Recent content by Thyme

A problem is that it has nothing going for it that would cause it to be chosen other than being the US Army service rifle when the author wrote the book. It's not related to any of the weapons the uptimers use. They won't bring any advantages to creating it over others. It's obsolete by that...

Being ELCA (or used to be), and having several friends of the family who were Roman Catholic, it wouldn't be hard to tell them apart. The religious differences are much smaller than 400 years ago, but the ceremonial and decorative clues are rather distinct. On the other hand, a communion with...

There were a few countries pre-WWI that used a 6.5 mm rifle round. If the US had had one of those as their standard rifle rounds in WWI (possible if unlikely), the BAR (assuming it was still invented, would probably have used it too. It would have been an OK, if still a bit heavy (even several...

True. Also, even if there is some damage, there is a big difference between tons on all of the fields and wetlands in an area, and spraying the insides of residences once a year. Note, the second is where the big drop in people getting malaria is from.

From what I recall, the invasion of the new world really bugged me, seeming too convenient, with Hollywood levels of fake.

I would expect there to be more emphasis on the extended family. Property, rights,... would reside there.

How hard would it be to get the US, either in the 50's or the 80's to unilaterally amend that?

That's part of the problem. The US system is theoretically designed as Uni prep. But it's uni prep for the 25% percentile of actual students. And this is designed by those who are about that level (It's designed to push everyone towards college, but not include anything that a slow, almost...

It's less that it's modern than Stirling has (chainmail, lesbian, nazi, magical, warrior, chick: pick 2) fetish. For the other, if die off is worse in urban areas, and the north-east (US). Demographics are going to get paler.

Perhaps Versailles & Washington, along with a few others could be decided at the same time. Another possibility is that is that a Germany that did just a bit better in WWI & Versailles could have a seat in Washington, even if it doesn't change what it can have (maybe with a few 'clarifications').

Oh, don't let facts get in the way of theory. It might wind up looking something Turkey, but with a weaker or less polarized international situation.

I can sort of see a possibility for a Keltic Christian church to split off in the 500's. This could lead to armies chanting 'For God & St. Arthur' a few hundred years later.

Perhaps it could be tied to a patronage system. I can sort of see a system that is theoretically semi-socialist/populist, but the actual power is in the hands of engineers/military officers/bureaucrats who are courted by the old rich. Accessibility to the right parties/culture and gifts keep...

If the POD is set somewhere in the early 19'th century, they could have been larger by 1900. Adding Laos, Cambodia, and a bit of southern Vietnam might be possible. That would help with the population.

Possibility: Army numbers did not include all security personel.