I read “Numbers Don’t Lie” a book by Vaclav Smil. It is also a recommended book to read by Bill Gates. The book was very informational read which contains details about different aspects of humans, evolution, and the modern world. You can read about different categories from globalization to inventions, energy, food, household habits, and more.
Information Data
We all are worried about data privacy. But if you read about the data and information stored currently, you will be in shock. You will understand how much data is stored per person and at what rate. For Ex: According to Domo, a cloud service, in 2020, 1.7MB (megabytes) of data every second for each person in the world was stored, which is about 8 billion people’s data. It is almost 145 GB/person per day. That is enormous. As mentioned in the book we need to ask ourselves what is the relevance of this data? how long should it be stored? what may be the cause of too much data?.
Innovation
Smil’s take on innovation is amazing; yes we have to be realistic about innovations. We are so much caught up in inventing new things or doing something which has not been done before. But never try to make the existing things easier or better. Innovation is very good, but we need to put our minds to changing something affecting our day-to-day lives and also encourage our kids to do the same. Think out of the box is what we say and that should be for all aspects not just to come up with new ideas that are not part of our daily lives.
Food Wastage
Another important fact mentioned in the book is food wastage. After knowing the facts, I believe you will think twice before you trash any food. The amount of food wastage is not just impacting food shortage. But also the labor and other costs which are getting wasted. By controlling the wastage we not only reduce food shortage but also gain more benefits in return.
Many More…
Many more topics are eye-opening and provide great details to understand where we are now and what can be expected next. This helps to educate our kids on what is in for the future and how to be prepared? How to slow down any disasters by taking optimal solutions? It was an interesting read to me and was a great insight into facts. Hope you too get a chance to read “Numbers Don’t Lie” by Vaclav Smil.
You can purchase this book on Amazon
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