Vaclav Smil - The Man Bill Gates Thinks You Should Be Reading

It's not that I hang on everything Bill Gates is promoting, but Vaclav Smil is someone I'll be reading more of over the next few months.  Here is a good introduction to his ideas that recently was published in Wired Magazine.

From his website:

Vaclav Smil does interdisciplinary research in the fields of energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy.

He has published more than 30 books and some 400 papers on these topics. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Science Academy), the first non-American to receive the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology, and in 2010 he was listed by Foreign Policy among the top 100 global thinkers.

He has worked as a consultant for many US, EU and international institutions, has been an invited speaker in more than 300 conferences and workshops in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa, and has lectured at many universities in North America, Europe and East Asia. His wife Eva is a physician and his son David is an organic synthetic chemist.

The Truth About Health Insurance - David Belk, MD

Every cognizant citizen in this country needs to take the first steps in getting educated about our health care system.  This is an awesome first step.  This video needs to go viral.  Pass it on.

Six Myths About Renewable Energy

Here is an interesting and eye-opening article about jobs and assumptions involving the current state of affairs in the renewable energy sector.  Progress is being made and expectations are becoming more realistic. Click here for the article.

How a Tesla Model S is Made

Interdisciplinary Story of the Electric Universe - Wallace Thornhill

Operating Room of the Future - InSightec

Global Road Kill Map

While I'm on the subject of maps, here is one that show statistics of deaths on the highways of the world.  The numbers appear to be increasing in many countries.  Fasten your seat belt.