Innovation Government

“Peak oil” is the phrase used to describe the point where the world’s oil supply, well, peaks. A fairly easy concept there. It’s the best we can do, and the best we will ever do, when it comes to pumping conventional crude oil out of the ground. After peak oil, it’s all downhill, production-wise.Too many people think that peak oil means that the oil is going to run out, and that’s not quite right. The oil will not run out.

As Audrey Kurth Cronin explains in Power to the People, what we are seeing now is an exacerbation of an age-old trend. Over the centuries, the most surprising developments in warfare have occurred because of advances in technologies combined with changes in who can use them. Indeed, accessible innovations in destructive force have long driven new patterns of political violence. When Nobel invented dynamite and Kalashnikov designed the AK-47, each inadvertently spurred terrorist and insurgent movements that killed millions and upended the international system.

In recent years, dreams about our technological future have soured as digital platforms have undermined privacy, eroded labor rights, and weakened democratic discourse. In light of the negative consequences of innovation, some blame harmful algorithms or greedy CEOs. Behind the Startup focuses instead on the role of capital and the influence of financiers. Drawing on nineteen months of participant-observation research inside a successful Silicon Valley startup, this book examines how the company was organized to meet the needs of the venture capital investors who funded it.

Unleashing Abundant Energy offers a timely and in-depth exploration of our complex energy landscape. With his extensive experience in the field, Thomas provides a thought leader's perspective on the challenges and opportunities in rapidly doubling the global energy production. He delves into crucial technologies and strategies, such as AI-driven waste management and bioenergy with carbon capture, as well as the evolving roles of nuclear, wind, and solar energy.