Collections: Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part II: Foraging

Collections: Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part III: On the Move

This is the third part of a three part (I, II, III) look at some of the practical concerns of managing pre-industrial logistics. In our last post, we outlined what ‘foraging’ actually e…

Collections: The Logistics of Road War in the Wasteland

This week, we’re doing another ‘silly’ topic, but this being me, it is a silly logistics topic, because – as the saying goes – amateurs talk tactics, professionals tal…

Collections: Clothing, How Did They Make It? Part II: Scouring in the Shire

This post is also available in audio form, thanks to the efforts of our volunteer narrator. This is the second part of our four part (I, II, III, IVa, IVb) look at the production of textiles (parti…

Collections: Bread, How Did They Make It? Part IV: Markets, Merchants and the Tax Man

Thanks to our helpful volunteer narrator, this entire post series is now also available in audio format! As the fourth and final part (I, II, III) of our look at the basic structure of food product…

Collections: Bread, How Did they Make it? Part III: Actually Farming

Thanks to our helpful volunteer narrator, this entire post series is now also available in audio format! As the third part (I, II, III, IV, A) of our look at the basic structure of food production …

What Happens to All the Stuff We Return?

Online merchants changed the way we shop—and made “reverse logistics” into a booming new industry.

Collections: Clothing, How Did They Make it? Part IVb: Cloth Money

This post is also available in audio form, thanks to the efforts of our volunteer narrator. This is the second half of the fourth part of our four part (I, II, III, IVa, IVb) look at the production…

Collections: Clothing, How Did They Make It? Part I: High Fiber

This post is also available in audio form, thanks to the efforts of our volunteer narrator. This week we are starting the first of a four (I, II, III, IVa, IVb) part look at pre-modern textile prod…

Misreading as Foraging: How Systems Get Used for Things They Weren't Made For - Astral's Blog

Collections: Bread, How Did They Make It? Part I: Farmers!

Thanks to our helpful volunteer narrator, this entire post series is now also available in audio format! This essay will hopefully be the first post in a series (II, III, IV, A) covering some of th…

Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part IIa: Mobilization without Administration

This is the second part (I, IIa) of our honestly-who-knows-how-many part series laying out some general guidelines for how pre-modern armies are recruited, raised, equipped and paid. While I hope t…

Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part III: Paying For It

This is the third part (I, IIa, IIb, III) of our honestly-who-knows-how-many part series laying out some general guidelines for how pre-modern armies are recruited, raised, equipped and paid. In th…

Research Report 6: Agentic Shopping is Complicated and Contingent

This is the sixth in a series of short reports that help business, education, and policy leaders understand the technical details of working with AI through rig

Introduction

Reintroducing our company, mission, and current state of affairs