GM finals all done, Spring Break is here, ia ia fthagn, and all that. The post train will be accelerating again.
Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.Question for everyone—are there factories in the magical world?
Sabre says Guess of GM is that there aren't, but modern schools (say, like Hogwarts seems) are kind a product of the industrial revolution(separate facilities for separate specialties, system of bells, children sent out by date of manufacture, 'quality evaluations'...) so I think that there are probably factories of some kind or another (broom factories, mass potion brewers, book printing and binding, bigger-on-the-inside bag makers...) that said, I haven't found much info pro/con magical factories.
So... Thoughts..?
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you can't sell him fish anymore.@Faramir: I wouldn't really call Hogwarts a "modern school"; other than the big tests scoring system and the class scheduling being pretty similar to what muggles have going on in the modern age, it's really not that much like a modern school. Maybe a modern boarding school, but those aren't products of mass production like public schools are.
And on that note, it's certainly not the product of mass production. If it was, there would be a whole bunch of other schools a lot like it, but from what I remember implied by the Triwizard Tournament in the Goblet of Fire, there's something like 7-12 wizarding schools total in the world at the time of the book's story, with 3 of them in Europe. And they were all pretty different compared to each other too; like the whole house separation of Gyrffandor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin is supposed to be unique to Hogwarts alone.
The things you mention being evidence of Hogwarts being a product of mass production are really more coincidental. They have seperate facilities for different specialties because they have the available room, so why not? Children sent out by date of manufacture and quality evaluations are just the result of a logical take on an education system; they're just methods that make sense. The books may establish that the wizards are completely out of touch with the modern muggle world, but that doesn't mean they're complete idiots.
Then there's the logistics of what factories are used for in business and how it seems to be handled in the wizard world based on the books. Consider Fred and George Weasley and their joke/novelty item business: From what I gathered in the books, it's implied that they make all of their items themselves, without a factory. Based on it I pictured something like them just needing a workshop and a few days time to produce hundreds if not thousands of their products. The end result is that factories aren't really needed in the wizard world; the same end result can be produced by a small group or even just one guy with the right materials and enough free space.
Arguably one could say that these might as well be labeled as 'factories', but other than a few specific examples I wouldn't say they really qualify under the typical association; they aren't mega corporations with thousands and thousands of employees, they're just a few dudes with a spare space, a need for income and a particular penchant for making something that can be monetized. When any wizarding family or group of friends can all do that, you just can't end up with the same kind of mass-scale, tons-of-people-are-needed industrialism that happened with muggle factories and the industrial revolution.
... And really that's what it would all boil down to. I don't think the wizards would have factories in the same sense we do, because they never had an industrial revolution.
Anyway, that all aside, um... I'll see if I can get rid of enough of this writer's block to post for Alex tonight, but no promises.
You are reading this.Aye; as I mentioned in a chat, I think the economics of magical Britain rotates around what would now be known as cottage workshops. Large-scale factories are later on. I suspect, maybe magic's just volatile enough to be unsuited for industry-line production?
As for the whole magical school business and the magical definition of "country," we settled that a while ago. A right headache that was, too.
Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.They've employees, no doubt (we see one of their cashiers/shop assistants at one point), but I get the feeling that they still do a lot of the magic on their own. Basically, the magical economy is centered around the mom-and-pop store instead of big corporations. The downside is relative lack of efficiency.
Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.Okay. So mini-factories that don't deserve the name, then?
Still think the concept of an education system with schools (as opposed to, say, apprentices and tutors one-on-one) is a relatively modern idea. Sabre and I did the math, most wizards would live to see their great-great-great-grandchildren with ease. Means there's always a lot of adults, most of them likely willing and able, to take on an apprentice. Especially since so many wizards are only children.
edited 27th Mar '13 11:16:17 PM by Faramir
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you can't sell him fish anymore.Hi. Sorry for dropping out quietly months ago. That was rude of me, and I cannot remember my motivation for doing so.
Now, armed with more maturity and better military, I'd care to return.
But probably not as O'Connell, because why the hell would a neutral country send someone to be a part of an international team?
Welcome back! Take a gander at the new sign-up sheet, we'll get you settled in. You're just in time for some weirdness to hit.
Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.I'm confused about how a coutry would be neutral in the Wizards Vs Muggles war. Since every country has a magical populace.
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you can't sell him fish anymore.

Don't know if it'll make a difference, but I'm gonna be gone from early Wednesday to late next Monday.
You are reading this.