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Killer robot posted:The Black Death is such a creepy thing. Even moreso that it wasn't alone. The Plague of Justinian in the 6th century might have been as deadly a plague outbreak, just it's got a lot less documentation. And its timing was critical too: had it not happened the Roman Empire was in a great position to reunite and reestablish itself in Western Europe, which would have been a hugely different history. Wasn't the Black Death one of the reasons for increasing urbanization in Europe, with all the economic/scientific/political then leading to the Renaissance (plus Byzantine refugees converging in Italy)?
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May 19, 2013 12:52
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I don't really get it anyway. Why would Spain or Sicily be African? And why would Egypt be independent of the Ottoman Empire if the French did not drive them out of it?
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Jan 17, 2014 09:35
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Lycus posted:I guess in this alt-history, the Reconquista and the Norman conquest of Sicily didn't happen. And I guess the Turks are classed with the European empires as far as foreign empires not holding a part of Africa. But... but Turks are ASIANS? Caucasian Asians to be sure, but it doesn't make sense. The Muslim Caliphates ruled big parts of Africa long before the Age of Colonialism. And even Carthage was a country of semitic (thus Asian) Phoenicians. Which brings me to Spain: So neither the Phoenician Nova Carthago, nor the Roman conquest of Hispania, not the Norman conquest of Hispania happens, but the Umayyads conquer it while the Reconquista doesn't happen. What does that have to do with colonialism? Similar deal with Sicily, where Rome, Carthage and Greek Syracuse coexisted until the Romans conquered it all. When has any African power held the Island before the Muslims? Even if the point is to show Africa without any form of colonialism, that would obviously invalidate the Muslim conquest, yet the whole of Northern Africa is ruled by various sultanates, and somehow the Muslim conquests of Spain and Sicily still happened. It is still a very neat map, but these inconsistencies are a bit strange. And I really wish he would not have drawn it upside down, it is more difficult to overlay it with the current Africa map to see how hosed so many countries are. The European colonial powers sometimes seem to have worked really hard to form states that surely must explode because of ethnic tensions.
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Jan 17, 2014 10:26
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cheerfullydrab posted:
I don't know exactly what you are saying, and maybe I did not express myself correctly (English not being my first language). I meant that it would have been easier to compare that map to most others if he had used the much more common "north is up" orientation. I do love maps, and in my bedroom I have a huge "Upside down World Map" that I bought in Australia, with Australia at the center. Although it does make sense for north to be up.
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Jan 17, 2014 16:07
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Cantorsdust posted:That's the thing--it doesn't make any more sense for north to be up than for south to be up. They are orientations parallel to the surface of a sphere and both at right angles to the actual direction "up." It does make sense for north to be up. Because most land mass is in the northern hemisphere. And the human inhabited continents go further north than they go south. The southernmost tip of South America is about 56. The northernmost tip of mainland Russia is about 77° northern latitude. Even if you exclude inhabited islands (which would tilt it even more in favor of the northern hemisphere), the land extends farther north than south. On a typical 2D map it doesn't make that much of a difference, but on a globe it is strictly logical to have north up. Since non-Antarctic land on the southern hemisphere does not extend too far south it is generally not a problem that it lies on the underside, since you can still see the land without turning the globe upside down or contorting your body to look under the globe. And if you have standardized maps, why should the 2D maps be oriented differently than the 3D globes? It is a bit similar to the prime meridian. It is rather arbitrary to orient maps north, or to have the prime meridian run through London, but both were good choices in hindsight (and really inevitable in the case of the prime meridian). Lycus posted:Can't you just flip it around yourself in any image viewing program? The writing will be upside-down when you're comparing, but that shouldn't be a huge problem if you really want to do that. I did just that, but I really wanted the writing with it to look up the various people. Abilifier posted:I think Islamic maps traditionally had South as up, with Mecca at the center. Since this map of uncolonized Africa would probably have a large Islamic presence, it makes sense that this map would have South as "up". So it was a map how Africa might have looked without European colonialism, but with Arabian/Muslim colonialism? Ok, understood. What kind of religion were the Berber of North Africa following anyway, before the Muslim conquests? I know the Ethiopians were Miaphysite Christians, was Christianity the main religion in the rest of North Africa as well? Torrannor fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 20:45
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Count Roland posted:What is logical about the prime meridian running through Greenwich? That its opposite side goes basically clear through the Pacific? Actually reading on wiki I bet this is your reasoning, because it is along the International Date Line that you add or subtract an entire day, to keep in time with the rest of the world. Having this line run through inhabited territory (aside from small islands) would be cumbersome. Is that right? It is not logical to have it run through Greenwich, but it was not a bad choice. If the prime meridian is roughly at the center of the world map and it's opposite marks the edges of the map (as it is with the standard eurocentric world maps), then you can only have the prime meridian run through a narrow band in either Europe/Africa or through Australia/Japan, so that the map edge cuts through the Pacific or Atlantic instead of a big populated continent. So having India or America at the center of a world map would be a map-making failure. Both methods of assigning the prime meridian are of equal value, but the sea faring and conquering civilizations that first standardized maps around the world where the Europeans, so they would of course use the map with the prime meridian in Europe, instead of the maps with center on the much less explored other side of the world.
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Jan 17, 2014 21:21
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I thought there was debate on weather you had to pray the most direct... direction to Mecca, so through the Earth if you are in Australia for example, or the most direct surface direction. With these apps and the cool projections, I guess it is settled in favor of the surface direction?
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Jan 17, 2014 21:34
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I may be revealing my lack of knowledge of heterosexual sex, but what is "Indian sex"? And why is it the most searched for porn in Nigeria? Also coming up in Iraqi searches: "Classic forced sex"... As opposed to new age forced sex? And interesting that simply "Japanese" was number 1 in China. What does that tell us about the Sino-Japanese rivalry? Number 3 in Lybia "American anal sluts".
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Jan 18, 2014 22:22
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Mister Adequate posted:I was about to get mad at you for omitting Estonia from the Nordics but then I found that you just can't click on Glorious Eesti. I thought only Estonia saw itself as a Nordic country, while the Scandinavians typically exclude it? There are even two Scandinavia and the World comics to back that up! http://satwcomic.com/party-crasher http://satwcomic.com/new-nordic
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Jan 20, 2014 23:11
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Rumda posted:Only in the highlands and possibly in Clydesdale, the Hebrides has a strong Norse link, Orkney is practically Norwegian and the lowlands is Germanic. Greenland is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark  Also love the different shade of green for Turkey. the jizz taxi posted:In the past few years I keep seeing the Visegrad group, Austria and Slovenia (and sometimes Germany) being referred to more and more as Central Europe, and Eastern Europe being reserved for Russia's sphere of influence in Europe. We've long seen ourself as being in Central Europe here in Germany, except during the Cold War, where it was just Western Europe vs. Eastern Europe.
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Jan 21, 2014 17:01
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Carbon dioxide posted:You folks talk about this as if there's an official membership to the group of Nordic countries and being a member gives you political advantages. Isn't it just a name? Or is it actually a group of closely cooperating countries like the Benelux? There is indeed an official group, the Nordic Council: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Council
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Jan 21, 2014 17:29
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Fabulous Knight posted:Finland is not part of "Scandinavia" in the original sense of the term, which definitely only encompassed Sweden, Denmark and Norway. I suppose the Nordic label was invented later to... well, I don't know why really. Personally I try to pay attention to the difference. But admittedly every time somebody talks about the Scandinavian countries and mentions Finland I make sure to remind them that we are not Scandinavian, and every time there is a press article on the media praising Scandinavia, I make sure to check that Finland is mentioned Well, Iceland is definitely not in Scandinavia but is is certainly a Nordic country. So this label is quite useful. Denmark actually has not held Skane for more than 300 years. So it is interesting that Finland, which holds parts of the Scandinavian peninsula, is not part of Scandinavia, while Denmark, which has not held land on the peninsula for centuries, is always counted among the Scandinavian countries.
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Jan 21, 2014 20:37
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Here in Finland most people who have a clue about the world around them are aware of this difference between "Scandinavia" and the Nordics and we mostly just consider the country Nordic. In the media it's always Nordic co-operation, Nordic countries, Nordic politics, never Scandinavia. Tbh we don't really care about Norway or especially Denmark anyway 
Estonia certainly feels a lot closer than those two states.
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gimpfarfar posted:The sooner we can get out of the EU and into our own Nordic union the better. Make moving around and relocating even easier, learn each others' languages/accents from the start and sit back and drink beer and throw massive parties in Iceland. Screw the Euro and screw all that austerity bullshit! Well, alcohol is much cheaper here in Germany, you mean you want to impose Scandinavian alcohol taxes on the poor Baltics? Wonder what the Russian minorities will do once you apply that tax to Vodka.
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Jan 21, 2014 23:01
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Heck, the baltics and the balkan latinos can come too.
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Count Roland posted:Sweet jesus. I just looked up the area on wiki, and indeed Alaska is bigger than the next 3 states combined (Texas, California, Montana). I did not realize the difference was so large. Well, in the oft-maligned Mercator Projection, Alaska is about half as big as the entire contiguous United States.
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Jan 29, 2014 16:19
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Count Roland posted:Yeah I was going to bring this up too. There is a continent worth of stuff, including a gently caress-ton of water, that nobody is exploiting. This is fine for now, but in 50 or 100 years when other resources have been depleted, well, I pristine Antarctica will be the new frontier. It was also because the colonists started terraforming Mars, making the poorer nations left behind on Earth think: "Wait, why must Antarctica be left in a pristine state why they are messing with a WHOLE PLANET?" A map relevant for all discussions about mining in Antarctica, namely the parts of Antarctica above sea level (in danger of shrinking even more because of sea level rise):  Of course if you are content to wait a few thousand years then glacial rebound will counteract rising sea levels.
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Jan 29, 2014 23:12
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Pyromancer posted:Did you notice that map of Ukrainian political preferences splits very much exactly where Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth border with Russian and Ottoman empires was 500 years ago? Yeah, this should be no surprise. In Belgium they don't even bother with pan-Belgian parties any more and just have different parties for the two language groups. There was never a unified Yugoslavian people no matter how hard others tried, and it dissolved along lines that are hundreds of years old. And it is striking how little support the Tories have outside of England. And even though the USA is much younger, you can still see the legacy of the civil war, with most of the CSA in the hands of Republicans, and New England with the Democrats.
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Jan 30, 2014 14:51
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Peanut President posted:Republicans and Democrats are a hell of a lot more complicated than you think. Mitt Romney (Republican nominee for president in 2012) was from Massachusetts, as an example. Huh? I don't follow. Of course you cannot compare the political situation in the USA to states where the different communities don't even speak the same language. It was just an observation that political divides are often influenced by history.
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Jan 30, 2014 19:29
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Phlegmish posted:I think it's interesting that the UUP was the biggest party in most western districts in 1997. I assume that's just because the vote was fairly evenly split between Sinn Féin and the SDLP. It's also immediately noticeable that the two more radical parties made massive gains after 1998. What exactly didn't the two sides like about the Good Friday Agreement, respectively? Except it did, in WW1, which is the reason why the Republic of Ireland is no longer part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (which had to change it's name as a result). And I would argue that the Troubles were indeed a kind of civil war, only that power divide was very asymmetrical. Of course the IRA could not have kept the fight going on for so long if some Irish-Americans had not decided that sponsoring terrorism in the United Kingdom was just fine. And they only really stopped after 9/11 because it was suddenly quite uncool.
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Jan 31, 2014 17:44
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As a non-American I am not quite sure what I am supposed to see here. It's not like the Latinos are concentrated only in the densely populated parts of Oregon or vice versa. What am I missing? Also I can hardly believe that the 0-50-100 miles bar is as long as the 100-200 miles bar in the first map, but using a ruler it apparently is correct. Good example of the brain deceiving you.
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Feb 1, 2014 20:59
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DrSunshine posted:I didn't know that we were living in a Paradox game! The pretty borders crowd is everywhere. Everywhere! Luckily we don't live in a Paradox game, because holy poo poo can you imagine Democrats and Republicans stabbing each other and declaring holy wars on each other? Ofaloaf posted:
Perhaps it is young children and foreigners looking it up?
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Feb 3, 2014 19:05
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^^Edit:  Anosmoman posted:European long trails map. I have the suspicion that these were all build/pad for by the EU, so it would make sens to not to include Yugoslavia. Which isn't even true since some parts are going through Slovenia. And notice the unfinished routes in the relatively new EU members Bulgaria and Estonia? And how the routes stop at the borders to Kaliningrad, Norway, Belarus, Turkey and Ukraine? Do you have a source for this map?
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Feb 15, 2014 00:15
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Baronjutter posted:I would have thought railways would be picking up more than trucks. The US has like the world's best and more used freight system. Europe is to freight rail what the US is to passenger rail. Both continents now seem to be really trying to make up for their opposite deficiencies though. That is because of the different rails used in the different European countries. You need different trains to use the French and German rails for example. That makes it kind of pointless for freight, while passengers are not that bothered by having to change trains.
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Feb 15, 2014 08:51
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Kennel posted:Freedom of the press 2014 (Reporters without borders) Interesting that infrastructure was part of the grading. While it makes sense in a way, I wonder how the map would look like if that did not fit in to the rankings.
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Feb 15, 2014 21:35
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Star Man posted:Your natural resources. Food.
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Feb 17, 2014 13:17
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I'm sorry, but all (European) flags that use a double headed eagle are immediately uncool. ALBANIA has an imperial eagle? I mean I should not be surprised (Great Serbia hurr), but seriously.
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Feb 18, 2014 00:41
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Kavak posted:What? First, Albanians aren't Serbs and (with the thorny exception of Kosovo) haven't been under Serbian rule for about 700 years, and second, they've been using that eagle for a long, long time: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Eagle 1. I know Albanians are not Serbs. 2. It's still an imperial eagle, apparently based on the design of an Albanian noble leading the resistance against the Ottomans. He was supported by Albanians, Slavs, Vlachs and Greeks, so that design must have intentionally evoked the Byzantines. DrSunshine posted:What about non-European nations? Is it cool if, like, Mexico or Canada suddenly decided to change her flag to a double-headed eagle holding some kind of sword? That would be all right. Though I think animals with swords on the flag are incredibly corny.
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Feb 18, 2014 01:04
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Well, at least the Albanians are consistent.
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Feb 19, 2014 17:51
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Hey, didn't we discuss this map already in this thread? Or was it the GOP thread? I swear this map was posted already on this board in the last week.
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Feb 19, 2014 19:48
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Poizen Jam posted:So this must be purely penetrative thrusting right? Cause if that includes foreplay then America is one dry country so to speak. Go to the source, it clearly states that the map does not include foreplay. Edit: And a quote from the article: quote:Besides, previous research has shown that, despite the hubbub about hours-long tantric sessions, intercourse itself usually only lasts for about 3 to 13 minutes.
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Feb 21, 2014 15:31
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From my limited knowledge about internal American differences... Am I wrong that this proposed division of the USA seems a bit unlikely, in that IF the USA would fall apart, it would not be along these lines?
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Mar 2, 2014 12:18
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A Buttery Pastry posted:The 47th parallel north. Habsburgs in Switzerland? Well, technically yes, but they never ruled over the Swiss Confederacy.
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Mar 4, 2014 00:27
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PittTheElder posted:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habsburg_Castle That's why I said "technically yes". But the modern Swiss society grew out of a state that was never ruled by the Habsburgs, and was deliberately anti-monarchy. In contrast to Habsburg Austria or Hohenzollern Prussia/Germany. Plus, while it is situated in modern Switzerland, it is about 10 km from the German border and did not become part of the Swiss Confederacy until more than 100 years after their founding. And even at the time of the Rütlischwur, the Habsburgs already ruled from Vienna and not Habsburg Castle. So the connection is very tenuous at best.
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Mar 4, 2014 09:51
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ulvir posted:No, pretty much in any place where a former social-democratic party decides it's time to go liberalist in order to win votes. So Europe really WAS the center of the world.
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Mar 5, 2014 00:17
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Raskolnikov38 posted:The Mediterranean Sea one probably wouldn't be because the dams are short. The 450 mile long dam across the North Sea would probably be worth a moon base or two. The building costs would not be that expensive as you said, while the damage done to the coastal cities (and the entire coastline) would just be huge. But space colonies are REALLY expensive, especially on other planets. I vote to use the funds earmarked for the mega-dams to build a space elevator. Edit: And in light of recent events, I don't know how Russia would take a stranding of their Black Sea Fleet in the Black Sea.
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Mar 9, 2014 18:28
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And yet the deadliest Tsunami since the Lisbon Tsunami I think? originated in the Indian Ocean. And wow, look at Japan, every time I see it I am thankful to live in safe Europe.
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Mar 10, 2014 19:32
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chairface posted:Aerobiz Supersonic had Russia joining the EU as one of the events in the Future Scenario. Also nothing bad happens to the airline industry in the distant future date of Fall 2001. As long as the EU doesn't collapse, then I don't see why Russia cannot join in the future? Just another 50 years could massively change things.
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Mar 11, 2014 10:07
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Raskolnikov38 posted:I visited Salzburg a few years and found the sheer number of 'Sudtirol is Austrian' stickers plastered amazing. Also hilarious. I find this much more reasonable than basically any other nationalist/irredentist claim. If the people of Südtirol would support an union with Austria, they should have the option to join them. Not that I want our southern cousins to get any bigger. Although, if they took Bavaria off our hands in exchange for getting Südtirol I would be OK with it.
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Mar 11, 2014 17:19
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The really impressive thing about this map is how they managed to completely mislabeled it. Look at the legend and then at the individual numbers, it just doesn't mesh. But the reduction of deaths is interesting. Even in countries that had no economic collapse did the death rate fall. Torrannor fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Mar 11, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 21:52
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Hogge Wild posted:Why is that blob there, by the way? Leftovers from earlier times? Due to my great history knowledge (courtesy of Crusader Kings 2) I know that the Magyars originated much further east, and when they settled the resulting Kingdom of Hungary claimed a much bigger area than Hungary today, including most of modern day Romania. Torrannor fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Mar 11, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 22:30
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Disco Infiva posted:It is acceptable. Also, no wonder Norway and Switzerland don't want to join EU, they don't have a single non red postcode. Apparently neither does Denmark, but they at least have both shades of red. You can also see the divide between Wallonia and Flanders in Belgium. 3peat posted:Maybe it means bigger than (almost) all the EU Interesting. One poster said obesity tracks poverty in the USA, but this is clearly not the case for the EU. Poor Hungary and rich United Kingdom as the most obese, poor Romania plus relative affluent Italy and rich Netherlands as the least obese.
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Mar 12, 2014 18:53
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