Fireside this week! We’ll pick up looking at some of the successes of Hellenistic armies next week. Percy, having found a use for some of my books. And of course, less I miss a chance to note…
Fireside Friday, August 27, 2025 (On Defending History)
Hey folks, Fireside this week! As I noted a couple of weeks ago, things are probably going to get more than a little fireside-y over the next few weeks, simply because of the start of the semester …
Fireside Friday, June 27, 2025 (On the Limits of Realism)
Fireside this week! Originally, I was thinking I’d talk about the ‘future of classics’ question in this space, but I think that deserves a full post (in connection with this week&…
Fireside Friday, July 14, 2023
Fireside this week! Next week we’re going to launch into our next big series on the structure of the Roman Republic, a companion to How to Polis, 101, but because of what is going on with the…
Fireside Friday, March 29, 2024 (On Roman Values)
Fireside this week! Apologies for having two of these in a row, but as I noted last week, I’ve had some unexpected (but good) travel, which has made a bit of havoc in my schedule and I am sti…
Fireside Friday, February 2, 2024 (On City Building Games)
Fireside this week! I have just finished up a draft of a chapter (to be in one of those multi-multi-author companion volumes) on how video games (particularly more abstract simulation games) depict…
Fireside Friday: June 9, 2023
Fireside this week! We actually haven’t had one of these in quite a while; we had a gap week in April but the last Fireside looks like it was in March! In any case, here we are and here’…
Fireside Friday, July 31, 2026 (On The Odyssey)
Hey folks, Fireside this week, as I am fresh back from a short family trip before the jaws of the Fall semester close upon me. I did get a chance to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and I …
Friday Friday, July 10, 2026 (On the Chud Vision of Roman History)
Hey folks, Fireside this week! I’ve been a bit behind because we had some family travel followed by an issue with a water leak in the basement which has pushed me out of my normal home office…
Fireside Friday, August 16, 2024
Fireside this week! I find I have my thoughts more or less together for the last part of the Imperator series, but I have not yet gotten them into a satisfying order – a common hazard of writ…
Fireside Friday, May 31, 2024 (Academic Departments)
Fireside this week! I am spinning up to write a Teaching Paradox series on Imperator later this week, but not quite ready to get started yet. I’m also thinking, perhaps before that, of doing …
Fireside Friday, February 4, 2022
Fireside this week! I am still working on “Decline and Fall?” Part III and should have that ready for you all next week. Part III is going to deal with economics and demographics (and a…
Fireside Friday, October 27, 2023 (On Politics in Strategy)
Fireside this week! Next week we’ll finally close out the addenda to the How to Roman Republic 101 series with a look at provincial governance, but I don’t think that will be done in ti…
Fireside Friday: January 1, 2021
Happy New Year! Good riddance 2020! Fireside this week. Next week, we’ll be finishing up our look at the Dothraki of A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones by looking at how they are show…
Fireside Friday, September 19, 2025 (On the Use and Abuse of Malthus)
Hey folks, Fireside this week! Next week we should be back to start looking at the other half of labor in the peasant household, everything that isn’t agriculture. Also, here are some cats: C…
FediForum | Proceedings of FediForum, June 2025
All times are given in pacific daylight time (UTC-7). Thursday, June 5 8:00 am Welcome and opening. Keynote: Ian Forrester Ian recently left BBC R&D where he was the senior firestarter, had a hand in …
Collections: The Status Quo Coalition
This week we’re going to take a look at an aspect of contemporary international relations, rather than ancient ones. As has become somewhat customary, I am going to use the the week of July 4…
