"Weeding" the Timeline & Early Timeline Contribution Guidelines?

[Rynn]

And this is the Information Age (100 years)

Thanks for posting this, now we're on the same page I feel. Thoughts below, if I've not mentioned an entry it's because I don't have a problem with it.

31 - infamous September 11 terrorist attack on New York Twin Towers and Pentagon changes the shape of the political climate for the next half century.

I don't mind it this is cut given that the growth of the security-state in the west isn't a trend we touch on in OA.

33 - Contact with Pioneer 10 lost (February 2003 c.e.)

Oddly specific for a minor historical event, don't mind cutting.

34 - US military uses Predator remotely piloted aircraft (UAV / RPV) for anti-terrorist operations.

This is quite specific and perhaps could be replaced by a more generic observation that fits with later entries i.e. "Robotics play an increasing role in warfare, particularly anti-terrorist operations"

45 - Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Ceres.

46 - New Horizons probe reaches Pluto.

I'm not sure we need so many entries on probe missions that aren't that revolutionary.

50 - Internet users in every country of the Earth are forming new cultural, political and economic groupings.

Could probably do with cutting, network nations and micronations become important later but I doubt they'd have their routes this early.

50's - Cheap and widely available unmanned and remotely-piloted micro-aircraft (UAVs and RPVs, popularly known as drones), as well as hand-held web-connected camphones allow individuals quick and easy access to independent news channels and other media, weakening the power of states and corporations to control public perception.

I would edit this, particularly as the last point is pretty simplistic/naive. Perhaps instead we could say:

"50's - Cheap and widely available unmanned and remotely-piloted micro-aircraft (UAVs and RPVs, popularly known as drones), as well as hand-held web-connected camphones allow individuals quick and easy access to independent news channels and other media. Commercial projects are launched to investigate the potential for drones in surveying, deliveries and security. Privacy concerns grow as drones are used to spy on people at home and work, particularly celebrities

50's - Interactive video widespread.

We don't do anything with this and it's an odd point.

52 - Continued environmental degradation in some third-world countries.

Could be cut or changed to climate change an increasing problem for developing countries.

56 - Employers begin discriminating on the base of the applicants geneprint.

This is too vague, employers all around the world? Perhaps change to something more realistic and nuanced e.g.

"56 - DNA sequencing becomes cheap enough that some companies (particularly insurance) begin discriminating against their customers and employees on the basis of their genetics. Many nations outlaw this practice, others do not.

60's - Genetic modification of humans becomes increasingly accepted

Should be removed, runs counter to the later article that it's massively controversial.

61 - Despite intense protests from proponents of independent academia, the EU Parliament decides on a "unified and quality controlled" university standard. The brain drain to the US and emerging academic free states like Peru and New Zealand intensifies.

Confusing, doesn't link to anything, should be removed.

63 - Academion Island founded by Aristos, a front company of various European universities.

Not sure what this is meant to reference, probably should be removed.

63 - Start of discussions to build a permanent manned base on Luna.

Is to vague to be worthwhile.

65 - Nanoscale technology in widespread use for the manufacture of electronic equipment and other commodities; biotech continues to play an important role in the development of many poorer counties, despite political difficulties

65 - Genomic benefits result in significant extensions to life expectancies for newborns

65 - Computer power equivalent to human brain is available at consumer level prices, but suitable software lags behind. True sentient AI does not yet exist.

I think all three of these can be removed. The second two violate canon and the first is quite vague.

67 - Widespread robot development

Perhaps should be replaced by:

"60s - Onset of the so called "Robot Revolution" as increasingly sophisticated visual recognition and motor control software leads to a proliferation of custom and generalist robots. Human employment in physical labour begins a steep decline leading to economic and social unrest in countries that do not have policies to cushion the blow.

68 - Following an assassination attempt in Venezuela, Ruth Duorkin incorporates a discrete kevlar outer skin to her bodyplan.

I don't think we need such minutia about Ruth in the timeline.

60's-70's - Emerging virtual states take on increasing importance with further advances in immersive tactile VR via wired 'hotsuit' and 'Simmball' systems.

I'm not convinced that VR is a route to "Virtual States", not least on its own.

70 - New superbaby generation of child entrepreneurs force big changes to business and employment law and practices, as well as rules relating to legal maturity and asset ownership

Violates canon.

71 - The Gates ward (the "Nobel Prize of Information Technology") instituted. The first laureates are Cody J. Komarinski and Sten Houweling, responsible for the DBS algorithm in agent management.

Meaningless I think.

78 - Brief fad for Polypedal pots, robotic houseplant containers

Unnecessarily specific.

~80 - VirchMon first developed, as smart pets, companions and virus guards for frequent net-users.

Doesn't add anything.

80-85 - Biopunk movement in full swing. Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available

Violates canon

86-87 - Static Music and White Noise becomes the most popular form of music in the 11-24 demographic.

86 - First broadcasting of The Planet X epic-comedy-drama saga featuring the popular fictional character Morag the Moravec more.

Both add nothing.

89 - Whole Entertainment Enterprises' Mesozoic Wanderings represents a landmark interactive VR edutainment and simlife

Doesn't add anything as it stands. Could perhaps be changed to mention it was a significant experiment in A-life that had applications beyond entertainment.

90's - Megacorps begin loaning money to hard-pressed governments.

Technically companies and individuals already loan money to governments by buying bonds. Anyway, this should perhaps be replaced by:

"90's - first cases of ultra-rich individuals/corporations bailing out poor countries through purchasing large quantities of land. These incorporated states become tax Havens and sites of unregulated scientific research."

90's - Cyborg augmentations developed that allow domestic animals to understand human speech.

IT will take a lot more than a simple augmentation. Suggest removing.

92 - Jarvis Microtechnics introduces the 25 gram robot "Pocket Tractor", revolutionizes agriculture

A bit simplistic and clashes with the IRL developments of robotics in agriculture (just the other day I was watching a video about self driving tractors, robot fruit pickers and automatic weed smashers). I suggest we change it to something like

"92 - agriculture is so heavily automated that less than 0.1% of the population are employed in the industry, most by the Jarvis Microtechnics megacorp."

93 - More advanced nanomachines constructed, but many technical difficulties remain. Nevertheless things look promising. There is a new wave of venture capital investment.

This is vague and a bit meaningless.

100's - a vast "genomic gap" develops between the haves and the have-nots, those having the benefit of germline modification, tend to be consistently more intelligent, more athletic, more healthy, and more physically attractive. Yet true genius and creativity remain elusive, as the combination of genetic and environmental factors that determine them are difficult to quantify.

100 - First emergence of Genemod dating and matching services.

The first violates canon and other entries, the second is a minor and silly entry.

100's - Centralist AIs apparently use "terrorist" actions and unexplained crashes to forcefully make sure "untrustworthy" ais do not reach superturingrade.

This is a bit early for the AI factions to develop. Suggest deleting.

103 - The Static craze dies out thanks to a counter-meme created by an independent memetic engineer and Elvis Presley fan Ryu O'Connor, despite numerous lawsuits on behalf of the entertainment megacorps

Doesn't add anything.

104 - First Artificial Wombs created.

Could be expanded upon, e.g:

"104 - First healthy baby born from artificial womb in the Arizona Commercial Territories. The technology was surprisingly advanced leading to many to speculate the megacorp run area had been unethically experimenting with the technology for years. Calls to investigate lead to nothing."

106 - First recorded backup of a '.....' spore exoself

Not sure this is particularly relevant to include in the timeline.

110 - A full-scale collapse or reformation of many geopolitical states is underway; a boom in gambling; emerging virtual states take on increasing importance; major developments in Antarctica

110s - Worldwide weakening of nation states.

These say the same thing but to different degrees. Suggest replacing with:

"110s - conventional nationstates decline at an increasing (though still slow) rate as commercial, virtual and micro- states become more common"

114 - "Tweak" superbaby Marcus Alfonse Lee becomes Chairman of the Board of "High Frontier" venture startup Orbital Explorations Pty Ltd (later to be renamed Lee Interorbital) at age 12.

115 - New developments in animal cross-species gene-splicing

115 - Ken Ferjik's Micronesian Quest, a detailed historical simulation

118 - Ken Ferjik's The Himalaya Wars, another detailed historical simulation, goes online. This and his Micronesian Quest inspire many imitations.

I don't think any of these really add anything, the gene-splicing one is more soft-SF than plausible.

118 - Businesses set up space businesses, boom in space hotels and LEO flights for the wealthy, increased automation and use of robots and expert systems leads to increasing unemployment and social unrest. As the homebot industry develops and the bots become more intelligent, reactionary elements in the general public like the Kozinskites and the Friends of Ludd become increasingly alarmed at the rise of artificial intelligence and see it as a danger to humanity.

Repeats a lot of what has already been said. Should instead be changed to something more specific regarding automation, perhaps suggesting that conventional socioeconomic paradigms are shifting in the face of automation.

119 - An internet based virtual world war centered on North America which shifts a number of assets and influence from previous geopolitical and corporate powers to new players.

Doesn't ever come up and doesn't make much sense. Remove probably.

c. 120 Superturing AI (with greater than human intelligence) common.

"Common" is ambiguous. Should clarify or remove.

121 - Ken Ferjik's Pertinax successfully integrates both elements of networked gaming and roleplaying.

122 - The suborbital/intraorbital Waverider brings about a drastic reduction in the cost of space flight.

123 - Ken Ferjik's MMORPG Mother Russia further extends many of the themes and developments of the innovative Pertinax, placing networked gaming roleplaying in an epic historical simulationist perspective.

126 - Ken Ferjik's Cuba integrates his earlier work in a detailed immersive political-educational simulation.

Ken Ferjik gets far too many entries that don't at all seem of historical importance. Also space flight is already "cheap" at this time, the waverider seems unnecessary.

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Ok that's all! Hope this helps