Significant Others

Alternate Historian says, construction work continues at the Academy.

From Jan 1 2008 we're releasing a richer story format for TIAH. Also having the story in a yellow shaded area, but underneath will be hyperlinked metadata tags. We're so keen to get your feedback that we've created the first two posts for today in this new style.

The Site metre tells us that the average site visit is around half a minute, so we're got to design for web grazers. Therefore, we're thinking of more whacky ideas for positioning the stories. Perhaps two-on-two magazine style, or a text scrollable with just the first paragraph showing, or perhaps expand/collapse button to see the whole story..

Trouble is the HTML is machine generated by an OpenOffice spreadsheet with a bajillion text functions. We want to finalise the design this month. Before we forget how the HTML is generated, we'd love some feedback from our readers.

Please email the Alternate Historian with your comments on the already underway developments, or better still some new ideas!

In 2012, on this day the City of Mississauga announced an exciting new development in free Internet connectivity services. The following month WirelessMississauga would be upgraded at the Central Library on Burnhamthorpe and Living Arts Drive. Currently, citizens could enter their library pass code and connect their personal client device to the Internet. WirelessMississaugaPlus offered the new feature of Power over Ethernet through WiFi. This new geek heaven was amazing, whilst connected online to a billion webizens, you could really keep your head down. By drawing power from the network, you could sit in a building of a thousand human beings and avoid any form of social interaction at all, not even to quarrel over limited power sockets. It was just a fantastic social opportunity.

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In 1999, author Stephen King saw a lost pet poster stapled to a telephone post on the right shoulder of Route 5 - 'Lost, a gray tabby, loves children, call Center Lovell, Maine 7-7661'. Signs that his old friends were about, the low men in yellow coats.

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In 2010, Adolf Hitler's second successor Austrian-born Kurt Haldweim died in Berlin. His replacement, the new fuhrer Heinz Buckliger was a dynamic young technocrat who planned to introduce a progressive new program of change. Thwarted by conservative elements in the Nazi leadership, instead of guiding the future of the Greater German Reich and the Germanic Empire, Buckliger triggered a Soviet-style crisis.

~ variant from Alternate Historian: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

Bachman	In 2010, fans of the author Stephen King received a tremendous shock in his farewell speech in Bangor, Maine. At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was such that an author was limited to a book every year at the utmost; any more, it was felt, was not acceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name in order to double his production.
He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym. The originally selected pseudonym was Gus Pillsbury; but at the last moment King changed it to "Richard Bachman" in tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. The name Stark was used in King's novel The Dark Half, a novel about an author with a pseudonym. The surname was in honour of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time. The foreword of each of King's books includes an open letter addressed to "Constant Reader". Fans had interpreted this as a personal message to themselves. Not so. At the farewell speech, King revealed that all of the books had been written by his "Dark Half" Richard Bachman and addressed to his alter-ego Stephen King, who was the real Constant Reader.
~ entry by Alternate Historian

In 1977, in a public relations disaster for the studio, 20th Century Fox entered into a badly timed length dispute with the African American actor James Earl Jones. Arising during bicentennial year, the perception was that dramatic impact of the role of Darth Vader had been mis-credited to a Caucasian actor. Director George Lucas never intended to use the voice of David Prowse, who portrayed Darth Vader in costume, because of Prowse's English West Country accent. Instead a voice over was provided by Jones. Jones cited the case of Linda Blair's Oscar nomination for The Exorcist, when there was a campaign for Mercedes McCambridge (who provided the devil's voice) to share the nomination. Jones found this ridiculous, and did not want to find himself put in a similar position with Star Wars. However, when he became aware of the prominence of the credit given to Prowse he was incensed but his request was made too late to alter the early editions of the move and hence the dispute. In fact the real credit was due to Ben Burtt who created the robotic voice of R2-D2 by filtering their voices through an electronic synthesizer. Darth Vader's breathing was achieved by Burtt breathing through the mask of a scuba tank implanted with a microphone

~ entry by Alternate Historian

Golda Meir	In 1972, a parcel bomb sent to Israeli Embassy in London destroys the entire building killing thirty diplomatic staff. Acting on intelligence that the bomb was placed by Syria, Prime Golda Meir appeals once more to the world to "save our citizens and condemn the unspeakable criminal acts committed." Privately she sanctioned an extension to Operation Wrath of God. Hundreds of Syrian nationals are innocent victims over the next decade as Mossad “set the boys loose”.
~ entry by Alternate Historian

In 1976, a Boeing 727 almost flew into a mountain near Isparta southern Turkey. The spiritual beings on the mountain prevented the death of of the 155 people aboard; when the Boeing set down in Istanbul, a relieved crew were greeted by flight traffic pashas of the Ottoman Empire.	Boeing 747
~ entry by Alternate Historian

DC-10	In 1989, a terrorist bomb exploded on-board a UTA Flight 772 in mid-air above the Tùnùrù Desert, Niger. The shrieking spirits of the 171 passengers were trapped in the wreckage of the Union de Transportes DC-10 Series 30 craft until the Sultan of Sokoto could send deep-souls to their succour.
~ entry by Alternate Historian

In 1928, Adam West was born. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and intellectual perfection, don a bat-themed costume, and fight crime. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, and intimidation in his war on crime.	Batman
At a fund-raising party, West met and falls for famous photojournalist Vicki Vale, recently arrived in town to cover the phenomenon and finds the courage to tell her : “I'm Batman”.
~ entry by Alternate Historian