurrency in a matter of minutes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Narration.
- By Havlik on 04-30-21
By: Louis Zeman
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Energy
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- By: Richard Rhodes
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- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 752
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 639
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 638
Through an unforgettable cast of characters, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes explains how wood gave way to coal and coal made room for oil, as we now turn to natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energy. Rhodes looks back on five centuries of progress, through such influential figures as Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, Benjamin Franklin, Herman Melville, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
No more accents, please!
- By Ned Gulley on 08-30-18
By: Richard Rhodes
Publisher's summary
Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.
Smil takes listeners from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to adulthood. He examines the growth of energy conversions and man-made objects that enable economic activities - developments that have been essential to civilization. Finally, he looks at growth in complex systems, beginning with the growth of human populations and proceeding to the growth of cities.
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For most of human existence, people lived in a somewhat similar fashion. Everything that has been produced, from food and raw materials to clothing and other finished products, has been done either solely by hand or with some help of animal power. This was the same across the eras and throughout the world, no matter how advanced or backward the various civilizations were. Yet, our lives today couldn’t be more different.
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Excellent introduction
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From Joseph Romm, Chief Science Advisor for National Geographic's Years of Living Dangerously series and one of Rolling Stone's "100 people who are changing America," Climate Change offers user-friendly, scientifically rigorous answers to the most difficult (and commonly politicized) questions surrounding what climatologist Lonnie Thompson has deemed "a clear and present danger to civilization."
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Religious not scientific claims and preachings
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Very good
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not a good format for this book
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By: Vaclav Smil
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 44
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5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Very good
- By Brad on 07-04-19
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Sustainability
- A History
- By: Jeremy L. Caradonna
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
Caradonna's unique and concise history broadens our understanding of what "sustainability" means, revealing how it progressed from a relatively marginal concept to an ideal that shapes everything from individual lifestyles, government and corporate strategies, and even national and international policy. For anyone seeking understand the history of those striving to make the world a better place to live, here's a place to start.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent
- By marc grub on 03-06-17
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Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
- How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong
- By: Robert Bryce
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
In this provocative and optimistic rebuke to the catastrophists, Robert Bryce shows how innovation and the inexorable human desire to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is providing consumers with Cheaper and more abundant energy, Faster computing, Lighter vehicles, and myriad other goods. That same desire is fostering unprecedented prosperity, greater liberty, and yes, better environmental protection.
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1 out of 5 stars
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I thought I was getting a book on the future.
- By Grant on 08-02-14
By: Robert Bryce
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Work
- A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots
- By: James Suzman
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 319
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 268
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 267
Work defines who we are. It determines our status and dictates how, where, and with whom we spend most of our time. It mediates our self-worth and molds our values. But are we hardwired to work as hard as we do? Did our Stone Age ancestors also live to work and work to live? And what might a world where work plays a far less important role look like? To answer these questions, James Suzman charts a grand history of "work" from the origins of life on Earth to our ever more automated present, challenging some of our deepest assumptions about who we are.
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2 out of 5 stars
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if you like Jared Diamond's work, you'll like this
- By Mark on 04-09-22
By: James Suzman
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The Rise and Fall of American Growth
- The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War
- By: Robert J. Gordon
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 30 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 513
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 422
In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, home appliances, motor vehicles, air travel, air conditioning, and television transformed households and workplaces. With medical advances, life expectancy between 1870 and 1970 grew from 45 to 72 years. The Rise and Fall of American Growth provides an in-depth account of this momentous era.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Over-detailed, with no engaging message
- By BehA on 01-31-17
By: Robert J. Gordon
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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
- The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
- By: Bill Gates
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Bill Gates
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,570
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,852
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,819
Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."
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4 out of 5 stars
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Be curious, not furious
- By Axel Merk on 02-20-21
By: Bill Gates
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Origin Story
- A Big History of Everything
- By: David Christian
- Narrated by: Jamie Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,148
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,885
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,880
Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day - and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History", the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A brilliant achievement, must read/listen
- By 11104 on 09-05-18
By: David Christian
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Apocalypse Never
- Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All
- By: Michael Shellenberger
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,965
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,552
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,542
Michael Shellenberger has been fighting for a greener planet for decades. He helped save the world’s last unprotected redwoods. He co-created the predecessor to today’s Green New Deal. And he led a successful effort by climate scientists and activists to keep nuclear plants operating, preventing a spike of emissions. But in 2019, as some claimed "billions of people are going to die", contributing to rising anxiety, including among adolescents, Shellenberger decided that he needed to speak out to separate science from fiction.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Environmentalist with integrity!
- By Wayne on 07-01-20
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Fossil Future
- Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas—Not Less
- By: Alex Epstein
- Narrated by: Alex Epstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 877
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 787
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 782
For over a decade, philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein has predicted that any negative impacts of fossil fuel use on our climate will be outweighed by the unique benefits of fossil fuels to human flourishing—including their unrivaled ability to provide low-cost, reliable energy to billions of people around the world, especially the world’s poorest people. And contrary to what we hear from media “experts” about today’s “renewable revolution” and “climate emergency”, reality has proven Epstein right.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Strongly Recommend
- By Kevin on 06-14-22
By: Alex Epstein
-
Pandora's Seed
- The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization
- By: Spencer Wells
- Narrated by: Spencer Wells
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 167
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 68
This new book by Spencer Wells, the internationally known geneticist, anthropologist, author, and director of the Genographic Project, focuses on the seminal event in human history: mankind's decision to become farmers rather than hunter-gatherers.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Short and unfocused, but often quite interesting.
- By Alan on 06-23-10
By: Spencer Wells
-
The Rational Optimist
- How Prosperity Evolves
- By: Matt Ridley
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,427
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,971
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,976
Life is getting better at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Personal
- By Robert F. Jones on 09-15-17
By: Matt Ridley
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The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution
- A Captivating Guide to the Age of Reason and a Period of Major Industrialization
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7
If you want to discover the captivating history of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, then this two-in-one books bundle is for you. Includes: Age of Enlightenment and The Industrial Revolution.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great overview of the subject
- By Vanimal on 09-20-23
-
The Vertical Farm
- Feeding the World in the 21st Century
- By: Dickson Despommier
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 113
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 69
When Columbia professor Dickson Despommier set out to solve America's food, water, and energy crises, he didn't just think big - he thought up. The vertical farm has excited scientists, architects, and politicians around the globe. These farms, grown inside skyscrapers, would provide solutions to many of the serious problems we currently face.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Brainstorming - Not reality
- By Texas Community Project on 01-25-11
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Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment - your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Strange book
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In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many fundamental variables. Power density—the rate of energy flux per unit of area—is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy uses.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the best from Vaclav, but near the top
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How the World Really Works
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2 out of 5 stars
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Let me save you a credit: progress is hard
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not a good format for this book
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5 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars
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Strange book
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In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many fundamental variables. Power density—the rate of energy flux per unit of area—is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy uses.
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Invention and Innovation
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the best from Vaclav, but near the top
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2 out of 5 stars
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Let me save you a credit: progress is hard
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Made in the USA
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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In Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a relic of predigital history and that the loss of American manufacturing is a desirable evolutionary step toward a pure service economy. Smil argues that no advanced economy can prosper without a strong, innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates. Smil assesses various suggestions for solving America's manufacturing crisis, including lowering corporate tax rates, promoting research and development, and improving public education. Will America act to reinvigorate manufacturing?
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3 out of 5 stars
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first half was good
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Energy: Bolinda Beginner Guides
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 84
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In this user-friendly and informative audiobook, prolific author and academic Vaclav Smil provides an introduction to this far-reaching term and gives the reader a greater understanding of energy's place in both past and present society. Starting with an explanation of the concept, he goes on to cover such exciting topics as the inner workings of the human body, and the race for more efficient and environmentally friendly fuels.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Listening to the Encyclopedia of Energy
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Size
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 6
Size explains the regularities—and peculiarities—of the key processes shaping life (from microbes to whales), the Earth (from asteroids to volcanic eruptions), technical advances (from architecture to transportation), and societies and economies (from cities to wages).
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4 out of 5 stars
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Worth a read
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Kinds of Minds
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Combining ideas from philosophy, artificial intelligence, and neurobiology, Daniel Dennett leads the listener on a fascinating journey of inquiry, exploring such intriguing possibilities as: Can any of us really know what is going on in someone else's mind? What distinguishes the human mind from the minds of animals, especially those capable of complex behavior? If such animals, for instance, were magically given the power of language, would their communities evolve an intelligence as subtly discriminating as ours?
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On a Knife’s Edge
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 210
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The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. In this title, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best of its kind!
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Oil: Bolinda Beginner Guides
- By: Vaclav Smil
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Packed with fascinating facts and insight, this book will fuel dinner party debate and provide listeners with the science and politics behind the world’s most controversial resource. Without oil, there would be no globalisation, no plastic, little transport, and a global political landscape that few would recognise. It is the lifeblood of the modern world, and humanity’s dependence upon it looks set to continue for decades to come. In this captivating audiobook, Vaclav Smil explains all matters related to "black gold", from its discovery in the earth, right through to the political maelstrom that surrounds it today.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Masterful! Comprehensive yet succinct.
- By Talbot on 03-20-16
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These Truths
- A History of the United States
- By: Jill Lepore
- Narrated by: Jill Lepore
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,296
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,048
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,010
In the most ambitious one-volume American history in decades, award-winning historian Jill Lepore offers a magisterial account of the origins and rise of a divided nation. In riveting prose, These Truths tells the story of America, beginning in 1492, to ask whether the course of events has proven the nation's founding truths or belied them.
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2 out of 5 stars
-
Good Story but distracting sound engineering
- By MindSpiker on 11-21-18
By: Jill Lepore
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A Question of Power
- Electricity and the Wealth of Nations
- By: Robert Bryce
- Narrated by: Robert Bryce
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 135
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 111
Global demand for power is doubling every two decades, but electricity remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and do so reliably. Today, some three billion people live in places where per-capita electricity use is less than what's used by an average American refrigerator. How we close the colossal gap between the electricity rich and the electricity poor will determine our success in addressing issues like women's rights, inequality, and climate change.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Not the complete story
- By John on 08-11-20
By: Robert Bryce
-
The New Map
- Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 946
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 786
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 779
The world is being shaken by the collision of energy, climate change, and the clashing power of nations in a time of global crisis. The "shale revolution" in oil and gas - made possible by fracking technology, but not without controversy - has transformed the American economy, ending the "era of shortage", but introducing a turbulent new era. Almost overnight, the United States has become the world's number one energy powerhouse - and, during the coronavirus crisis, brokered a tense truce between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not his best: Overly broad, kind of sloppy
- By Jonathan Kelman on 02-23-21
By: Daniel Yergin
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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
- The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
- By: Bill Gates
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Bill Gates
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,570
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,852
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,819
Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Be curious, not furious
- By Axel Merk on 02-20-21
By: Bill Gates
-
Fossil Future
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- By: Alex Epstein
- Narrated by: Alex Epstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 877
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 787
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Story5 out of 5 stars 782
For over a decade, philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein has predicted that any negative impacts of fossil fuel use on our climate will be outweighed by the unique benefits of fossil fuels to human flourishing—including their unrivaled ability to provide low-cost, reliable energy to billions of people around the world, especially the world’s poorest people. And contrary to what we hear from media “experts” about today’s “renewable revolution” and “climate emergency”, reality has proven Epstein right.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Strongly Recommend
- By Kevin on 06-14-22
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The Song of the Cell
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- By: Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 775
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 657
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 651
From the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and The Gene, a #1 New York Times bestseller, comes his most spectacular book yet, an exploration of medicine and our radical new ability to manipulate cells. Rich with Mukherjee’s revelatory and exhilarating stories of scientists, doctors, and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work, The Song of the Cell is the third book in this extraordinary writer’s exploration of what it means to be human.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Beyond Words Wonderful
- By Lynn on 11-27-22
What listeners say about Growth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AnnieDH
- 05-03-20
Unmatched detail and analysis
Growth covers such a broad subject matter to make the book have something for everyone interested in how the world works. Chapters on society, economics and the future were most meaningful to me.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-26-21
Informative and somewhat frightening
At times felt like an overload of information and stats but ultimately I enjoyed how it paints the picture of the danger of our unconstrained consumption and growth on the planet and to ourselves as a species.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
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- 11-16-20
Excellent book; condescending narrator
Enlightening, data-rich book with excellent foundations in engineering and history, like Smil's other works.
Must read for those in the arts and social studies (especially economics).
Only negative is the Narrator; he oozes condescension and detracts from the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hübelix
- 04-13-22
great book missing PDF in Audible
the usual accompaniing PDF is missing. great performance and content otherwise. Vaclav is a fantastic author
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ngoli
- 09-16-23
Accompanying PDF
A wealth of well researched detail as we have come to love from Vaclav Smil; however, it would have been great to have the accompanying PDF available.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Simon Y.
- 06-11-20
Needs PDF for figures
Quite tough, narrator sounds like a computer. He refers to figures but PDF is not available. This would greatly increase its value
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Armin Lalui
- 10-18-20
fascinating
it's long so I listened at 1.5 speed but still took a long time to get through. important insights into growth of everything and implications for how we think about out future
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tim Montgomery
- 08-16-20
Infinite growth is not sustainable!
Connecting the dots from virtually all areas of reference... Vaclav makes the point clear for all who want to understand: progress cannot continue forever without serious impact on the biosphere.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Sebastian
- 04-22-20
PDF should come with this book...
Great book BUT where is the pdf for all the charts and numbers mentioned? (which is the key info to understanding the context)
Please improve this!
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21 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- gary c.
- 04-25-20
Need accustomizing
Narration seems to progress in staccato fashion. I listen at x1. 3 to try to smooth over the minute pauses
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1 person found this helpful