Money Monday #1 - 100 Zlotych note from the KZA

100 Zlotych note from the Królestwo Zachodnim Afganistanie in 1935

This is a 100 Zlotych bill from the Kingdom of Western Afghanistan. The Polish nobles who rule over a large portion of central Asia in the late 19th and early 20th century created this new currency to facilitate commerce in their domains. Local tribes don't trust this new money, but the King promised it was backed by gold and a safe medium of exchange.

The general poverty of the Kingdom still makes barter the primary means of exchange for many. The currency is of use by businesses that use the nation's growing railroad lines to conduct trade within the KZA. Most international still uses the Russian ruble.

I created this image using images of old Afghan and Polish money. Some cutting, pasting, resizing, and coloring resulted in what you behold here today. The money of imaginary nations can be as interesting as their flags and maps of their territories. It might also be good way for me to begin to explore other areas of alternate timelines besides who fought in which war and who conquered whom.

There are things more important in history than death, destruction, and domination; Science, invention, and prosperity.

the +2% Universe

If the multiverse theory is true then there are many possibly universes out there. Many could be similar to our Earth with variations to human history as described in in the timelines created in this blog and other sources of alternate history. But human history is just one of the things that could be different. There may be a universe out there where the strong nuclear force is about 2 percent stronger than in our universe. There might be a few other minor tweeks to the laws of nature and this strange new universe would continue on its path.

The more powerful strong nuclear force would allow stable diprotons to form, overcoming the electromagnetic force that keeps them from forming in our world. In the earliest stages of this universe shortly after hydrogen atoms are created they quickly pair off and form diprotons. Thus before the first stars form the universe is filled with helium.

Fast forward billions of years. In our section of the universe one solar mass of these atoms along with trace elements from the first generations of stars forms into the Sun. It is not like our sun, however. It is large and red, appearing in many ways like our star will look when it hits an age of nearly 10,000,000,000 years. But this star is born burning helium instead of hydrogen. after 600 million years much of its gases have drifted away and the remainder of the star has formed a what dwarf with a 0.6 stellar mass.

For the next four billion or so years as this timeline catches up to the point in time we are in ours the white dwarf slowly cools. Its surface is still over 2,000 degrees on the kelvin scale.

The Earth, or the charred sphere of silicon, iron, and carbon that is in an orbit close to where Earth would be, is a cold and tidal locked planet with no moon or life. Life as we know it is impossible in this universe. The lack of hydrogen makes many molecules impossible including a rather important one we call water.

With no life this timeline tends to have a long and comparatively dull history. Its Stelliferous Era will be much shorter than the same era on our timeline. And while our white dwarf sun is still rather warm the first silicon nitride molecules are forming. The chances of silicon life forming, even a trillion years in the future on this star, are nearly impossible. Silicon can create fewer complex molecules than carbon and the lack of hydrogen limits possible molecules even further. However given the huge periods of time involved and the unknown variables in this altered physical universe perhaps during the star's 100 quintillion year life something may eventually be born.

What that life may look like, and how it would function on a world with a mass 600 times that of Jupiter inside the volume of our own Earth, and given the higher mass silicon based life would have compared to carbon based life, it is impossible to speculate.

In any event the solar system by the equivalent of AD 2014 is lifeless, and will continue to be lifeless for the foreseeable future.

NOTES
The photo in this post is of the white dwarf Sirius. Photo by NASA 2005, and modified by me.

Some of the concepts in this article, including the speculation of life on white dwarf stars in the extremely distant future I got from the book The Five Ages of the Universe by Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin. I've only skimmed parts of the book but I intend to give it a proper reading this summer. Fascinating stuff!

While looking into the possible outcomes of an increase of the strong nuclear force I found many theorized possibilities. I picked elements I liked and assumed that other minor changes to other physical laws would pick up the slack.

While silicon based life seems unlikely I've been listening to the audiobook version of Weird Life by David Toomey and heard mention of silicon based life working better on the colder side of things than the extremely hot. Some details can be seen in this Wikipedia article on Carbon chauvinism.

Friday Flag - Canada

The flag for this version of Canada was created at a time when various British holdings in the Caribbean were being annexed into Canada. The blue with the white wavy lines represent the oceans that connect the vast nation. The maple leaf which dominates its center represents the people of the original territories. The flag is a bit wider than most others in the world to show the vast scope of the nation's lands.

Please be sure to check out the original post to learn more about this version of Canada.

Top Flag Championship 2014 - ROUND TWO

Welcome to Round Two of the 2014 Top Flag Championship. 

After taking tallying the results of ROUND ONE this is where we are at:

As in round one leave a comment to vote on each of the pairs listed below. Pick your favorite flag using any sort of reasoning you want; prettiest, best design, description of the alternate country it represents, or whatever. I look forward to see which move on to round three! Thanks to all participants.

Voting will go until March 31st, 2014. Results and Round Three will be posted on Aprl 1st!

PAIR ONE

A European Empire against Canada!

The Habsburg Hegemony
The Habsburg dynasty grows to control all of Europe and by the 20th century most of the world.

=========================================

Canada
The British annex Alaska after the Crimean War. By the 20th century former British Caribbean holdings are brought into the growing Canadian state.

PAIR TWO

A modern era Roman Republic against a post-apocalyptic city-state!
Fourth Roman Republic
Rome gets knocked down but never out. The Fourth Roman Republic has a lunar colony and controls a large portion of the world. Only the Chinese can dare challenge them.

=========================================

Thycena
Also an independent city-state that survives on the equivalent of South America in a post-apocalyptic world.

PAIR THREE

Communist France against a central Asian kingdom!

The TRD
A short-lived communist state that encompassed France, Spain, and Italy.

=========================================

Polish Kingdom of Western Afghanistan
Poland gained early independence from the Russian Empire and colonized central Asia. Now the colony is independent and preparing for a possible assault by a westernizing China.

PAIR FOUR

Freedom vs Anti-Freedom!

Federation of Free America
A politically stronger South causes a group of Northern states to secede from the Union in 1860. They fight a war in an attempt to maintain their independence. Will the succeed?

=========================================

Sino-Soviet Alliance
Russia and China don't split and eventually become one powerful bloc that may allow communism to eventually dominate the world.

Friday Flag - Israel

Israel could have possibly been established in Africa instead of the Middle-East. This is the flag that was devised for the nation when it gained independence form the UK in 1924. It was established in what is Uganda in the original timeline.

Please check out that old post for more information on this nation.

Top Flag Championship - March 2014 - ROUND ONE

I've created a number of flags from alternate universes over the last year. There are some I like and some I don't like. I thought it might be nice to get input from out in the interwebs as to which flags other people liked. So begins the First Annual Top Flag Championship.

I've paired off eight sets of flags that have to battle each other for being the prettiest, most creative, or just having that special something over the other in the eyes of our viewers. In the comments section list which of the flags from each pairing you like better. There are no rules other than just choosing one from each set as a favorite - your reason can be your own - good design, memorable, best back story for the flag, etc.

PAIR ONE

A couple flags with horizontal rows of stars on 'em!

The Habsburg Hegemony
The Habsburg dynasty grows to control all of Europe and by the 20th century most of the world.

=========================================

The Confederation of Europe
German victory in the Great War leads to their domination of the European politics.

PAIR TWO

A couple of variants that involve North America in some way:

Pan-America
A massive area controlling all of the North and South American continents. Cut all contact with the rest of the world during the outbreak of the Great War in 1914.

=========================================

Canada
The British annex Alaska after the Crimean War. By the 20th century former British Caribbean holdings are brought into the growing Canadian state.

PAIR THREE

A couple of red flags with olive branch thingies:

Fourth Roman Republic
Rome gets knocked down but never out. The Fourth Roman Republic has a lunar colony and controls a large portion of the world. Only the Chinese can dare challenge them.

=========================================

United Nations Battle Flag
The UN has more teeth. It controls its own military branch and uses this variant flag when peaceful means fail!

PAIR FOUR

A pair of flags from the same post-apocalyptic world:

Strumicvar
An independent city-state that survives on the equivalent of South America in a post-apocalyptic world.

=========================================

Thycena
Also an independent city-state that survives on the equivalent of South America in a post-apocalyptic world.

PAIR FIVE

A couple of interesting flags:

Sul Alianca
A large state that controls most of South America after the northern hemisphere devastated itself in a 1962 nuclear war.

=========================================

Polish Kingdom of Western Afghanistan
Poland gained early independence from the Russian Empire and colonized central Asia. Now the colony is independent and preparing for a possible assault by a westernizing China.

PAIR SIX

Communist French flag vs. White Russian General flag:

The TRD
A short-lived communist state that encompassed France, Spain, and Italy.

=========================================

Admiral Kolchak
A variant of the personal standard for Admiral Kolchak.

PAIR SEVEN

Flags from a pair of alternate Americas:

Federation of Free America
A politically stronger South causes a group of Northern states to secede from the Union in 1860. They fight a war in an attempt to maintain their independence. Will the succeed?

=========================================

United States of America (12 stars/stripes)
The United States forms a bit differently. One of the potential states, Saint Lawrence, declines membership in the new Union. the flag is adjusted accordingly.

PAIR EIGHT

A pair of Russian flags from alternate universes:

Russian Federation
In the aftermath of the Chinese and American war Russia finds itself one of the remaining superpowers.

=========================================

Sino-Soviet Alliance
Russia and China don't split and eventually become one powerful bloc that may allow communism to eventually dominate the world.







Be sure to vote for your favorite from each pairing in the comments section. I'll be counting votes up to March 24th and posting the results on the 25th.

Friday Flag - Confederation of European States

More on the history of the Confederation of European States can be found HERE.

The Confederation formed in the 1970s. By 2013 there were 24 members, each represented on the flag by a single black star. They included:
1) Germany (1972)
2) France (1972)
3) Austria (1972)
4) Belgium (1972)
5) Denmark (1972)
6) Italy (1972)
7) Netherlands (1972)
8) Latvia (1972)
9) Lithuania (1972)
10) Luxembourg (1972)
11) Norway (1973)
12) Sweden (1973)
13) Hungary (1973)
14) Estonia (1973)
15) Portugal (1973)
16) Yugoslavia (1976)
17) Bulgaria (1976)
18) Spain (1976)
19) Greece (1980)
20) Finland (1980)
21) Ukraine (1982)
22) Moldova (1984)
23) Albania (1992)
24) Ireland (1999)

Happy Birthday to Othertimesblog!

On March 11, 2013 this blog started. It had been one year - and it has also been a lot of fun. Time to take a quick look back and see where we've been:

My Three Favorite Posts
1) Greater Canada
2) The first post in my eventual series on an Alternate American Civil War!
3) Another post I had big plans on expanding on involving A Misfiring Gun at Gettysburg

Top Five Posts (not counting Friday Flag posts) based on page views
Many of these are the same as the ones in my end of 2013 post.
1) Greater Canada
2) Kingdom of Alaska: Really not a good post. Based off my first game of Victoria II where I just wanted to learn the rules and watch what the computer controlled countries did
3) Book Review - GURPS Alternate Earths: An awesome resource for running an alternate universe campaign in GURPS
4) Confederation of European States: The first timeline I created for this blog
5) Alternate Geology: A brief look at how the geography of the Earth could vary in alternate timelines


My own favorite image of the year
Looking through my current image gallery for this blog I see a lot of flags. I'll do more with them starting next week with my Top Flag Championship series. Out of the remainder of the images my personal favorite is this map I made for my alternate American Civil War:

It reminds me that I have to revisit this timeline and flesh out its history.

Do you have any favorite posts from the last year? Which ones?

What sort of alternate histories interest you the most? I have a number coming up over the next few months that will have divergence points in the early 20th century, but I don't want to limit myself too much.

February 2014 has had the highest number of page views of the last 12 months. Thanks for visiting. I hope the next twelve months will put this blog's first year to shame. I do plan to have more than 45 posts over the next year.

As I mentioned above next week will be round one of my Top Flag Championship. Eight pairs of flags will be facing off to see who is the favorite. Voting will be done in the comments section and each week will be a new round until one flag becomes the Top Flag!

Friday Flag - Sino-Soviet Alliance

In 1951, months after the Peoples' Republic of China entered the Korean War, United Nations forces were escalating their attacks to drive out the new invader. The Soviet Union became increasingly alarmed with the combat taking place near its border. When an American atomic bomb was dropped on Chinese troop concentrations in China the Soviet Union withdrew from the United Nations taking the other communist bloc nations with it.

An informal military alliance was forged between the Soviets and Chinese. Russian military forces were shifted to the east and entered the Korean War. Panic of the war spreading to Europe, which still was in ruins from the Second World War, caused mass migrations and a majority of people to move out of West Berlin to more secure areas of West Germany.

IN 1952 The Sino-Soviet Alliance, which includes the Warsaw Pact nations is forged. A new flag for the alliance is revealed. The first public use of the new flag is to fly it over the former West Berlin as it is annexed by the East in July.

The war continues for several more years in Korea with a catastrophic loss of life.

The Baltic Event

On 30 June 1908 disaster struck the Earth. At 3:14 am local time the Baltic Sea, just south and east of Åland Islands.

A tsunami was caused by the impact. The angle and velocity of the impact sent a larger portion of the water east. A huge wave was funneled down the Gulf of Finland. Coastal areas along the way were devastated. Helsinki, Tallinn along with other larger settlements are devastated. Some smaller villages are completely washed away. The tsunami actually intensifies as it travels down the Gulf. It strikes St. Petersburg with overwhelming force.

The Winter Palace is devastated and the Imperial Family is killed. Other centers of governmental power for the Russian Empire are destroyed. Governmental control is decapitated.

The Åland Islands have their surface obliterated. Waves pummel Stockholm and destroy a large portion of the Swedish government.

Less devastating waves finally reach the German Empire. While no-where near as destructive as the easterly and westerly waves it is enough to destroy a portion of the German Navy and to ruin a number of ships under construction in the shipyards.

Over the next decade and beyond the Russian Empire is in chaos. Revolution and separatist groups tear at the corpse of the Empire. After the first year of rebellions growing numbers of soldiers begin to long to return home knowing that their homelands may be in danger. Mutinies strike many of the regions of the military.

The United Kingdom, Germany, and France send as much aid as possible the the Baltic region. Denmark even occupies a portion of Swedish territory to 'protect' this humanitarian aid. They never leave.

The death toll of the Baltic Event is unknown but is in the hundreds of thousands. This is followed by starvation, disease, and in Russia's case War. As mentioned these wars span over a decade and give birth to dozens of new nations. By June 1918 this is a map of the region:

The nations existing out of the former territory of the Russian Empire include:
(1) The Russian Empire (in red), (2) Finland, (3) Poland, (4) Ukraine, (5) Kazakhstan, (6) Kara-Kyrgystan, (7) Uzbekistan, (8) Tajikistan, (9) Turkmenistan, (10) Azerbaijan, (11) Georgia, (12) Komi, (13) Maykopiya, (14) Elista, (15) Dagestan, (16) Chechnya, (17) Angusht, (18) Far East Federation, (19) Free Land of Bidzhan (Manchurian enclave), (20) Lesser Transbaikalia, (21) Yenisei, (22) Khakassiya, (23) Izhevsk Zavod, (24) Bashkortostan, (25) Tatarstan, (26) Cheboksaryia, (27) Mariy-El (28) Yakutiya, (29) Kabardiniya, (30) Batalpashinsk, (31) Ulala, (32) Kareliya, (33) Mongolia,

Russia if focusing on re-establishing control over the Caucasus region. It is also has poor relations with Kareliya and Komi, desiring that former territory as well. As of 1918 the borders of all of these nations are still not permanent. Ethnic groups are fighting for territory, resources, ancestral lands, and strategic locations to protect their territory. It will be another generation before things begin to stabilize.

I altered history on this one by changing the timing and exact nature of what was the Tunguska Blast on the OTL. A major change to astronomical events would really have a divergence point not too long after the Big Bang. This timeline is mostly to show how devastating things could have been if such an impact hit a little off course.

I might play around a bit with this one. Perhaps a post on a Polish-Ukrainian War, maybe one on the global reaction and changes due to such a devastating event.

A number of the new countries listed above were not even established by Russia until the 1920s. Due to my own lack of time and limited knowledge of 19th century Russia I've ignored a few things. A decade of civil wars is my excuse for anything that looks out-of-place.

I hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave comments.

Book Review - The Divide

(image from Amazon.com)
William Overgard's The Divide is an alternate history tale involving a world where the Axis Powers won the Second World War. From what I could tell history diverged at a couple points, one being the election of an isolationist President in the United States and the second being a change in Germany's tactics that allowed them a quick victory over Britain.

THE STORY
It is 1976. Two-hundred years since the Declaration of Independence and thirty years since the United States surrendered to the Axis. The elderly Hitler and Tojo plan a historic meeting in the center of America at a place they call the Divide. America has been a peaceful place for a number of years, no real uprisings, citizens being willing slaves to their German and Japanese masters. All that is about to change.

A number of people get involved in setting the stage for a new American Revolution. It starts with the bizarre assassination of a Japanese general on the Fourth of July. The story then jumps between various characters - the trio of freedom fighters and their interactions with other rebel elements, an SS officer tasked with destroying the resistance, and other people whose lives are touched by the ongoing events.

Pieces start to fall in place and all of the threads lead to the meeting of the two rulers at the Divide. There are plenty of set-backs and a few twists and turns along the way.

Overgard's style is interesting. There is a tendency to introduce new information and then spend a few pages telling the back-story of that new information, usually in the form of flashbacks. While this works in most cases, there were a couple of times I wished he would shorten some of the flashbacks and keep going with the events in the 'present'.

THE CHARACTERS
The Old Man (Wayne Stubbs) is the main character of the story. He has a checkered past involving accidentally injuring a prostitute, indirectly causing his wife to commit suicide, and then wounding another prostitute in an attempt to kill her while suffering the rage and despair following his wife's death. He then fled to Canada and eventually made his way back after America fell to the Axis. Not the most heroic of backgrounds but he now feels he has to make up for the past by saving the country's future.

The Cowboy (Cooper): This young man was raised by The Old Man. He was raised to be a hero and to be an inspiration for others in the coming revolution. He plays his role well but gets caught up in his first real encounters with women (he and The Old Man lived a very isolated and hobo-like lifestyle).

Claus Dieter is the antagonist from the SS. He is on the trail of the heroes after the July 4th assassination. He is an evil and deceitful man who, while smart, is usually in over his head. He tries to destroy the resistance while keeping his superiors from getting rid of him for any failures.

In addition there are numerous other characters, an Amerind girl, a Jewish woman who is putting the finishing touches on her father's bomb, and many others. Most of the characters are interesting and the liberal use of flashbacks in the novel gives us all the information we need about them.

FINAL ANALYSIS
A great story overall. I have mentioned the sometimes annoying use of flashbacks, but there were only a couple of places that this really bothered me. The ending, while it wrapped up the main story, did not reveal the eventual results of the new Revolution. In fact the last page was about Hitler's daughter being pregnant. I'm not sure if this was to set up a sequel or just to establish that history keeps chugging along, even after some really historic events take place.

As with life, there are not happy endings, just another day and new challenges following the last.

I gave this book 3 out 5 stars when I rated it on Goodreads. It's better than a three but not quite a 4. I was in a phase of not inflating my ratings with too many 4 and 5 stars.

PUBLISHER: Jove Publications, Inc.; copyright 1980 by William Overgard
GENRE: Alternate History
PAGE COUNT: 244
ISBN: 0-515-05492-5