Start Here

Wayward House publishes two kinds of work. Here’s where to begin with each, and where to go next.

Wayward House publishes two kinds of work. Here’s where to begin with each, and where to go next.

Political economy: how places actually work

These essays examine specific cases — Alberta, energy markets, trade structures — to understand the systems underneath. No assumed economics background; primary sources throughout.

Suggested sequence:

  1. A Trade Reality Check — What Alberta produces, what it exports, and what it depends on from the rest of Canada
  2. The Texas of the North — How the analogy holds up, and where it breaks
  3. Global Energy Markets — Where Alberta’s output fits in the broader picture

Browse all essays →

Computational geography: from first principles

A structured series building quantitative and computational geography from algebra upward. Each model adds one concept; later models depend on earlier ones. Code for each piece is published openly on GitHub.

If you’re new — start here:

  1. What Is a Spatial Model? — Variables, units, and the discipline of thinking in fields (Level 1)
  2. Linear Change and Rate — Slope as the fundamental measure of how things change (Level 1)
  3. Exponential Growth and Logarithms — When change compounds on itself (Level 1)

If you have a calculus background:

Pick up at Logistic Growth and Equilibrium or browse Cluster B for terrain and spatial analysis.

If you’re interested in a specific domain:

  • Terrain and topography — Digital Elevation Models as Functions, Gradient and Aspect
  • Orbital geometry — Earth as a Rotating Sphere, Circular Orbits and Kepler’s Third Law
  • Hydrology — Hydrological Flow as Optimization

View full series with cluster structure →

Code and open publishing

All models are accompanied by Python code, published in open GitHub repositories. The essays explain the mathematics and reasoning; the repos contain runnable implementations.

This site is itself open — built with Jekyll and published on GitHub Pages. If you spot an error or want to discuss a derivation, open an issue or use the discussion threads below each essay.

Not sure where to start?

Search the site if you have a specific topic in mind, or browse all essays and all modelling pieces to get a feel for the range.