Episode 401 - "I fell into a lot of bogs"

Author: John Leeman and Shannon Dulin
Published: Fri 08 Nov 2024
Episode Link: https://www.dontpanicgeocast.com/401

This week, we dive into the fascinating world of coal—its origins, types, and the role it has played in shaping economies, past and present. We discuss coal’s formation in ancient swampy environments, the journey from mining to electricity generation, and the transition we’re witnessing as the world moves toward renewable energy sources. We wrap up with a Fun Paper Friday that challenges the classic "Infinite Monkeys Theorem"—could monkeys really type out Shakespeare if given enough time?

How Coal Forms and Coal Types - World Coal Association

Energy Density of Coal Types - Hypertextbook

Mining Methods and Processing - National Academies

Coal Transportation - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Coal’s Role in the Industrial Revolution - History.com

Global Coal Power Statistics - Statista

Future of Coal in Energy Transitions - International Energy Agency (IEA)

Fun Paper Friday

Can monkeys really type out Shakespeare? This study explores the probability of typing coherent text with a finite number of monkeys and limited time. Spoiler: even with thousands of monkeys, the odds are astronomically low, revealing the true limits of randomness.