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Every planet could, and probably should, have a local timeline. Events that are not significant enough to go on the main historical timeline should go on a local timeline. If we want to have a master timeline as well, which includes all dated events, that would be a good idea. However the scrolling timeline is too limited in function to act as a master timeline, since it can only display a limited number of simultaneous events.
As far as the Technology Timeline is concerned, I created that to help contributors work out when a particular technology becomes available. You can't have people using magmatter or wormholes in the First Federation era, for instance. Each technology article should also have a series of dates to indicate when the technology becomes available, to act as a terminus post quem.
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(06-22-2018, 01:08 PM)stevebowers Wrote: Every planet could, and probably should, have a local timeline. Events that are not significant enough to go on the main historical timeline should go on a local timeline. If we want to have a master timeline as well, which includes all dated events, that would be a good idea. However the scrolling timeline is too limited in function to act as a master timeline, since it can only display a limited number of simultaneous events.
As far as the Technology Timeline is concerned, I created that to help contributors work out when a particular technology becomes available. You can't have people using magmatter or wormholes in the First Federation era, for instance. Each technology article should also have a series of dates to indicate when the technology becomes available, to act as a terminus post quem.
I agree it is very important to make clear to potential contributors when certain technologies become available, as well as other major events. Compiling that really helped me with my early timeline articles.
My concerns are (1) when we retcon something, we shouldn't have to track down 4 different references to do that. Past retcons don't always get them all and we end up with contradictions. And (2) making it easier to see at a glance what information is helpful. So, probably categorizing and consolidating.
I think anything that does not impact the setting as a whole (i.e. some political event in a single star system) should be removed from the general timeline.
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I think some form of master timeline is a good idea, for a variety of reasons:
a) It could be a useful tool for both the Editors and for the general membership to help maintain a consistent timeline and add new date related content.
b) Our current timelines are proving inadequate to properly represent the full scale and scope of OA history.
c) I think/hope it would make it easier for readers to also take in and gain an understanding of that same scale and scope.
That said, I'm not totally against local system or planetary timelines (assuming we can figure out a way to better manage them than we have to date), and I agree that timelines for things like technology are useful, both for forum discussion reference and EG article or story development. However, I think we need to try to come up with a better way of managing this aspect of the project. A master timeline that could be filtered by (for example) the primary topics of the EG or something similar could very much help with that.
If there were to be a master timeline and also other 'sub-timelines' on the site, perhaps the master could link to them in some fashion and/or act as the basis for them. We might update the master timeline, filter and sort it to display the relevant historical information for a sub-timeline, and then take a 'snapshot' of that information to embed on the relevant page.
Or something like that. It would depend on how clever we are with the spreadsheet design.
My 2c worth,
Todd
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We should create an archive page for the writings of Robert Bradbury (inventor of the Matrioshka Brain concept) on the OA site, similar to our Paul Birch archive and then make it available in both our Links and Extras page and set up appropriate Design Notes or Additional Information links from the relevant articles in the EG.
Basically, we should aim to store the information in our CMS instead of linking to external websites that may disappear at any time.
Todd
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The Internet Archive site at http://web.archive.org backs up many public Web sites on an irregular basis. Often (but not always) lost references can be retrieved from them.
Selden
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Agree with both recents suggestions by Drashner and selden.
About the Master Timeline. I think we could try to use a google spreadsheet since google docs are online.
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(06-24-2018, 05:15 AM)Avengium Wrote: Agree with both recents suggestions by Drashner and selden.
About the Master Timeline. I think we could try to use a google spreadsheet since google docs are online.
I would prefer a google spreadsheet for various reasons, however it appears that this would prevent us from being able to embed the resulting document in the EG while retaining the ability to sort and filter - which could be very helpful tools for users.
Perhaps we could set up an embedded spreadsheet in the EG and then have a link to a spreadsheet on google drive that users could sort and filter. But it would be preferable for that functionality to live inside the EG.
I think that there is a free version of MS Excel that is online only, but am not sure of the details, including what limits it may have on its functionality for being a 'free sample' type version of Excel.
Overall something we need to think about and play around with and see what shakes out I think.
Todd
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Suggest we review and update the Manufacturing Topic page as necessary, including adding in a list (with links) of the various OA technologies that would impact manufacturing and manufactured items in Y11k. This would include things like 'geltech' - a mixture of nanomachines, micromachines, and macroscale machines contained in/making up a matrix of smart matter 'gel' that carries the larger devices around, performs some functions on its own and can fuse together or split apart to create larger and smaller devices as required.
Todd
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Consider creating a 'geltech' page focused on the components and applications of the technology of smart matter 'gel' that is made up of and also contains/trainsports a range of devices from the microscopic to the huge - resulting in a highly adaptable technology that can merge together, split apart, extrude limbs, carry specialized devices, etc. as required and in a very wide range of applications and environments.
Todd
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07-01-2018, 10:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-01-2018, 10:57 PM by selden.)
(07-01-2018, 01:23 PM)Drashner1 Wrote: (06-24-2018, 05:15 AM)Avengium Wrote: Agree with both recents suggestions by Drashner and selden.
About the Master Timeline. I think we could try to use a google spreadsheet since google docs are online.
I would prefer a google spreadsheet for various reasons, however it appears that this would prevent us from being able to embed the resulting document in the EG while retaining the ability to sort and filter - which could be very helpful tools for users.
Google spreadsheets can be exported to a variety of other formats (e.g. XLS or CSV). An appropriate choice of the export format could minimize conversion (if that's even necessary) to whatever table format is appropriate for OA.
Selden
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