The chips, like dust -- references The Stars, Like Dust, a 1951 book by Asimov.
And then the rest became clear:
Empire and foundry-nation -- probably a play on Foundation and Empire, the second novel in Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
"The Dead Past" is an Asimov short story first published in 1956.
"The Wedge" is a short story Asimov published in 1944.
"Birth of a Notion" is a 1976 short story by Asimov.
The chips, like dust -- references The Stars, Like Dust, a 1951 book by Asimov.
And then the rest became clear:
Empire and foundry-nation -- probably a play on Foundation and Empire, the second novel in Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
"The Dead Past" is an Asimov short story first published in 1956.
"The Wedge" is a short story Asimov published in 1944.
"Birth of a Notion" is a 1976 short story by Asimov.