New Reality Seeds

[PTTG]

That could be the divergence point! A stronger connection between the monarchies at just the right time could reinvigorate the monarchists with a democratic leaning and external allies.

You might get three or four smaller wars. Certainly Imperial Japan would fight somebody, and the rise of Communism would cause at least a few fights.

The long-term cultural changes might be to allow radical ideology to remain a major part of the world stage into the modern day, and less modern humanism -- or rather, democratic globalist capitalism and social liberty would be just two of a number of world ideologies.

This sounds like a good background to bring about a politically different but technologically similar modern world.

[Astromancer]

Another path to an exotic modern world might be Napoleon. Nappy was interested in Science in a silly way. He turned down Fulton's steamboat but championed canning.

Still, if Nappy had seen that steamboats could work and the Brits laughed at to idea of "magic boats that could move against wind and tide" then the French could invade Britain in the early 19th century. Once that happens Napoleon does actually rule all of Europe for a time.

The USA and many European colonies would stay independent. Maybe the British Navy goes to America and demands an Alliance, (given the time period's culture it is certain they wouldn't ask nicely). In time they'd get an alliance of some kind, if only because Napoleon would act like a jerk.

Russia might march southeast to take India. Napoleon would take over the Ottoman lands. China and Japan would be far enough away to be left alone. A less than joyful USA/British Navy Alliance would keep North America independent until America could develop industry.

The French Empire would collapse by the 20th century or be super corrupt. The setting would be very exotic in many ways.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Another path to an exotic modern world might be Napoleon. Nappy was interested in Science in a silly way. He turned down Fulton's steamboat but championed canning.

Canning was way more practical than Fulton's boats which were far from ready for prime time while canning solved a major logistical obstacle to keeping troops in the field.

[PTTG]

In 1890, weeks before the board kicks him out for pursuing his pointless "war of currents" against AC, Thomas Edison announces that he has discovered a method of producing a new kind of wire capable of transmitting electricity without resistance. His superconductor is room-temperature, quite ductile, and based on a copper alloy produced in an immensely complicated process.

In fact, the superconductor was invented accidentally, by one of his scientists, not Edison himself. The true inventor was merely lucky, not a genius, and vanished into history.

It's the dawn of the electrical age and they've suddenly got full-on room temperature superconductors. What next?

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by PTTG

...
In fact, the superconductor was invented accidentally, by one of his scientists, not Edison himself. The true inventor was merely lucky, not a genius, and vanished into history.

If this is a "Edison takes credit for his employee's invention" parallel, then tradition says that the employee has to be Tesla. (This is much like the "time travel, ergo Hitler" convention.)

Originally Posted by PTTG

It's the dawn of the electrical age and they've suddenly got full-on room temperature superconductors. What next?

We might actually get power that's "too cheap to meter", depending on how little is lost in transmission. I don't know how that would change things in the first few years, but it'll make a difference once electrically-powered industrialization takes off.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by PTTG

In 1890, weeks before the board kicks him out for pursuing his pointless "war of currents" against AC, Thomas Edison announces that he has discovered a method of producing a new kind of wire capable of transmitting electricity without resistance. His superconductor is room-temperature, quite ductile, and based on a copper alloy produced in an immensely complicated process.

In fact, the superconductor was invented accidentally, by one of his scientists, not Edison himself. The true inventor was merely lucky, not a genius, and vanished into history.

It's the dawn of the electrical age and they've suddenly got full-on room temperature superconductors. What next?

Note that complicated equals expensive. So it wouldn't be used for long distance power transmission lines that make direct current actually practical. Instead it would be used for batteries, creating electric cars that are competitive with internal combustion.

Also "immensely complicated" processes aren't invented by lone inventors accidentally. They're invented by entire teams of researchers pursuing countless dead ends and the head of the team can legitimately take credit.

[Anders]

TL 6 Mag-lev trains might mean that automobiles never take off like they did in the real world.

Apparently the thermal conductivity of superconductors is very low. Could this property be used for insulation?

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by Anders

TL 6 Mag-lev trains might mean that automobiles never take off like they did in the real world.

Apparently the thermal conductivity of superconductors is very low. Could this property be used for insulation?

If this Parallel has alternate physics, then anything can be possible with superconductors.


I was thinking magnetic effects too. Mag-lev trains, early and weird flying machines... Edwardian era looking like Howl's Moving Castle.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by robkelk

We might actually get power that's "too cheap to meter", depending on how little is lost in transmission.

No such animal. It still costs money to generate. And even if it costs very little to generate, which is hardly implied here, and you charge very little for it, it will be used for anything and everything (Carry everything everywhere on giant electrical vehicles powered from overhead lines! Don't have doors on public buildings, have giant fans keeping cold air out! Colonise the Antarctic using giant space heaters!) until the marginal cost of production is driven up (because the generators can't build power plants and lay power lines fast enough) and the price of electricity rises accordingly.

Notably cheaper mains electricity will lead to the (faster) abandonment of any sort of non-electric industrial power plant, and more power-hungry industrial methods being widely adopted. One foresees an awful lot of aluminum in use. One also foresees a lot of pollution from hastily constructed cheap power stations.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Anders

TL 6 Mag-lev trains might mean that automobiles never take off like they did in the real world.

Alternatively, superconductor loops are used as power cells defeating the gasoline car.