How to save in middle ages? “Some amount of moveable property might be worth keeping safe as security against catastrophe or as a supply for payments – fabric was a good option for this, being immediately useful, valuable and portable… Read More »Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVa: Subsistence and a Little More
People had less children in history than you thought. “Our model Egyptian woman, married at 17, experiences nine live births and four (or three, depending on when menopause arrives) miscarriages. With nine live births and a 55% child mortality rate,… Read More »Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IIIb: Children and Childrearing
Better is not always better. “There are several problems with these assertions. Yes, the Tiger tank was formidable in terms of armor and firepower. Yet its weight, fuel consumption, maintenance burden, and mechanical unreliability rendered it strategically inferior” https://secretaryrofdefenserock.substack.com/p/the-myth-of-allied-technological
Marriage in the past looked different that I thought. “these societies are substantially less individualist than most modern societies: they understand individuals primarily as filling a role within a larger community, as parts of a whole, gears in a machine… Read More »Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IIIa: Family Formation
I have no idea what to think about this. “As I ate dinner one night at the Ritz-Carlton, in a Chinese restaurant overlooking the indoor swimming pool, I reflected that the promise of a five-star hotel is insulation, a cocoon… Read More »How Many Comedians Does It Take to Change a Country?
I learned this the hard way. “Companies don’t hire people because they have good skills. They hire people to solve expensive, painful problems. In fact, most companies would rather not hire anyone at all. Hiring is a last resort.” https://alifeengineered.substack.com/p/nobody-cares-how-hard-you-work
Just saw this title today. For me, it is about being your own director. You pick where you look, what you focus on. Also, I was several times to the same play or production and every time it is different.… Read More »Why Is Theater Sill a Thing?
Nice list of advice. [Jocko Podcast] 485: We Are ALL Susceptible to Arrogance, Vice, and Villainy. The Hunn-Beating Proverb. #jockoPodcast https://podcastaddict.com/jocko-podcast/episode/196024128 via @PodcastAddict
Death ised to work differently in the past. “another factor is nutrition in the agricultural cycle: warmer climates often planted winter wheat (harvested early in the summer) and had their dying season in late summer, early fall, while cold climates… Read More »Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part II: Starting at the End
This series will be good. I can feel it. “We are used to thinking about this question in terms of individuals, but this is a modern framework, both culturally and economically. As a cultural notion, modern societies tend to be… Read More »Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part I: Households