Bureaucracy makes sure stuff people don’t want to do happens. “Now you can see that each of these systems relies – at least for the peasants – on compulsion. The peasants do not get anything for their service – they… Read More »Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part IIb: Officials, Contractors and Professionals
There was no local police in the past. “MMORPGs and fantasy worlds alike love their ‘local village guards,’ but these societies cannot afford many full-time soldiers and the ones they can afford tend to be guarding things like castles and… Read More »Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part IIa: Mobilization without Administration
Takmer každý, kto sa čo i len okrajovo motal okolo real-time stratégií, už meno Tesla počul. Všadeprítomné, neustále iskriace cievky srbského boha bleskov ničia životy digitálnych spojeneckých vojakov a rozmetávajú americké bojové stroje na súčiastky už od roku 1996, keď… Read More »Nikola Tesla – Najšialenejší vedec všetkých čias
People are hard to coerce by force alone. “why do these fellows feel like they must or ought to serve. A lot of historical fiction or fantasy settings fail to address this particular question or else answer it with a… Read More »Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part I: Why They Fight
Because cancer. “Fragile kidneys are much the same. We could have kidneys that try harder to repair themselves. That’s probably biologically possible. But it would likely mean more kidney cancer. Arguably, the question isn’t, “Why are the kidneys such fragile… Read More »Why is the human body so crap except for the liver?
Russia is weird. “How did Moscow evolve from a swampy village in the 1100s to the biggest European city with over 20M people?” https://unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com/p/why-is-moscow-so-weird
Interesting stuff I never knew about.
Having a degree does not make you smart. “Caldwell toured the country. He met the leadership and learned about their policies firsthand. But the climax of his trip was the last evening — a private audience with Pol Pot himself.… Read More »Intellectuals are F*cking Idiots
Information rules. “The clergy was generally educated. They knew, among other things, the local vernacular, latin, and could read. Since the commoners didn’t speak Latin anymore, they couldn’t read the Bible directly, so the clergy became gatekeepers of the relationship… Read More »Internet and Blockchain Will Kill Nation-States
Search currents matter. “And this is why sushi is the most Japanese type of food. It’s where rice meets fish: the rice from the continent, migrating from south to north through the islands, and increasing the population through rice farming… Read More »Why Is Japan So Populated Despite So Little Land?