In the course of doing some worldbuilding for my latest novel “Children of the Storm” (which is now up to 88,000 words, by far my longest work of fiction), it hit me that passenger riverboat traffic in the Mississippi River and tributaries would explode compared … Continue readingRiverboat Futurism, à la Nouvelle-Orléans?
I’ve remarked often that the social machinery of the United States, our very identity as Americans, is dependent on carving industrial empires out of the wilderness with a firehose of immigrants from Europe. As soon as the frontier closed and the flow of people from … Continue readingOne Billion Americans, 19th Century Style?
In “Scratch One Tassel”, I shared the latest concept I have for Tassel, including an Egyptian boyfriend, the worldbuilding context of a pharonist Egypt overseeing a Coptic language revival, and all that good stuff. One aspect I became interested in is how this alternate Egypt … Continue readingFlowers in the Desert: Worldbuilding A Larger Israel
In a story I’m developing Fia, a competitive ballroom dancer who wants to upgrade her appearance, will get her makeover done in Southern California, at the behest of her (soon-to-be) sister-in-law Katenka, who lives in Malibu: in her own words, close to where all the … Continue readingTaking my Worldbuilding into Southern California
Seems to be a month of map projections on here. Anyway, I’d like to spare a few more thoughts on gnomonic map projections, prime meridians, and the land and water hemispheres. Of Map Projections Gnomonic You might be asking “wait, what’s a gnomonic map projection?” … Continue readingMore Fun with Cartography
I’m a secular irreligious person who wants a big family, at least six kids or so. That makes me something of an anomaly…or does it? Might we be greatly underestimating the long-term demographic heft of secular “breeders”? Sure, highly religious people do have more children … Continue readingThe Secular Shall Inherit the Earth?
“Oh no, has Adamas Nemesis gone terminally online!?” I can hear you asking; well, as someone practically raised by the Internet, it’s rather pointless to worry about such things anyway. But really, I just couldn’t resist making a whole blog post out of a meme … Continue readingOn the “We’re So Blessed” Starter Pack
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
The part of Twitter I’m in is adjacent to some rather heated debates as to the fundamentals of Russia versus NATO in the Ukraine war, with some of the less-bright pro-Russian types coping about how the tremendous GDP of the Western bloc doesn’t matter for … Continue readingR&D and the Great Power Sweepstakes
Saudi Arabia has its vision for Neom, The Line, a futuristic linear city, but I think we can do far better right here in America: why not a Pacific Coast City, a contiguous urban corridor on the immediate coast of California? Coastal California is one … Continue readingLet’s Build Pacific Coast City!