Brainstorming - Gearing up for a serious project.

[Magnificate]

In the fallowing months I and few of my friends in Kielce are to form a thinktank of sorts and star working on a serious project codenamed „Counterfactual World”. It will be not unlike Anglo-Dutch Empire Timeline or Tony Jones projects – that means an extensive and detailed timeline and an overview of “modern” world.

The POD will be Poland supporting Republic of Novgorod in late XV century. That will prevent the unification of Russia and cause major butterflies in subsequent worlds history.

I though it might be useful to ask you about your opinion on certain subjects before our thinktank starts actual work on that project:
1. Who would control the vast lands of OTL Siberia if the was less Russian eastwards expansions? Mongols migrating north? Chinese? Japanese colonist? Natives forming a coherent state?
2. What were in your opinion the main reasons of Portugal’s failure to achieve great power status in XV-XVII century? Proximity to Spain maybe? Bad colonial policy? Dynastic problems?
3. Do you think constructing “magnetic computers” are possible? By “Magnetic Computers” I mean a computer based on interactions between magnetic fields (positive-neutral-negative states) as opposed to flow of electrons (on-off states). I imagine them as being rather slower and tougher to miniaturize that OTL computers, but having much more memory.
4. Any other comments or suggestions are also welcomed. You can for example say what you expect from a TL with this kind of POD.

I’ll keep you all informed of the progress of our project (but don’t expect anything substantial before 10th August – members of our think tank are not returning from their vacations until then.)

 

[Justin Pickard]

The POD will be Poland supporting Republic of Novgorod in late XV century. That will prevent the unification of Russia and cause major butterflies in subsequent worlds history.

Cool. If Poland and Novogorod end up in the ascendent, you'll probably see far more permutations of republican government sooner.

3. Do you think constructing “magnetic computers” are possible? By “Magnetic Computers” I mean a computer based on interactions between magnetic fields (positive-neutral-negative states) as opposed to flow of electrons (on-off states). I imagine them as being rather slower and tougher to miniaturize that OTL computers, but having much more memory.

Don't know if this is actually possible or not, but it sounds cool.

 

[Darkest]

For Siberia, the Mongols, Chinese and Japanese are perfect candidates for expansion. The Mongols and Chinese will probably be able to expand a little more, earlier, but eventually Japan is going to get imperialistic, and begin a high-paced plan of territory-grabbing.

As for the natives forming their own states... well, they are surrounded by empires, so I'd imagine that there wouldn't be enough time for them to get a nationalist movement going. Certainly, the longer you wait to get the land-grabbing going, the more resistance there is going to be.

Can't wait to see what happens, good luck.

 

[WhatIsAUserName]

In the fallowing months I and few of my friends in Kielce are to form a thinktank of sorts and star working on a serious project codenamed „Counterfactual World”.

Darn, when I first heard the title, I wondered if it would have anything to do with Chris's excellent novel "The Counterfactual War." I guess I would be mistaken.

 

[Glen]

In the fallowing months I and few of my friends in Kielce are to form a thinktank of sorts and star working on a serious project codenamed „Counterfactual World”. It will be not unlike Anglo-Dutch Empire Timeline or Tony Jones projects – that means an extensive and detailed timeline and an overview of “modern” world.

The POD will be Poland supporting Republic of Novgorod in late XV century. That will prevent the unification of Russia and cause major butterflies in subsequent worlds history.

I though it might be useful to ask you about your opinion on certain subjects before our thinktank starts actual work on that project:
1. Who would control the vast lands of OTL Siberia if the was less Russian eastwards expansions? Mongols migrating north? Chinese? Japanese colonist? Natives forming a coherent state?

Manchus?

]
2. What were in your opinion the main reasons of Portugal’s failure to achieve great power status in XV-XVII century? Proximity to Spain maybe? Bad colonial policy? Dynastic problems?

Loss of initiative.

3. Do you think constructing “magnetic computers” are possible? By “Magnetic Computers” I mean a computer based on interactions between magnetic fields (positive-neutral-negative states) as opposed to flow of electrons (on-off states). I imagine them as being rather slower and tougher to miniaturize that OTL computers, but having much more memory.

What's a neutral magnetic field? You could say the same about electricity, positive negative neutral charge.

 

[Magnificate]

Loss of initiative.

Can you elaborate?

What's a neutral magnetic field? You could say the same about electricity, positive negative neutral charge.

I'm not a native english speaker, by "neutral" I mean no field.

 

[Tony Jones]

The main problem with this idea, I think, is that magnetic fields are essentially static, while for computing you need something more dynamic. I suppose the difference is like that between electrical charge (e.g. static electricity, that just sits there), and electrical current. You can compute with the latter but not the former.

Even it were possible to develop magnetic computing, surely, as you're going to have to be using electricity to generate and change the magnetic fields anyway, as in magnetic core memory, it would be much easier to develop electically-based computers? Trying to do it magnetically, as far as I can see, just adds an extra level of complexity without really giving any advantage.

Unless there is some way to change the magnetic fields easily, that is more efficient than just using whatever is changing them to do the computing instead (like electricity), then surely it will always be less efficient to use the magnetic method?

On the other hand, if you can come up with a plausible way to do it, I'd certainly be interested in seeing it!

You could use electricity to do the type of trinary computing you describe though. That would be quite different to OTL computing technology!

 

[King Gorilla]

Could Novograd end up stretching from finland to the urals with a permanent seperate Manchuria and a greater siberian uzbekistan?

 

[Max Sinister]

Novgorod was already stretching to the Urals IOTL, before they were gobbled up by Muscovy. Do you mean the Pacific rather?

 

[Justin Pickard]

On a vaguely related note - does anyone have a map of Novogord at its height?

 

[Oddball]

On a vaguely related note - does anyone have a map of Novogord at its height?

Yes, I do.

But you will have to wait until monday, as I am on holiday right now, and do not have access to my "library."

 

[Oddball]

Novgorod was already stretching to the Urals IOTL, before they were gobbled up by Muscovy. Do you mean the Pacific rather?

Yes they traded in the area and thus claimed it. But their hold on it were pretty limited

 

[Oddball]

Could Novograd end up stretching from finland to the urals with a permanent seperate Manchuria and a greater siberian uzbekistan?

If you mean that Novgorod could beat Muscowy and become "Russia," then yes.

But for Novgorod in the strict "Republic of Novgorod" sence, I would say no. Way to limited population base.

 

[Magnificate]

You could use electricity to do the type of trinary computing you describe though. That would be quite different to OTL computing technology!

I suppose I can make them electricity-based, and only named magnetic-based because of tradition as first practical models of computer were truly magnetic based. Anyway can you think of other practical applications of highly developed magnetism in TTL? Like fast magnetic trains? Any idea will be appreciated.

Could Novograd end up stretching from finland to the urals with a permanent seperate Manchuria and a greater siberian uzbekistan?

I indeed plan Novgorod controlling OTL northern European part of Russia (including the Urals and quite a bit of Finland), but definitely not Manchuria. The Republic of Novgorod will be a rather weak and unstable country, repeating many mistakes that Poland have done in OTL. (The Poland itself will probably head towards absolutism, not nobles-democracy as OTL.)

If you mean that Novgorod could beat Muscowy and become "Russia," then yes.

One thing I know for sure about this timeline is that the will be no unified Russia., but three, maybe four Russian states, the Muscovy, the Novgorod and probably Riazan (but I need to do more research on that topic to be sure)

 

[Oddball]

One thing I know for sure about this timeline is that the will be no unified Russia., but three, maybe four Russian states, the Muscovy, the Novgorod and probably Riazan (but I need to do more research on that topic to be sure)

Good news for the Poles and Swedes/Scandinavians

 

[Fearless Leader]

2.What were in your opinion the main reasons of Portugal’s failure to achieve great power status in XV-XVII century? Proximity to Spain maybe? Bad colonial policy? Dynastic problems?

IMHO, Proximity to spain was a definite problem for Portugal's chances at achieving great power status. Their colonial policy was actually quite liberal compared to other colonial powers (IIRC Male Portuguese colonists were encouraged to marry natives. Their decendents would have the same rights and would be treated as whites.) The real problem for Portugal was a lack of a base population. Portugal never really had all that many people to begin with and thus couldn't really achieve great power status. Perhaps you could alter the dynastic situation in Spain and have Isabella of Castile marry Jao whaterver of Portugal and have a united kingdom of Castile and Portugal with an Aragonese state occupying the east coast of the Iberian peninsula...

I'm not sure how realistic that is but it's a start...

 

[Wendell]

Might Scandinavians come to dominate Siberia?

 

[EvolvedSaurian]

Perhaps you could alter the dynastic situation in Spain and have Isabella of Castile marry Jao whaterver of Portugal and have a united kingdom of Castile and Portugal with an Aragonese state occupying the east coast of the Iberian peninsula...

I'm not sure how realistic that is but it's a start...

Or better yet, a Triple Crown.

 

[Fabilius]

2. What were in your opinion the main reasons of Portugal’s failure to achieve great power status in XV-XVII century? Proximity to Spain maybe? Bad colonial policy? Dynastic problems?

Size I think comes into it also. It could get some more colonies maybe in XV and XVI century, but it´s limited by it´s size and population.

I think you can rule out the natives of Siberia forming a government, sadly.

Don´t know about the computers, but it sounds like a cool idea.

Anyway, good luck with your TL

 

[Max Sinister]

Yes they traded in the area and thus claimed it. But their hold on it were pretty limited

OK, but you could say the same about frex Spain and Portugal in Latin America. They owned it on the map, they controlled a few cities on the coast, and they had sent an explorer once or twice to the interior, but that was all.