I loved this story in the Wall Street Journal about science guys precisely dating a Viking settlement on the North American continent to 1021. (It gave me ideas for an alternate history epic about a Viking Amerikka, but I put them aside like a good boy and went back to my current deadlines.)
They were able to pinpoint when the Viking’s were there because of massive solar flares known to have occurred in 993. The flares threw off a space tsunami of carbon 14, which was stored in the rings of billions of trees.
“Any tree growing in the world in 993 will have embedded this rich carbon level,” said Dr. Dee, who helped pioneer the use of the carbon-14 spikes for dating. “There will be this jump.”
Dr. Dee and his colleagues tested wood specimens that showed the distinctive cut marks left by a metal blade—an implement unknown among the indigenous people of the era, who used only stone tools. Using the carbon spike as a reference point, they counted the tree rings in each specimen until they reached the bark, indicating the year the tree was cut down—in this case 1021.
“We have three wooden artifacts from three different trees and they all give the same date, “ Dr. Dee said. “This is really a big change in the precision that is achievable with scientific dating.”
Would the Vikings have lasers? And ride cloned dinosaurs? No, wait, better still, horses genetically engineered to be armoured and have eight legs?
I was going to ask if the Vikings (noun) would go viking (verb), but the present denizens of the North America below the 49th seem to manage that just fine already.
Free-associating now, whatshisface (he's not worth looking it up) the (more than usually) idiot-libertarian son of Milton Friedman, you know, Lexus and the something tree guy, thought the Vikings had the perfect society: no government policing or enforcement, and all disputes settled in an annual court. Which just demonstrates his deep, deep ignorance of anything Viking. Or of anything, really.
Alt history Viking epic? You write it, I'll buy it!
Seriously, thoroughly enjoyed Robert Kroese's The Dream of the Iron Dragon series. Had to find someone else to read while waiting for your next books JB, I read em faster than you can write them, actually no-one could write that fast, generally read them in one sitting, then read them again a year or two later.
No pressure, don't get sidetracked, want to see the rest of The Cruel Stars then more of Cady and Smith first ...
I had a blip of fan girl excitement about a Viking Amerikka, and then a blip of disappointment that you'd gone back to your current deadlines like a grown up responsible writer, but at least we're going to get more instalments of WW2.1 and Cruel Stars. I am HERE for an alternate history Viking Amerikka when your current deadlines are complete though #JustSayin'
Luckily the solar flare didn’t occur at night otherwise we’d never have uncovered this.
How completely ingenious. And fascinating.
Would the Vikings have lasers? And ride cloned dinosaurs? No, wait, better still, horses genetically engineered to be armoured and have eight legs?
I was going to ask if the Vikings (noun) would go viking (verb), but the present denizens of the North America below the 49th seem to manage that just fine already.
Free-associating now, whatshisface (he's not worth looking it up) the (more than usually) idiot-libertarian son of Milton Friedman, you know, Lexus and the something tree guy, thought the Vikings had the perfect society: no government policing or enforcement, and all disputes settled in an annual court. Which just demonstrates his deep, deep ignorance of anything Viking. Or of anything, really.
Alt history Viking epic? You write it, I'll buy it!
Seriously, thoroughly enjoyed Robert Kroese's The Dream of the Iron Dragon series. Had to find someone else to read while waiting for your next books JB, I read em faster than you can write them, actually no-one could write that fast, generally read them in one sitting, then read them again a year or two later.
No pressure, don't get sidetracked, want to see the rest of The Cruel Stars then more of Cady and Smith first ...
Dirk, shouldn't you concentrate on writing another vampire novel.
If you’re looking to get sidetracked, how about working on fleshing out A Captain of the Gate.
😃
I had a blip of fan girl excitement about a Viking Amerikka, and then a blip of disappointment that you'd gone back to your current deadlines like a grown up responsible writer, but at least we're going to get more instalments of WW2.1 and Cruel Stars. I am HERE for an alternate history Viking Amerikka when your current deadlines are complete though #JustSayin'
If it was anything like the strength of the Carrington Event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event, those poor vikings would have fried their modems too.