Rating: 
Summary: waste of energy
Review: The conclusions may correct but this book is unconvincing, The only positive is it doesn't waste much time to read because there isn't much content. The author is another Mr smarty panty who doesn't have time to gather data to support his conclusions. A 30 second search on the net yields more information. Who cares about entropy? Really?
Rating: 
Summary: The end of the age of oil has come
Review: The end of the age of oil has come: physics professor David Goodstein explains the underlying science in the inevitable fossil fuel crisis we face, explains how it relates to the Earth's climate, and draws a world history of oil discoveries and usage which delves into oil production statistics and natural resource management. Can other fuel sources be developed? Can civilization survive without fossil fuels? Out Of Gas: The End Of The Age Of Oil emerges as an intriguing study with frightening implications for the future.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding: Goodstein¿s words ring loud and clear
Review: The first impression I had when I bought the book and had it in my hand was that it is so thin and light. I have been reading a fairly large number of books on both sides of the aisle of the future in energy debate, the optimists "no problem at all") and pessimists (experts like Campbell et al), and I am used to thick books and long discussions. When I started to read Goodstein's book though I realized that his book is the most important scientific book I have been reading in a long time.Goodstein's words are clear and convey his considerable knowledge in sharp and always precise ways - his words ring like a bell. He makes difficult issues clear and easy to grasp. The first paragraph of the introduction alone is worth every penny of the entire book. The message that Goodstein brings is sobering. He indicates that we have to change our understanding of energy and we ought to change our way of using natural resources or face demise. There is urgency in his writing but not panic. Though it is hard to look up from his book without being depressed about the inevitable consequences, his book has given me reason to be hopeful, since with people of his stature attacking the problem there surely should be hope for all of us. Goodstein dedicates the book to our children and grand-children, "who will not inherit the riches that we inherited". What a beautiful way to remind us that we have a significant responsibility to the generations who come after us. I thank Goodstein for his contribution and I would like to encourage everybody to read the book and share it with a friend. If we could award more than five starts I would give it a 10.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheap Oil Can't Be Replaced
Review: The material in this book can be summed up fairly simply. "There is absolutely no cheap replacement for oil. Nothing else exists that will allow us all to live as well as we do now, after peak oil." The author looks at all other energy sources: wind, hydrogen, tar sands, etc. and gives us the sad news. He's a Caltech physics instructor, so he knows his energy physics. What this book is weak on, is imagining the social/political/personal landscape of a world without cheap oil
Rating: 
Summary: A primer at best
Review: The title of the book and the cover design are very tempting. The first chapter starts off well. The forecast (in 1950's) of Shell Oil Company geophysicist M. King Hubbert that rate of oil that would be extracted from oil wells would peak around 1970 and decline thereafter is well narrated. Thereafter the author gets into basics of energy, entropy and engines which at best could be an introduction on the subject for high school students. The various sources of energy, the issues of global warming, waste disposal, cost and feasibility are explained well, but again lack the depth that one would expect from serious reading on these topics. However I would certainly recommend this book to all those who would like to have an overview of the current and future energy sources, but lack formal education in science and engineering. It would be appropriate to rename the book - "Energy, Engines and Environment - An Introduction"
Rating:
Summary: ok book
Review: This book does a good job of explaining the inevitable oil crisis. It even does a good job of explaining what a joule, carolie, and other scientific terms. What I am having trouble understanding is what we are supposed to do. The author suggests nuclear and solar alternatives, acknowledging its drawbacks. He even discusses more efficient uses of energy. I still don't believe this is going to solve it. "the rest of the world wants in" he says, to the United States lifestyle and living standard. Because of that, I don't see how we're going to solve the energy problem. Simply put, there aren't enough energy resources available for everyone to live like the United States. Therefore, it is time for us to create a strategic oil reserve much greater than the one we have now. We need to be buying up the rest of the oil supply and reserve it for the United States. If there are truly only 2.7 trillion barrels left (he argues there are only 2 trillion but the USGS says there may be 2.7) we should develop 5 strategic oil reserves of about 200 million. That should give us enough to last out everyone else. If it is inevitable that we are going to lose our living standard and that it is unsustainable, let's make the best of it.
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Summary: Demystifies and Explains the Consequence of Oil
Review: This book should be required reading for all students in high school and college social studies courses. Anyone who is not yet well informed about how fossil fuels help define our economic and social culture should read it as well.
I began reading this book knowing next to nothing about energy and oil. In fact, I began reading the book feeling that its subject was "somehow important", and had little expectation of actually reading every word (which I did).
To my surprise, I discovered that Professor Goodstein, beyond being a foremost expert on his subject, is a master of the English language who is able to explain history, chemistry, and physics in a rarely encountered way which is both lucid and concise.
I especially liked how he introduced short, telling biographies of scientists and inventors into his narrative.
Forgotten science lessons came back to me in sharp relief. What is energy? What is "global warming"? What makes engines work? These are among many of the questions that are succintly and clearly answered.
The relevance of energy to history and current events also became more focused for me.
I imagined how ages passed that life sustained itself principally on the sun in a delicate ecological balance, and then how (with knowledge and resourcefulness) humans multiplied and prospered by exploiting their enviornment. Today, when persons protest against the War in Iraq by shouting, "No Blood For Oil!"-- are their insinuations that the United States is fighting an "energy war" to be believed?
The author does not look at or address this specific topic. However, I thought about it the whole while I was reading, and armed with the facts he presented I, upon finishing the book, came to my own definite conclusion.
Without revealing it here, I can unequivocably assert that the author (who reveals no partisanship) convinced me beyond doubt that the Energy Crisis itself is real and dire, and that it has immediate consequences for everyone. He also convinced me that wise and deliberate stewardship of our natural resources is imperative if civilization is to continue.
Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil could be made into an excellent educational documentary film for public television, in a format similar to those presented by Boston's WGBH in its Nova series.
This book's message is really too universally important to be left for just we readers.
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Summary: 2009, party over- Oops, outta gas!
Review: This is a well written book whose evident purpose is to draw attention to the argument that the recent jump in gasoline prices- due in part to disruption of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico thanks to the 2004 hurricane season- is a harbinger of things to come... that is, sooner, rather than later.
However, that basic alleged fact can be stated rather succinctly, as in the final sentence of the book: "Civilization as we know it will come to an end sometime in this century unless we can find a way to live without fossil fuels."
Since one can't sell a book that's comprised of only a single-sentence, much of the book is spent discussing the basic scientific underpinnings of our energy-intensive way of life, along with the historical context of those discoveries, and important environmental issues concerning energy production and consumption.
Unfortunately, that "digression" is likely to be too complicated for the average reader to digest, while often seeming like little more than a quickie refresher course in thermodynamics for technical types.
I'm in the latter category, and there were certainly a few things in Dr. Goodstein's book that I didn't know (e.g., that thorium is more plentiful than uranium, and can be used in a breeder reactor). Unless you're not technically minded at all, this book is worth the relatively little time it takes to read.
Rating:
Summary: An Introduction to Energy Physics from Yester-year
Review: This short venture into the issue of Peak Oil by a distinguished physicist is a nice introduction to the important concepts in energy physics for the science-oriented high-school sophomore or for the college freshman liberal-arts student. Moreover, if Joe Voter simply skips Chapters 3 and 4 (where Goodstein presents a rather boring basis for the difference between conservation of energy and utilization of fuels), it becomes a brief, informative, and interesting introduction to the problems of our looming energy crisis for the average citizen. While the general physics presented is at least 99% correct and the energy-related data and projections are also generally sound, the book is not without technical problems. First of all, Goodstein completely dismisses, without justification, all biofuels as having negative value. He is clearly unaware that the most recent USDA studies show grain ethanol to permit energy balance up to 1.77, cellulosic ethanol well above 2.2, and other advanced biofuel options ultimately above 3. Surprisingly, his view of wind energy is only slightly less pessimistic than his view of biofuels. The other major problems center around the nuclear issue. He seems to believe the global uranium reserves are sufficient to supply all the world's energy for up to 25 years. Quite to the contrary, the IAEA indicates the total global uranium reserves (5 million tones) of usable quality are sufficient to sustain only existing nuclear power plants (which furnish less than 20% of the world's electricity), with a 2% annual growth rate, only through 2040. Others believe the usable uranium resources are 30% smaller, and processing the low-grade reserves (hard ores with U content below 0.02%) would be too expensive and result in too much CO2 release. Goodstein also trivializes the problems of developing successful breeder and fusion reactors; and he, like many, suffers from the hydrogen hype syndrome. For a more informed perspective on this subject, see my "Fuels for Tomorrow's Vehicles" or "The Hype About Hydrogen" by Romm. For a much more detailed and up-to-date discussion of all major aspects of energy, see "Energy at the Crossroads" by Smil. The heavy sprinkling of anecdotes from the history of science helps to keep "Out of Gas" interesting, but Goodstein's infatuation with the archaic Stirling engine just accentuates his lack of appreciation for modern engines, power cycles, and engineering in general. The book's success has no doubt in large part been due simply to the coincidence of its release with the rapid rise in the price of gas. Possibly because the book was largely written before the price of oil and gas shot up, it doesn't take a very strong position predicting that Peak Oil may occur within a few years. For the most authoritative treatment of the Peak Oil issue, see "The Coming Oil Crisis" by Campbell. - F. David Doty, engineering physicist.
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