Microsoft Windows is of course the dominant operating system on the personal computer, with Linux dominating basically everything else (even smartphones; Android is based on Linux). What if that was different? I’ll go through a couple of scenarios, one hewing more closely to real life … Continue readingOperating System What-Ifs
I’ve yet to publish the story, but I have finished it: a slice of life at the dawn of my alternate timeline’s space age. One of the big supporting characters is a friend of the protagonist: Muffy, a luscious tan platinum-blonde teenage girl with a … Continue readingTaffy’s Life: A Few Thoughts
Rather famously, the western United States have rather arbitrary borders, boxy figures defined by parallels and meridians, which has had the rather hideous consequence of placing e.g. very different regions separated by 14,000-foot tall mountains in the same state (Colorado, I’m looking at you). More … Continue readingBuilding Better Western States
Well, I went to Los Angeles and it turns out I love it; I’d move there in a heartbeat if I could afford to, and that’s the only place I’ve been able to say that for. Anyway, my latest escapade to the Southwest stimulates and … Continue readingThe Sun Belt in my Alternate History
I know I’ve spent a few days brainstorming for the first Mars mission in my science-fictional alternate history, but already I can’t help but plot out things even further for the timeline of early spaceflight. In particular, after the first Mars landing in 1963, what … Continue readingAn Odyssey to the Outer Solar System?
Years ago I established that in my alternate-historical/science-fictional setting a Russian-led expedition is the first to reach Mars in 1963, 22 years after the first manned spaceflight, and 14 years after the first landing on the Moon. Now that I’ve written up the first flight … Continue readingWorldbuilding the First Mars Landing
Having given some thought to my alternate timeline’s space program recently, I’ve been doing some research on space history in our world. One aspect that stands out to me is how much more capable a super-heavy-lift launcher (like the Saturn V, SLS, or SpaceX Starship) … Continue readingAll I Ask is a Tall Rocket…
I’ve finished writing up my story of the denizens of the Astoria, Oregon boarding house, weighing in at 17,000 words, which I will release sometime later this year; on Christmas Night 1941 they see live on their television the first manned mission to outer space, … Continue readingMy Lunar Program After “Wings of Fire”
You know, I really like plotting out alternate histories of spaceflight (like I did last summer), and I’m having the pleasure again the turn of this new year 2023: for my next story (see my posts here, here, and here). Instead of a manned Moon … Continue readingWorldbuilding the First Manned Spaceflight
I know I just made a blog post about a story concept of mine (plus an earlier one!), to the extent my posts on the subject might be longer than the actual story! Though we’ll see about that. I’ve been doing some more thinking, and … Continue readingChristmas in Americasia?