2 comments about Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?: Experiencing Aural Architecture.

1. Very interesting and new thinking about that sound around. Recommend for sound engineers, acoustic design architects, musicians and people who love music and/or are interested in the aural spaces abounding. Do you like John Cage, Terry Riley, ee cummings? Can you sing the sound of one _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _?



2. A very engaging, wide-ranging look at the aural environment from many perspectives: cultural, historical, architectural, physical, sociological, political and more. The authors explore many of the deep and often times not-so-obvious connections and influences in an unusual, informative and refreshingly multi-disciplinary approach. Even though covered topics are broad in scope and complexity, the book is written in an easy and engaging conversational style that is neither academically stodgy nor technically overwhelming. But neither does it attempt to simplify the subject into shallow triviality.
   
   Unlike many modern-day science popularizations, this book is not a simple distillation of some lofty academic field. Rather it is at once the introductory text, the major body of research and a pointer to even wider exploration of the a heretofore under-explored and under-appreciated topic. There's plenty of new and useful material here for the professional practitioner in a number of disciplines. At the same time, the entire book is accessible to the casual reader, the neophyte. No chapter or paragraph need be avoided by any reader: all are carried along with the narrative: none are left behind.
   
   Personally, I have read book in out-of-order pieces as my busy schedule allows, without the feeling that I really should have read it in a more disciplined fashion. Rather than having to read other sections out of sheer necessity, I've gone back to fill in the holes more out of curiosity and interest.
   
   If you want to understand the intimate connection between humans and the aural space they live in, there is no better place to find it than this book. If you're looking for a new model of understanding of a complex topic through an truly broad, interdisciplinary approach, this book is the best model I know of.
   
   It's difficult to recommend it to highly.

4 comments about Fundamentals of Physics, Volume 1 (Chapters 1 - 20).

1. This is the first Physics book that I have read and been able to understand, while staying awake!! This book is not at all boring and the author has a way of making sense out of difficult subject matter. It also helps to use the Wiley Plus for this book. I think it would be more beneficial to students if more schools used this book. I highly suggest buying this book!!



2. I found this book to be a little on the complex end of the fundamental physics forum but it was certainly manageable and I think it is apt at the task of boosting a diligent students confidence level. I recommend this book to any program advisor who is in the market for a challenging but realistic text.



3. More than thirty years ago, when I was an engineering student, my physics "Bible" was Halliday & Resnick, Physics for Students of Science and Engineering, 1st Edition. This is a book that has aged gracefully. While the basic physics concepts were retained, the examples have been updated in each revision to keep up with the technology advances. Now in its eighth edition since Walker started to collaborate with the previous authors, it is still one of the most enjoyable readings in elementary physics. I recommend it without reservation.



4. This remains one of the most WORTHLESS technical texts I've ever run into - going back to at least the Second Edition of 1981. As a stand-alone, the text provides a survey of basic concepts in mechanics, wave theory, thermodynamics and electrodynamics. The example problems are pathetic and reflect a dismissive attitude towards the average undergraduate student who needs to learn how to APPLY the various physical laws to solve problems. Unless you have an excellent instructor who supplements heavily with problem solving and application, the problems will be a struggle. However, with the ready availability of solutions manuals these days on the internet, the shortcomings of the text are probably less apparent than when I used it for 3 physics classes in the late 1980s.
   
   The weakest sections by far are the ones covering thermodynamics. The mechanics sections are only moderately better - which ain't saying much. Bottomline - If you really want a thorough coverage of mechanics and thermo -- get ENGINEERING texts on these subjects. You WILL NOT be able to learn a thing about problem solving or how to even approach solving problems from this text. Lots of F=ma equations with simple body-force diagrams ... then BAM you're hit with applying to complex scenarios on your own.
   
   For ~$200 you get basic equations, conversion factors, and a lot of problems.

1 comments about Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century: World Nuclear University Press.

1. Ian Hore-Lacy has written a brilliant introduction to nuclear power in "Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century". The book is written for a generalist audience with an interest in nuclear energy issues. It is both comprehensible and comprehensive, a very difficult task given the complexity of the subject matter. The book is extremely well illustrated, and always provides all necessary background information before delving into deeper subjects: a firm foundation is provided for any reader regardless of their previous knowledge level about nuclear energy.
   
   The book discusses energy demands of the future and the potential role of nuclear power in meeting those demands. The nuclear fuel cycle is fully explained from mining uranium through disposal of high level nuclear waste. Hore-Lacy's presentations argue powerfully for the use of nuclear power without overt editorialization: he lets the science speak for itself. Nuclear safety features and technological improvements in different reactor types from common Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) designs, to very obscure lead-bismuth and the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) currently in development are emphasized. Safety on a global level is also a theme of the book, both in explaining the dramatic effect nuclear energy has on lowering greenhouse emissions, as well as containing nuclear material proliferation, with particular emphasis on returning nuclear weapon reactants to use in the civilian electricity production network of the US and Russia.
   
   The book is filled with helpful charts and illustrations, as well as useful appendices and glossaries. One of the most useful references is on page 155, which shows the radioactive decay and half-lives of the uranium, thorium, and actinium series elements.
   
   Anyone who has an interest in nuclear energy, electricity demands and production, environmental safety, or energy independence should read this book. It is an excellent guide to the nuclear industry from both a historical and technological perspective, and is an invaluable reference book.

No comments about Handbook of Energy Engineering, Sixth Edition.

5 comments about The Classical Theory of Fields, Fourth Edition: Volume 2 (Course of Theoretical Physics Series).

1. First, I love this book, it is superb. If the comment is only on the contents, I'll give 5 stars without any hesitation.
   
   However, one star is taken because I seriously despise the way the publisher treating this book, or, the entire classic Landau series. Some of the letters are vague. All letters are not dark enough, even a xerox copy is darker than this book! Some straight lines are broken.
   
   Why can't the publisher make the classic of Landau be their own classic?



2. L&L, while elegant, is umotivated in the justifications that start their derivations. If the subject matter is grasped, then L&L is excellent for its directness. In brief, the volume is far from a learning tool.



3. Landau's approach to Classical Field Theory demonstrates his ability to be clear, concise, and elegant without drowning out the physics with math. I will say, however, that Landau requires a certain maturity to appreciate his style (same goes for Rudin's books of analysis). I would recommend this title to those with a working knowledge of classical E & M, vector/tensor analysis, and of special relativity. It is also wise to work through the author's Theoretical Mechanics to get a taste of their style. I believe, contrary to many, that this book is appropriate for self study if one is willing to do the work (not only the exercises but following along pencil in hand). I suggest reading a passage and then covering it up and then trying to do the derivations by hand. I also suggest the study of Hermann Weyl's Space-Time-Matter for more on GR. My only complaint is the quality of print, which has is not the fault of the authors. It is especially annoying at first.



4. This is an absolute necessity for a graduate student! Studying math/physics. One of the very best available. I was very pleased in the condition of the book, and the price made it affordable for me.



5. Truly rough going in the latter parts of the book, but still the best of the best: straight forward economical and elegant. All the derivations are classics and transparent in their exactness. All of the moving parts of advance physics are present here, and fit, and are taken in their proper or logical sequence. Most derivations are novel and include uncommonly elegant shortcuts that have endured over time.
   
   The last part of the book is no walk in the park -- especially for those of us who have been away from advanced mathematics for a while - because here a few curve balls and subtleties are slipped in. Still the avoidance of line integration was a welcomed side benefit.
   
   However, even with its subtleties in the second half: with repetition and enough time, and with the help of other texts, including the valuable volume I of this series, one can still muddle through until the eureka moment occurs.
   
   A valuable gauge against which today's texts in field theory are to be measured. This book does the work of about four modern texts on the same subject.
   
   Five Stars

1 comments about Applied Photovoltaics.

1. The delievery of this book is good. I purchased 6 books online. It is the third or second one arrived. The quality is good, looks like a totally new book. In summary, the service of this bookshop is very good! Cheers!

5 comments about Python Scripting for Computational Science (Texts in Computational Science and Engineering).

1. When I first got ahold of this book I had just finished learning all the gory details of good numerical codes. But when developing tests for simple cases I found that development went way too slow, so someone suggested I learn Python. This book provides a great demonstration of how python can supplement your existing codes. Either by organizing the tests, formatting output, or just adding pretty interfaces.
   
   This book contains a lot of the necessary extras that a scientist or engineer must do to get his work going or finished, which is too pedantic to be taught in most courses. It shows the power of Python over some other scripting languages for this purpose. It is definitely one of the best references on my book shelf.



2. Langtangen's emphasis here is on a reader who comes from a strong background in engineering or science, and is familiar with common computational ideas and has done some programming, but not necessarily in Python. The typical book on Python is aimed at a general programming reader, and the examples in such a book usually are quite elementary, from a computational viewpoint.
   
   The merit of Langtangen's book is that he gets into a lot of computational ideas. This is not a trivial book. Aspects like parsing data in files, connecting to local and remote hosts, and interacting with programs written in other languages are covered. For the latter, the important cases of Fortran and C programs are explained. The choices of these languages is deliberate. In science and engineering, they are the dominant languages for raw computation. And you are likely to have legacy code written in these, that you cannot abandon while using Python.



3. I have both the 2nd and 3rd edition of the book. The book does have 'unexciting academic LaTeX format' which another reviewer pointed out, as is also true that one should 'NOT expect a cookbook of high performance algorithm implementations'. Rather, I would say that this is the type of book that algorithm-intense cookbooks could be made from.
   
   The book has a lot to offer someone prepared to slosh through and dig in deep to the guts of the book. In this sense I found the book to lack a sense of conceptual significance, in that much of the mundane material of everyday programming receives the same level of detail that the more complex subjects do. So, it is often that I find myself skimming the trivial to find the core. Unfortunately, some of the core code elements and examples are compiled from a litany of trivialities and then it is necessary to go back and pick up the bits and pieces to make sense of where you are focusing on.
   
   More often than not, the maze of obfuscation does lead to an interesting 'ah ha' and that makes the book worthwhile to me. I think the update from 2nd to 3rd editions is warranted, but should also have included a proper parsing of the chaff and a little creativity in layout would go a long way to making this book true reading material and a ready-by-your-side reference.
   
   As it stands, I need to get in the right frame of mind to approach the book on even a casual encounter. But when I do, I am pleased with what I can take away from it and readily apply. The Tools and Examples section, which has high applicability to testing code, is very worthwhile but, again, is a little shaded as in viewing the forest from the trees.



4. If you want to learn Python, you should get it. Author do not build some "big" application (like "internet store software" or "bookstore software") from beginning to end, but rather give you a lot of practical examples of using python.
   
   It is not like in others book that examples include only learned functions/methods, but use topics from the rest of book (you have example on page 25 and note that explanation of this and that function you found on page 543). By that you have interesting examples to use in real-world problems, not only examples to explain freshly learned topic.
   In other books interesting examples of use python you found on page 3234, because only when author introduce all useful functions. In this book nice examples is even on first pages.
   
   
   You learn how to use numerical packages (numpy) in python, using some useful tricks on lists and arrays, introduce to using graphical interface in Tk.



5. Python Scripting for Computational Science is both an introduction to the Python language and an excellent reference for the intermediate developer. The approach taken by the author is to present the language in the form of tasks to be solved accompanied by example code. As expected for a book on scientific computing the modules covered in the examples emphasize numerical packages but this in no way detracts from the applicability to general Python enthusiast.
   
   What really makes this book more than just another Python introduction is that the author bridges the gap between complied and interpreted code. He demonstrates how the speed of execution of compiled code can be tied to the rapid pace at which scripts can be developed. Examples are provided for interfacing C, C++ and FORTRAN code with Python. Calls to precompiled applications are also covered and the examples were easily adapted to my favorite computational tools. One of the risks with doing numerical work in a scripting language is the possibility of straying into computationally intensive tasks to which interpreted code is not well suited . Latter chapters discuss how to identify these portions of your code and how to migrating these tasks to a compiled language.

5 comments about The New Quotable Einstein.

1. I was overjoyed when the first edition came out. Here in one small volume were many of Einstein's most famous lines. I was even happier when new expanded editions came out. I have used the book almost as an index to my collection of books about Einstein (and I have a dozen of them).
   
   But I noticed one problem in the editing. In the first edition, in the chapter "On Religion, God, and Philosophy," Einstein is quoted as saying "I see only with deep regret that God punishes so many of his children for their numerous stupidities, for which only he can be held responsible; in my opinion, only his nonexistence could excuse him." In the "expanded" edition, the word "only" (the first one) was removed. Well, this changes the meaning a lot, given what we know about Einstein's denial of free will in man. With the word "only" removed, God's guilt is lightened, as though suggesting there are other culprits, but in so doing she also distorts Einstein's meaning. I was startled enough by this that I went to the science library at the University of Toronto, and double-checked Einstein's words in the multivolume "Collected Papers of Albert Einstein." The word "only" appears in both the German original ("nur") and the English translation. Over and over Eisntein denied that human beings have free will, and so objectively there is no one to blame for our crimes but God - if, as Einstein said, He even existed.
   
   Initially I suspected the editor of deleting "only" deliberately - after all, the "censored" version appears in both the second and third editions. But I'm now satisfied that this was an honest editing error and I have been reassured that it will be corrected in the next edition.
   
   On the whole, the quotes are quite reliable. And the sources are very wide, including not only Einstein's own collected papers but the Einstein Archive and other secondary writings (such as memoirs). There must be materials that may be new and interesting even to Einstein scholars.
   
   In his foreword Freeman Dyson claims Einstein had a "darker side" - for example, with respect to his family. Well, I'm sorry, but Einstein never pretended he was a saint. He was in some ways only an ordinary human being with a very extraordinary brain. He was certainly no great father or husband. But Einstein never asked anyone to censor his biography for him, making him look better than he was. If he cheated his wife, he did so virtually openly. So I think Dyson's point is really pointless. Besides, the term "darker side" misleads people into thinking that Einstein must have done some evil deeds which he tried to keep away from view. Newton's deceitful conduct in the priority dispute certainly suggests a nasty side to his personality. Nothing of the kind was ever in Einstein's character or conduct. Einstein had a temper, and he could be grumpy, or sexist, or rude, or over-the-top in his words on occasion. And that's about as far as his "dark side" gets. So what? He never did anything remotely criminal or unethical or even deceitful, for those of us wondering what this "dark side" means. (Incidentally, Dyson's assertion that the Japanese show "exquisite taste" in admiring Einstein and Hawking defies common sense. It's not just the Japanese but the whole world over who have such "exquisite taste"; nor is it just Einstein and Hawking whom the Japanese admire. The Japanese admire all sorts of people, some of whom would not be considered terribly heroic by us. Dyson is a great mathematical physicist, but I'm familiar enough with Dyson's many writings to know this guy doesn't always say sensible things.) Returning to Dyson's foreword, his story about armed Israeli soldiers commandeering Einstein's files at Princeton, NJ on a dark and rainy Christmas night, possibly breaking American laws, while good enough for a cheap movie scene, sounds too fantastic to be believable. His implication is that Einstein's dirty laundry is now safely and deliberately hidden in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Unless you're a connoisseur of conspiracy theories, you can safely dismiss this notion. Unless the files are physically destroyed, archivists will dig them out sooner or later. There is no reason to believe that non-Israeli Einstein specialists are denied access to them. I can't say I'll never be surprised by new revelations, but I doubt any will be interesting enough by now because the most important of Einstein's deeds and words and beliefs are already well known. What's yet to be revealed is most likely not interesting enough. (If someone could somehow find a manuscript proving Mileva doing most of the original mathematical thinking in Special Relativity, that would be an example of interesting new revelations.)
   
   This book is very good as a general introduction to Einstein the man and even to his physics to a limited extent. The quotes are well-chosen and cover a good range. On the other hand, I wouldn't call it an Einstein concordance. For one thing, it is too short to be any such thing. For another, only an expert about Einstein AND his physics - like Abraham Pais - is qualified to compile a "concordance." (It would help that this expert also knew Einstein personally, though this is perhaps not necessary.)
   
   This book is thus not the real thing - but surely a handy enough substitute. Its merits still far outweigh its imperfections. Here in one handy volume you can find Einstein's views on wide range of subjects, from politics to women to pipesmoking to Germans and Jews and of course physics. Not all of us will agree with everything he said. But in my opinion, Einstein's insights in philosophy, the scientific method, and music are devastatingly penetrating. And this book gives a fair and representative sample of these. (For those of you who are really interested in Einstein's "darker side," look for his tough opinions on Germans. For me, Einstein's bitter views of Germans come closest to showing his so-called "darker" side. Close but not quite though. Given all those dumb things Germans did in his lifetime, who can blame him?)
   
   Two indexes, one for subjects and another for key words, make this book particularly user-friendly.
   
   Calaprice has done Einstein admirers like myself a fine service. And the timing of this edition is good. Not only is 2005 the 100th anniversary of Special Relativity (1905), but April 18, 2005 is also the 50th anniversary of Einstein's death.



2. I have long loved quotes and especially quotes from Einstein, becaues like many great men, he did not think solely in one area on science. He thought greatly about many things. that doesn't mean that he was a perfect man. Far from it. He had major problems with personal relationships, was lacking in parenting skills, was very often not a great husband. Yet he tried to his utmost to use his immense intelligence to the good of mankind. I think he found it easier to deal with humans on a group basis, rather than an individual one. That does not mean that he did not leave an immense area of thought from which we can learn and put into use in our own lives.
   
   Calaprice does a great job of sorting through the many quotes that were attributed to Einstein, but were not actually his. HOw best to get your ideas into print than to state they were words from the premier physicist and statesman of his time. I've seen some I often wondered about and shall have to change the way my mind memorized these statements (they are still often quite good statements).
   
   It does not surprise me to see how greatly, especially in areas such as religion that Einstein changed his views: especially in organized religion. But his basics remained the same. That man and woman can work in science and other fields to achieve greatness, and that greatness can be used for good or for evil. As with the discovery of fission of the atom, it is evident that we decide our own fate, and that that decision is made on an individual basis.
   
   Sometimes, when I am overwhelmed with work, or just life in general, I like to go get this quote book and randomly read through Einstein's thinking process. I don't always agree with, but he always makes me think. I cannot think of a better book to get on this anniversery of his life and death.
   
   Karen Sadler,
   Science Education,
   University of Pittsburgh,
   Chemistry,
   CCAC



3. One more delightful collection. Einstein and Alan Greenspan (The Age of Turbulence) share some delightful,common attrubutes.



4. The new edition five years after the previous one has added sufficient new quotes to make me buy it even though I had the 2000 edition. It only raises the question why the editors had not worked harder five years ago since most of the material appears to be accessible then. A new introduction would have increased the value of the book though. The older edition was a little more compact and easier to walk around with. One cannot imagine the depth of Einstein's philosophical musings until he reads this book. If he weren't a scientist he would have made a great professional philosopher.



5. Great quotes from a great man! I pick it up and read it over and over again. There's always something in it that pertains to what's going on in our world, even if the quotes are decades gone by.

5 comments about Sustainable Ethanol: Biofuels, Biorefineries, Cellulosic Biomass, Flex-fuel Vehicles, and Sustainable Farming for Energy Independence.

1. The people in Washington have decided that growing corn to produce ethanol as a partial means to energy independence is consistent with national security goals. Consequently ethanol production, like domestic oil production receives government subsidies. Some may call it pork-barrel legislation and others may call it a "scam." Robert Bryce, in his recently published Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusion of Energy Independence (2008), actually entitles his chapter on ethanol, "The Ethanol Scam." Bryce's point is that ethanol production is not energy efficient and is not sustainable. Furthermore it is posited that we should be using our cropland to grow food for a hungry world that is likely to get hungrier.
   
   Jeffrey Goettemoeller and Adrian Goettemoeller argue in this technical but readable book that ethanol production can be made energy efficient and sustainable. They counter the cropland for food argument by noting that only the carbohydrate component of the corn kernel is used to produce ethanol, adding that too much corn is now grown for food in America to the detriment of farmers elsewhere who cannot compete in the marketplace with cheap American corn. Consequently, our abundance puts small foreign farmers out of business and ironically creates food shortages. See pages 86-87 for the full argument.
   
   As to the viability of ethanol for use in our vehicles, the authors contend that, although ethanol is only about two-thirds as energy rich as gasoline, it is nonetheless necessary since we will soon or late run out of gasoline. Furthermore, today's combustion engines can be altered to run more efficiently on ethanol than currently is the case. (See "flex fuel" vehicles.) Additionally, ethanol is valuable since burning it reduces vehicular pollution. Finally, ethanol is a necessary replacement for MTBE which here in California has been phased out due to its tendency to pollute underground water supplies.
   
   The book begins with a brief but interesting history of ethanol production, how it was used in lamps before electricity, and how it was legislated against during Prohibition. They follow that with a consideration of oil production and consumption and the prospects for the return of cheap oil. They go on to tout the economic and security benefits of ethanol while considering the environmental impact. Fuel economy and the various gasoline/ethanol blends are discussed and how ethanol might improve fuel economy. There's a chapter on ethanol production from such feedstocks as sorghum, sugar, artichokes, and food waste. Cellulosic ethanol is considered. They close by urging conservation and more efficient use of fuel.
   
   My personal opinion is that ethanol is one of many stop-gap measures we will be taking during the long, slow withdrawal from fossil fuels. In the final analysis, unless there are some major breakthroughs in more efficient ways to capture solar energy and the development of more efficient batteries to store energy, we will not be able to support the six and a half billion people on this planet at current energy levels.



2. This book is truly a crash course on the subject. The Goettemoeller brothers present a brief but very comprehensive account of the ethanol evolution, beginning with a concise history of the oil and ethanol industries, through farm subsidies, the economics, environmental impact, greenhouse gases, ethanol and world hunger, all the flex-fuel vehicles available (E10, E85, E100 and the Brazilian full flex-fuel vehicles), improving fuel efficiency, ethanol production from several crops, the energy balance, to close with a discussion about a key question, is ethanol renewable? All of it in just less than 200 pages, not surprisingly the book reads fast, the facts are presented almost like bullets, with web addresses and references for easy follow-up.
   
   The successful Brazilian experience is also presented, explaining the 30 year process that led to this country's leadership in farming productivity, ethanol fuel production and distribution, and the development and manufacturing of full flex-fuel vehicles, with the same sales price as E-10 cars. And all of these achievements without government subsidies, or sacrificing food production, and even with a sharp increase in grain and food exports thanks to China's voracious appetite for commodities. The authors also debunk the deforestation myth. Sugar cane is produced mainly in São Paulo state, some 2,500 Km away from the Amazon forest, in areas previously used for farming, and the entire state's area is just 3% of Brazil's territory. Whenever possible, a comparison with the U.S experience is presented, and key differences are highlighted, such as Brazil's superior productivity rates in farming sugar cane.
   
   My only disappointment with the book is that the Brazilian case is not presented with the same depth as the American experience; instead, information about Brazil is spread throughout the book in very short paragraphs, and based mainly on interviews with Brazilian English-speaking executives. It seems the language barrier hindered a deeper coverage of this successful story. That's why I did not give the book the five stars. And incidentally, the book does not mention the fact that today the price of hydrated ethanol (Brazil's biofuel) is around 30% cheaper than standard gasoline, more than enough to fully compensate for the lower energy content in ethanol, and thanks to the fully flexible fuel technology, auto users are free to choose the proportion of each fuel depending on market prices. Tipically, between sugar cane harvest seasons, you simply go back to gasoline.
   
   As oil approaches US$ 120 per barrel, and as the oil industry and OPEC countries are ironically echoing the concerns of some international bureaucrats and environmental groups (yes, the same supporting the Global Warming cause!) regarding the alleged responsibility of ethanol production for the recent increases in food prices, I think this is a book you definitively should read before taking sides on the food versus biofuels controversy.
   
   The problem is complex; there are several causes, and agricultural subsidies in rich countries are chief among them, in particular when highly subsidized corn crops for ethanol production became more profitable than producing other cash crops for food. This subject is out of the scope of the book, but if you are interested on this controversy, read the masterpiece article in the Economist's April 17th 2008 issue, entitled "The Silent Tsunami". That will be a good starting point to understand the real causes and the paradoxes behind world hunger and poverty.
   
   Also, the latest two books from Joseph E. Stiglitz have some chapters explaining how agricultural subsidies in the U.S. and several European countries, together with trade barriers, are among the real culprits for the poorest developing countries not being able to produce what they eat, and how many other countries are being barred from entering the "free" global market and developed by themselves. Just read Making Globalization Work and Fair Trade for All: How Trade Can Promote Development. At least inform yourself properly and get the facts right before taking sides on this new global controversy. Happy 2008 Earth's Day!



3. This is a book that is helpful for people of all educational levels to begin to understand not only Ethanol, but the who Biofuels industry.
   
   The conciseness of the information into what can be considered bullet points delivers the maximum information in the least space possible. This leaves no room for agenda driven diatribes present in most books today. In addition, the book provides an abundance of cited sources that can be used by the reader for additional research and, thus, does not choke the book with needless facts and information.
   
   The best part is that, for us who think Ethanol is only one piece in the complete Biofuels puzzle, much of the information can be applied to other Biofuels like methanol and butanol.
   
   For me this book is not only a primer, but a reference source for the future.



4. We hear a lot these days about global warming, the West's over consumption habits, and how oil is getting more and more expensive and less available. We also hear a lot about alternative energies, flex-fuel cars, ethanol, and the like, but how many of us really know what these alternatives mean - both for the environment and our wallets. Unless you are a scientist working in the field, often we have to rely on what the media tells us; and many of us don't trust the media for a straight forward, objective opinion. Big oil, with their record profits, try and keep us in the dark about other forms of energy. Good thing I stumbled upon the book Sustainable Ethanol by the Goettemoeller brothers. This is the first book I have seen that explains the science - and logic - behind ethanol as an alternative fuel to oil and gas in a clear, readable, and informative style.
   
   Not only do they cover the history of ethanol fuel (did you know the first cars were designed to run on ethanol, not gasoline), but they go into what the latest scientific studies prove - that ethanol is a viable alternative fuel not only for cars, but also for other forms of energy such as natural gas. This latter point is further developed in the book when the Goettemoeller brothers delve into biogas and butanol - two other alternative energies that can be derived from natural resources (such as landfills, manure, and agricultural waste).
   
   Chapters include: A brief history of ethanol fuel; Will cheap oil return?; Economic and security benefits; Environmental impact; E10, E85, and flex-fuel vehicles; Improving fuel economy on ethanol; Food, farming, and land use; Ethanol production; Cellulosic ethanol; Energy balance: Is ethanol renewable?; and Facing our energy future.
   
   Some highlights of the book include:
   
   In 2006 the ethanol industry contributed $23.1 billion to our Gross Domestic Product, created 163,034 new jobs, $2.7 billion in federal tax revenue, $2.2 billion in state tax revenue, and reduced our need for foreign oil imports by 206 million barrels.
   
   If car manufacturers optimized their flex-fuel vehicles to run on E85 (85% denatured alcohol and 15% gasoline), not only would the fuel economy be the same as straight gasoline, but a significant reduction in pollution would occur because ethanol has fewer highly volatile components (i.e., lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide).
   
   Ethanol production is not limited to just corn: grain sorghum, wheat, barley, agricultural residues, forestry wastes, municipal solid wastes, food processing and other industrial wastes, and various grasses can all be used to make ethanol.
   
   Ethanol can be made via a "closed loop" system, whereby the grain used to make the ethanol can then be feed back to the animals (as ethanol production only uses the starch from grains, not the proteins or vitamins), the manure from the animals is then used to create fertilizer (for more grain) and biogas which is used as a process fuel in place of natural gas. In a sense, no external energy is required to go into the process, creating a sustainable energy production process.
   
   Sustainable Ethanol is copiously documented, with charts and graphs illustrating the complex science that is clearly explained. This book should be on everyone's reading list who cares about the environment and our future. Rarely does one get to read about an emerging technology and actually understand at the end what that technology is, how it works, and just how important it can be for helping save the planet. The Goettemoeller brothers have succeeded beyond any expectations in this regard. Sustainable Ethanol is a landmark book - if you want to see what you can do to help save the planet, then this book is a must.
   
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
   New Great Books
   [...]



5. A good introdution to the subject of ethanol fuel,well worth reading,with some valuable information not in other books on ethanol.Not enough detail though for people who prefer a more hands on approach and would like to make their own fuel and convert their vehicle to run on ethanol.

1 comments about The Chilling Stars, 2nd Edition: A Cosmic View of Climate Change.

1. A very readable book that makes strong case for effects of cosmic rays on cloud formation and hence on climate change. Because the basic theory is that fluctuations in the sun's magnetic field affect cosmic ray intensity on earth, there is considerable material on astronomy (cosmic rays, supernovas etc.) which provides the background needed to understand the discussion. In essence, more solar magnetic storms strengthen the sun's magnetic field which divert cosmic rays from earth. Cosmic rate create ions that provide nuclei for cloud formation. More nuclei mean more low clouds and more reflective clouds which in turn cool the earth, (except over Anartica and other ice covered areas, since snow and ice actually reflect even more sunlight than clouds).
   The author (a Danish scientists who did much of the key work in this area) has been able to produce the effect in the laboratory and has documented the statistical relationship with low level clouds and surface temperatures. Many climate episodes over millions of years appear to be explained by cosmic ray effects. The theory also explains how differing number of sun spots come to affect year to year climate change on earth.
   
   The later makes this a key book for those interested in the global warming debates, especially since so much of the research is recent. This makes it a must read since the evidence is not yet in most other popular discussions of climate change.