Wishing I was on an Alternate Earth like the 1632 series

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by Christian Dauz, Nov 26, 2017.

  1. Christian Dauz Registered Member

    Messages:
    4
    I always feel so hopeless, like my brain can't comprehend how modern society works


    I have read the 1632 series and Alexander Inheritance (written by Eric Flint) as well as Lest Darkness Fall (whose author's name I can't spell or pronounce right)


    1632 series:

    -Germany and Scandinavia is united into the United States of Europe

    -Atheism is legal and women can vote in the USE

    -Tyrants are toppled while better leaders lead their people to a better future

    -Technology dramatically increases and more economic opportunity


    Lest Darkness:

    -Printing Press and Paper in the 6th century

    -The Dark Age never comes


    Alexander Inheritance:

    -Alexander's heir and empire does not fragment


    I sometimes wish I was there, believing to myself that any action or life there would be more meaningful that being here with everybody else


    Anybody else have these feelings and wishes?
     
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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I've given the alternate life idea some thought.
    While I'm not exactly happy with the world the way it is now, I would not wish to be me but living in another time.

    If I lived in Gone with the Wind, I would not be living a Tara; I'd be in some grotty office in the city, doing something accounting or printing press-like.
    No, I'd say most of us here in Western World have, on average, been done right by this world.
     
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  5. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    Your life has been, and is, quite incredible. Why look any further?
     
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  7. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    Most people are rational. Maybe you are right to feel hopeless. Maybe you are hopeless. Maybe your brain is limited if you can't comprehend how modern society works.

    At least you are self-aware. Just embrace your limitations.
     
  8. Christian Dauz Registered Member

    Messages:
    4
    Because they are making a difference that I never could do in my lifetime

    They are preventing injustices that affect us to the modern day


    In Les Darkness Falls and its sequel, Padway eventually transforms society

    Instead of the shitty 10th century Dark Age Europe...

    ...we get a post-21st century civilization in the 1000s with time travel and perfect health care!
     
  9. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    3,488
    I'm currently reading the 1632 series and loving the series. That said they are most definitly a fantasy novel. For starters diseases are pretty much glossed over. Sure they are mentionend but introducing penisiline, delousing, cheap bleach and various tech would have a far greater impact then even planes. They also assume that people would yust adopt this new tech willingly, Considering the people of grantville neather speak german, latin or greek ideas are spreading rather fast it might be silly but 4 years afther the arrival from grantville the ottomans have plains this means inventing a powerful enough engine (grantvile itself used modified car engines ottomans somehow perfected the engine without passing trough steam engines from mere pictures of planes. That said also have the population is female and I'm not certain how 17 centurary Germany would have been open to women teaching. Also the history of grantville is at best vague and often false. This is mentionend in the second book that is was well known that shakespear didn't wrote those plays. But as history went on gustavus adolphus continued living the Netherlands united under (sort of) spanish rule plague broke out in london the ottomans conquered mesopotamie etc. None of this is mentionend in grantville libraries. Also rate of fire I don't believe wars where won by killing the oppononent but in making them retreat. Anyone fighting grantville get's slaughtered tercios do not hold up well against machine guns aftherall, bomber planes with the intimidating stuka's trumpets of Jericho, firebombs hiden bombs radio sure one can get the basic idea and see that it is not magic but I would assume afther a first encouter they would try diplomatic means trying to buy them off integrate them in their own society (gettho) where they can do no harm. Or bad mounth them or let the starve or offer to send them back to west virginnia. You would not start a war with them. Whilst Richelieu is often described as the biggest brain behind the scenes hes rather portrayed as a idiot (in action) especially compared against Christian the 4th. Who basicly knew he was screwed tried anyway but made sure one of his daughters would end up in a relation with what he would assume was the second in command of the navy. Sure he lost the crown to the swede but it is his son that would rule everything emperor Gustave gained. Meanwhile he can use his daughter to modernise denmark (his son often complainend how little the king cared for practical war machines but how much he focusses on tech in general.
     
  10. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    18,935
    Translation:

    Orcot:

    I'm currently reading the 1632 series and loving the series.

    That said, they are most definitely fantasy novels. For starters, diseases are pretty much glossed over. Sure they are mentioned, but introducing penicillin, delousing, cheap bleach and various tech would have a far greater impact thaen even planes.

    They also assume that people would just adopt this new tech willingly. Considering the people of Grantville neither speak German, Latin or Greek, ideas are spreading rather fast - it might be silly but 4 years after the arrival from Grantville the ottomans have planes. This means inventing a powerful enough engine (Grantville itself used modified car engines) Ottomans somehow perfected the engine without passing through steam engines from mere pictures of planes.

    That said, also half the population is female and I'm not certain how 17 century Germany would have been open to women teaching.

    Also, the history of Grantville is at best vague and often false. This is mentioned in the second book that it was well known that Shakespeare didn't write those plays. But as history went on Gustavus Adolphus continued living the Netherlands united under (sort of) Spanish rule. Plague broke out in London, the Ottomans conquered Mesopotamia etc. None of this is mentioned in Grantville libraries.

    Also rate of fire [sic]: I don't believe wars where won by killing the opponent, but in making them retreat. Anyone fighting Grantville gets slaughtered tercios do not hold up well against machine guns after all. Bomber planes with the intimidating Stukas' trumpets of Jericho, firebombs, hidden bombs, radio...

    Sure one can get the basic idea and see that it is not magic, but I would assume after a first encounter they would try diplomatic means - trying to buy them off, integrate them in their own society (ghetto) where they can do no harm, or bad mouth them, or let the starve, or offer to send them back to west Virginia. You would not start a war with them.

    Whilst Richelieu is often described as the biggest brain behind the scenes he's rather portrayed as a idiot (in action) especially compared against Christian the 4th, who basically knew he was screwed, tried anyway but made sure one of his daughters would end up in a relation with what he would assume was the second in command of the navy. Sure he lost the crown to the Swede but it is his son that would rule everything emperor Gustave gained. Meanwhile he can use his daughter to modernize Denmark (his son often complained how little the king cared for practical war machines but how much he focuses on tech in general).
     
  11. orcot Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    3,488
    1632 (ring of fire is very good). I also believe it gives a decend impression abouth the era I'm currently on the bavarian crisis it was cowriten with Virginia DeMarce a historian who specializes in early modern European history. It inspires reading up abouth history. Truth be told if I would return to the past without equipment I imagen theirs a above 90% I would die in the first day. Without studing up much theirs very little I could do to earn a living. Still I know how pasteurisation works and I know people didn't like to make coal because it needed to be made in large quantities (coal produces little to no smoke for indoors) but CO gas is deadly the simple holding of a bird could solve this I could also make a bimetal thermometer making winters are cold enough to freeze I could make a note of the freezing point of water and in the oven the boiling point of water. Hopefully it encourages others to invent standard measurements. I could probably also give people electric shocks (static) as a party trick. Giving how boring these times where people would probabbly not hang you for it. Theirs also a ton of board and card games. And simple stuff on how to make a terrarium to transport certain plants across the ocean. plants often get killed on sea voyages and a terrarium would introduce certain plants much fasther then historical possible. All of it would be a great pain tough. Oh and bleach Giving I'm living in flanders a historic textile region having the knowhow to make bleach both in the olding chemical way as the industrious electrochemical way. Could potentially make me rich
     
  12. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    18,935
    Translation:

    1632 (Ring of Fire Series) is very good.

    I also believe it gives a decent impression about the era I'm currently on: the Bavarian Crisis. It was co-written with Virginia DeMarce - a historian who specializes in early modern European history. It inspires reading up about history.

    Truth be told, if I would return to the past without equipment I imagine theirs an above 90% [chance] I would die in the first day. Without studying up much there's very little I could do to earn a living.

    Still, I know how pasteurization works and I know people didn't like to make coal because it needed to be made in large quantities (coal produces little to no smoke for indoors) but CO gas is deadly. The simple holding of a bird could solve this. I could also make a bimetal thermometer, making winters are cold enough to freeze. I could make a note of the freezing point of water and in the oven the boiling point of water. Hopefully it encourages others to invent standard measurements.

    I could probably also give people electric shocks (static) as a party trick. Giving how boring these times where people would probably not hang you for it. There's also a ton of board and card games. And simple stuff on how to make a terrarium to transport certain plants across the ocean. Plants often get killed on sea voyages and a terrarium would introduce certain plants much faster than historically possible.

    All of it would be a great pain tough. Oh and bleach. Given I'm living in Flanders, a historic textile region, having the know how to make bleach, both in the old chemical way as well as the industrious electro-chemical way, could potentially make me rich.
     
  13. orcot Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    3,488
    Yes,
    I write in big blocks. I should watch my grammar.
    Thx for reminding me in such a passive aggressive manner.

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  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Hey, at least you know I read all of it.

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