[Vaclav Smil] Ë Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities [androgyne Book] PDF ß Read Online eBook or Kindle ePUB

I have heard great things about it, havent read yet. Quick delivery, great quality. Received androgyne After many data laden books that displayed his wide erudition, Vaclav Smil focuses his last book on the phenomenon that was the most visible in all these data: growth, and most particularly bounded growth. Always an erudite, the author presents first a zoo of mathematical curves that are used to model growth, and secondly a zoo of observed growth phenomena in a super wide range of domains. So doing, the author makes one step in transforming data in knowledge, to go from temporal data to growth patterns.

However, he only makes one step, and I think this is not enough in a 600 page book. What is missing is a little bit of mathematics. For instance, the author speaks of an asymmetrical (five parameter) sigmoid as if everybody could decypher that, but he never gives the equation nor explains what are those 5 parameters. In fact, the author gives the equation of only one curve, which is almost useless since it cannot be contrasted with the equations of other curves. It seems like the author is victim of the doing maths without the equations syndrom; it looks smart, but it tells nothing. The author could have spared a few pages of the total 600 to explain the maths of all these curves. It does not mean big maths, reserved for the few, but simply high school maths. And it could even have served an urgent purpose: namely to reconcile the interest for the factful world and the interest for mathematics, especially at a high school level. androgyne Smil discusses in painstaking detail many forms of growth. Anyone is likely to find something they are interested in within the 600 pages of this book.

I wish Smil would invest in a good editor. The book is difficult to read not only because of its complexity but also due to poor editing. Maybe he’s used to his books not being read by many so he doesn’t bother to have them edited but that’s quite unfortunate.

Nevertheless, there’s a gem to be found in almost every page of this book and that makes it well worth the pain of slow reading. Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities Have you ever calculated the mass of all your current possessions and how that number compares to our earliest ancestors? Or did you know that trees are the oldest and most massive organisms living on this planet although strictly speaking than half of their mass is dead? If you want to add a critical layer to the way you see and think about the world and your approach to everyday life you should read this amazing text of Professor Smil. Strictly analytical and fact based, this book covers what a true polymath would be curious about regarding growth. Daunting, crude and extremely interesting. Vaclav Smil has always challenged our minds with deep understanding of human interactions with Earth’s biosphere. This book is no exception. A must read. androgyne

A systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.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 childs 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 readers 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 activitiesdevelopments 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. He considers the challenges of tracing the growth of empires and civilizations, explaining that we can chart the growth of organisms across individual and evolutionary time, but that the progress of societies and economies, not so linear, encompasses both decline and renewal. The trajectory of modern civilization, driven by competing imperatives of material growth and biospheric limits, Smil tells us, remains uncertain. Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities

One of the worst books I’ve ever tried to read. Vaclav is no doubt incredibly knowledgeable on the topic of growth, but the book is appalling. It’s neither detailed enough to act as a reference guide nor general enough to give the reader a clear overview of growth. The language in which it is written makes it almost impenetrable and the pictures that have been included do absolutely nothing to aid understanding. Whoever edited it (or didn’t edit it as the case may be) needs to find another job. Only good for a doorstop or as a replacement for a sleeping pill. androgyne God
Od I wrongly assumed this book would describe a general, overarching pattern to growth in all areas. But Vaclav Smil doesn't do simple, he does facts.
The enormous scope of this book is matched by its wealth of detail. So I recommend you sit in a comfy chair with a hot beverage and your favourite scientific calculator (optional), whilst reading this.
And there's no shame in pausing every now and then, to stare into space with your mouth open. Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities I had high hopes for the book, based on the strong track record of book recommendation from Bill Gates.
But I must admit, I found it boring and I gave up on it after some 100+ pages. And I very rarely give up on books.
If I find the energy to finish it, I will update my review.
I will give Smil another chance with some of the other books he has written on energy, based on recommendations by Bill Gates. Vaclav Smil One of the best books I have ever read explains many, many important things and Slim’s knowledge, data and research is truly impressive. Vaclav Smil