The Haber-Bosch process is perhaps one of the most widely known industrial chemical processes. I won’t describe the history in too much detail (there’s Wikipedia for that), but in a nutshell, it’s a chemical process for making ammonia (NH3) from nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) invented in 1909. N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3 This doesn’t… Continue reading Haber & Bosch: Heroes or Not?
Author: Emily
4 Values
On one hike this summer (which there’s a funny story behind, too) my sister brought up an interesting question. I call this proxy free counseling – a question from my sister’s friend’s counselor. What are your four most important values? I immediately questioned why it has to be four—it doesn’t, of course. Could be three… Continue reading 4 Values
Reflection on Teaching “Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet”
In August, I taught a 7-session seminar series through Wave Learning Festival, a new student-founded organization offering free remote learning. This was an exciting new experience for me, as I’ve never taught before. I got to design my own course off of one of my favorite new books, Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet by Tom Murphy
Review: Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet
For a public steeped in both climate denialism and climate anxiety, this book is a fantastically grounded tour of “the situation.” Sure, it’s a textbook, but don’t mistake it for the outdated, prescriptive tomes of yore. This might just be the most exciting nonfiction I’ve ever read.
Favorite Albums (of the Aughts)
Welcoming some more casual subject matter to my blog… I present my favorite albums of the 2010s (so, all time at this point).
Review: Beyond Accumulation and Technical Progress: Negative Externalities as an Engine of Economic Growth
It’s a long title for an elegant idea. This paper asks: “why does the economy grow?” It argues that the existing reasons of 1) accumulation and 2) technical progress fail to explain why a) people work so much for money and b) why they’re still so unhappy. Bartolini argues that the missing piece of the puzzle is negative externalities, which are in fact an engine of economic growth.
Hello World
Hi, I’m Emily. If you don’t know me already, I’m not sure how you found this site. Why am I blogging? This matters more to me than you, but there’s one thing I want to say about it: you should blog too! Social media is all about being short and snappy, and blogging is an… Continue reading Hello World
electronic void 