Saturday, June 30, 2012

FAN #126: "Cold As Ice" by Mike Keating

Now up at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #126: "Cold As Ice" by Mike Keating, in which Mexican spy Harold Pickett attends a not-quite-hockey game.

"Cold As Ice" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 22 September 2002.

Friday, June 29, 2012

FAN #123: "Waste Management" by David Mix Barrington

Now up at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #123: "Waste Management" by David Mix Barrington.  This is an immediate sequel to FAN #122: "The Unforgettable Fire".  Dave didn't like the idea of Paddy and Fingers getting away with the murder of Steven Taylor in "The Unforgettable Fire", so he decided to do something about it.

"Waste Management" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 18 September 2002 at 4:33 pm, about ten hours after "The Unforgettable Fire".

Thursday, June 28, 2012

FAN #122: "The Unforgettable Fire" by Johnny Pez

Just posted today at the Sobel Wiki is my own For All Nails vignette #122: "The Unforgettable Fire", in which Kramer Associates acquires some information regarding the Camacho Project.

"The Unforgettable Fire" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 18 September 2002 (my 40th birthday, as it happens).

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

FAN #120: "Careful What You Wish For" by Mike Keating

Up today at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #120: "Careful What You Wish For" by Mike Keating, in which Harold Pickett's boss gets a visit from the President.

"Careful What You Wish For" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 12 September 2002.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

FAN #119: "The Defector" by Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki is For All Nails vignette #119: "The Defector" by yours truly, a sequel to both #91D: "Sabado Gigante", and #104D: "The Gun Room", in which two of our long-running FAN characters meet for the first time.

"The Defector" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 12 September 2002.

Monday, June 25, 2012

FAN #115: "Come and See the Show, It's a Dynamo" by Bernard Guerrero

Now up at the Sobel Wiki, what may well be the most disturbing For All Nails vignette ever written, #115: "Come and See the Show, It's a Dynamo" by Bernard Guerrero, in which New Granada's armed forces investigate the palace of the Regent of Grão Pará.


"Come and See the Show, It's a Dynamo" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 6 September 2002.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

FAN #116: "The Garden of Forking Paths" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki are articles on the three German political parties mentioned by Sobel, along with For All Nails vignette #116: "The Garden of Forking Paths", featuring King Frederick of Poland and President Vieira of Angola.  Since my colleague David Mix Barrington is off for the week, it'll just be one vignette per day for the time being.

"The Garden of Forkiing Paths" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 12 September 2002.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

FAN #114: "Party On" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki, two more For All Nails vignettes: first, Mike Keating's #113B: "The Black Rock Plot", a sequel to #113A: "The Assignment"; and second, my own #114: "Party On", a sequel to #112: "And I'll Cry If I Want To".

"The Black Rock Plot" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 1 September 2002, and "Party On" on 9 September 2002.

Friday, June 22, 2012

FAN #112: "And I'll Cry If I Want To" by Johnny Pez

Up today on the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on the Arab Revolt, are For All Nails vignette #112: "And I'll Cry If I Want To" by yours truly, a look at politics in the German Empire in the wake of the Chancellor's assassination, and #113A: "The Assignment" by Mike Keating, in which a Mexican spy travels to the C.N.A. in 1972.

"And I'll Cry If I Want To" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 27 August 2002, and "The Assignment" on 31 August 2002.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

FAN #108: "Wheelchair General" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on the Ottoman Empire, are two more For All Nails vignettes: first, my own #108: "Wheelchair General", featuring the return of Yvette Fanchon; and second, #117: "Hanging on the Telephone" by David Mix Barrington, featuring the return of Felipe and Astrid Jackson (as well as being a sequel to #104D: "The Gun Room").

"Wheelchair General" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 21 August 2002, and "Hanging on the Telephone" on 11 September 2002.

Dog walk: 6/20/12

It's hot and muggy here in western Pennsylvania -- too hot and muggy to take the dogs out for a long afternoon walk.  The answer: take them out for a brief afternoon walk, and save the long walk for after sunset (which occurs around 9:00 PM here on the day of the summer soltice).

It was still in the upper 70s when I harnessed and leashed the basenjis around 10 at night.  It was the night before trash pickup, so the sidewalks of McKees Rocks were decorated with plastic garbage cans, heaps of garbage bags, and the occasional fifty-five gallon drum.  The dogs and I made our way slowly up the steep slope of Churchill Street in the still-humid night.  Street lights are few and far between at the summit of the hill on the ironically named Palace Way.  The dogs and I made our way down the dark street, with the occasional lit window showing on the suburban houses on either side.

There was nobody else around as the dogs wandered back and forth down Palace Way, pausing to sniff here and there where the sidewalk or lawn presented a particularly interesting olfactory picture.  We turned left onto the equally poorly-lit Fairoaks Street.  We were still alone, apart from the occasional passing car.  Off to the east, the sky glowed as the hazy air was lit by the lights of downtown Pittsburgh.

Passing down Railroad Street, it was much the same as Fairoaks Street: deserted apart from the basenjis and myself.  We turned left onto Brown Street, then left again onto Gray Street.  Here, in the Meyers Ridge development, we saw people gathered together on their porches, talking together and listening to music.  On Ridge Way, as the basenjis were sniffing at a patch of ground, I heard someone call out, "Hey, you with the dogs!  Come over here!"

It was hard to make out in the darkness, but eventually I saw where the voice was coming from.  There were three women sitting around a table next to one of the houses.  The one who had called out to me said, "Those are the dogs that don't bark, aren't they?"

I said that they were, and the woman told me we had met during one of our earlier walks.  I talked with the three women while the basenjis sniffed around, and every now and then a child would walk over and ask if they could pet the dogs.  I said they could, since the basenjis are always happy to get attention.  One of the women asked if I had just moved into the neighborhood, and I explained that I had been living nearby for eight months, and that the dogs and I enjoyed going on long walks. After a time, the woman who had called me over thanked me for stopping by, and we resumed our walk.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

FAN #104D: "The Gun Room" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki are two For All Nails vignettes: my own #104D: "The Gun Room", in which radical historian Joan Kahn moonlights as a superspy, and David Mix Barrington's #110B: "Yes, Minister", a sequel to #110A: "Between the Rivers".

"The Gun Room" was posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 1 September 2002, and "Yes, Minister" on 29 August 2002.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

FAN #103: "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" by Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes, both posted by their authors.  First, there's my own #103: "Matchmaker, Matchmaker", in which a royal marriage is arranged in July 1974 between King Fernando of New Granada and Princess Sophia of Great Britain.  Next is David Mix Barrington's #110A: "Between the Rivers", in which a political analyst discusses the August 1974 election results in the C.N.A.

"Matchmaker, Matchmaker" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 August 2002, and "Between the Rivers" on 25 August 2002.

Princess Sophia, btw, is based on a shw-i regular from back in the day who was noted for her brilliance and elegance.  (Check out the Wikipedia article on Netley Abbey, much of it her work, for evidence of both her brilliance and her elegance.)

Monday, June 18, 2012

FAN #102: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by Johnny Pez

Newly posted to the Sobel Wiki: an article on Belgium, and a couple more For All Nails vignettes: my own #102: "You Can't Always Get What You Want", a sequel to #99: "Another Royal Audience", and David Mix Barrington's #109: "Strap Your Hands 'Cross My Engines", a sequel to #105: "Do You Know the Way to Millinocket?".  As I've noted before, the FAN cabal had a weakness for popular music references.

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 2 August 2002, and "Strap Your Hands 'Cross My Engines" on 25 August 2002.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

FAN #99: "Another Royal Audience" by Johnny Pez

Today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes: my own #99: "Another Royal Audience", a sequel to Henrik Kiertzner's #98, "Ambiguity Reigns Supreme", and #106: "Southern Man Don't Need Him Around Anyhow" by David Mix Barrington, a look at the C.N.A.'s special election in August 1974.

"Another Royal Audience" was posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 29 July 2002, and "Southern Man Don't Need Him Around Anyhow" on 10 August 2002.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

FAN #97: "A Little Less Conversation" by Johnny Pez

Today the Sobel Wiki presents an embarrassment of riches.  In addition to an article on the South American nation of New Granada, there is an essay on the early history of New Granada by Carlos Thompson, and the text of the Mexican Constitution of 1819 by Noel Maurer.  In addition, there are two For All Nails vignettes, my own #97: "A Little Less Conversation", featuring a German cabinet meeting a week after the assassination of the Chancellor, and Dan McDonald's #107: "Trent's Fighting Airmobiles", an excerpt from a guide to military aircraft.

"New Granada at the end of the 18th century" was posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 28 November, "Autonomous New Granada" on 1 December, "Briefly outline New Granada, 19th century" on 3 December 2001, "Constitution of the United States of Mexico" on 4 January 2002, "A Little Less Conversation" on 25 July 2002, and "Trent's Fighting Airmobiles" on 24 August 2002.

Friday, June 15, 2012

FAN #95: "Get Shorty" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki are For All Nails vignettes #95: "Get Shorty" by yours truly, set in the aftermath of the assassination of the German Chancellor, and #105: "Do You Know the Way to Millinocket?" by David Mix Barrington, in which a CBI agent infiltrates a criminal organization in Nova Scotia.

"Get Shorty" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 19 July 2002, "Do You Know the Way to Millinocket?" on 10 August 2002.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

FAN #93: "The Dream and the Nightmare" by Johnny Pez

Up today at the Sobel Wiki are For All Nails vignettes #93: "The Dream and the Nightmare" by yours truly, and #101: "The African Queen" by Jonathan Edelstein, posted by David Mix Barrington.  The latter vignette introduces Queen Alexandra of the Cape, and the former . . . takes some explaining.

The For All Nails project was named after one of the most popular multipart timelines to appear on the soc.history.what-if newsgroup, For All Time, an alternate history where FDR suffered a fatal stroke two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Noel Maurer, the evil genius behind the FAN project, decided it would be fun to assume that Robert Sobel would follow up his dual history of the USM and CNA with a counterfactual history book, and he chose to have Sobel write For All Time.  "The Dream and the Nightmare" is a review of For All Time by an academic historian, which means that up until World War II, it's a review of our own history by someone from the For Want of a Nail timeline.

"The Dream and the Nightmare" was posted to shw-i on 14 July 2002, "The African Queen" on 31 July 2002.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

FAN #84C: "Succession" by Johnny Pez

Today marks a milestone in the history of the Sobel Wiki: the 1000th page has been created!  The millenium mark was reached thanks to the newly-created article on the Associated Russian Republics, as well as For All Nails vignettes #84C: "Succession" by yours truly, and by #98: "Ambiguity Reigns Supreme" by Henrik Kiertzner, both dealing, in their separate ways, with the consequences of the assassination of the Chancellor of the German Empire in June 1974.

"Succession" was posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 8 June 2002, and "Ambiguity Reigns Supreme" on 25 July 2002.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

FAN #84B: "A State of Shock" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki, along with newly-created articles on Burgoyne University and the Confederation Bureau of Investigation, are the For All Nails vignettes #84B: "A State of Shock" by yours truly, continuing the events of 28 June 1974, and #127: "Local Hero Comes Home" by Dan McDonald, a sequel to #124, "The Two-Headed Snake".

"A State of Shock" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 26 May 2002, and "Local Hero Comes Home" on 26 September 2002.

Monday, June 11, 2012

FAN #84A: "Surprise!" by Johnny Pez

Today brings two more For All Nails vignettes to the Sobel Wiki.  First is my own #84A: "Surprise!", a sequel to both #57B, "A Serb Bullet", and #61, "Picking Up Slack".  Second, David Mix Barrington has posted Dan McDonald's FAN #124: "The Two-Headed Snake", a sequel to M. G. Alderman's #91D, "Sabado Gigante".

"Surprise!" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 22 May 2002, and "The Two-Headed Snake" on 19 September 2002.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

FAN #81E: "Mistaken Identity" by Johnny Pez

Today, the Sobel Wiki is host to two more For All Nails vignettes.  I have posted my own FAN #81E: "Mistaken Identity", resuming our look at the coronation of King Fernando of New Granada in June 1974, and David Mix Barrington has posted Joe Horan's FAN #96: "Dominique", set in Haiti in March 1963.

"Mistaken Identity" was posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 27 May 2002, and "Dominique" on 23 July 2002.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

FAN #81D: "Conversation With a Servant" by Johnny Pez

Today at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes.  First, posted by myself, is my own #81D: "Conversation With a Servant", continuing the story of the coronation of King Fernando of New Granada.  Second, posted by David Mix Barrington, is #91D: "Sábado Gigante" by M. G. Alderman, continuing the story of Evangeline Gilmore in the U.S.M.

"Conversation With a Servant" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 May 2002, and "Sábado Gigante" on 11 September 2002.

The character of Mr. Quon from "Conversation With a Servant" was based on one of the more peculiar trolls who haunted shw-i back around the turn of the millenium.

Friday, June 8, 2012

FAN #81C: "Ball and Chain" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Thomas Jefferson, are the For All Vignettes #81C: "Ball and Chain" by yours truly, and #91C: "Hidden Menaces", a collaboration between myself and M. G. Alderman.  The former continues the coronation of King Fernando of New Granada in June 1974, and the latter Evangeline Gilmore's visit to a Mexican Air Force base a month later.

"Ball and Chain" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 3 May 2002, and "Hidden Menaces" on 10 September 2002.

"Hidden Menaces" brings up a technical question on writing.  When you have a character who speaks with a thick accent, how do you represent it in writing?  One option is to represent the character's accent phonetically, for instance by having a character with a Southern accent say "Ah do declayah!"  This was the preferred method of my FAN colleagues David Mix Barrington and M. G. Alderman.  Me, I preferred to simply mention the character's accent, stick to standard spelling, and let their choice of vocabulary suggest their accent.  Since Alderman was the primary author of "Hidden Menaces", his views prevailed, and so much of the dialogue in the film The Hidden Menace is nearly incomprehensible.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

FAN #81B: "A Visitor From Outer Space" by M. G. Alderman

Now up at the Sobel Wiki are For All Nails vignette #81B: "A Visitor From Outer Space", and #91B: "Watered With the Blood of Patriots", both by M. G. Alderman.  The former continues the coronation of King Ferdinand of New Granada in June 1974, the latter continues Evangeline Gilmore's visit to a Mexican Air Force base a month later.

"A Visitor From Outer Space" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 27 May 2002, and "Watered With the Blood of Patriots" on 3 September 2002.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

FAN #81A: "Youth of the Coronation" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Vignettes: I've posted my own #81A: "Youth of the Coronation", in which Don Fernando makes a friend while waiting to be crowned King of New Granada in June 1974; and David Mix Barrington has posted M. G. Alderman's #91A: "The Reproaches", in which Evangeline Gilmore visits a Mexican Air Force base in July 1974.

"Youth of the Coronation" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 28 April 2002, and "The Reproaches" on 25 July 2002.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

FAN #69: "Waiting for the Chancellor" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki is my own For All Nails vignette #69: "Waiting for the Chancellor", a sequel to #63: "How Many Germans Does It Take...", in which King Frederick of Poland meets the newly-elevated President of Angola.

"Waiting for the Chancellor" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 7 April 2002.

Though the truth may vary

The Johnny Pez blog now takes a brief break from the alternate history to present an embedded music video: "Little Talks" by Iceland's own Of Monsters and Men: 

Monday, June 4, 2012

FAN #66B: "Diplomacy" by Johnny Pez

Today on the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Martin van Buren, there are two more For All Nails vignettes posted.  I've posted my own #66B: "Diplomacy", a sequel to yesterday's "In the Muck", and David Mix Barrington has posted Dan McDonald's #77: "Leebild Electronics, PLC", chronicling the growth of the C.N.A.'s computer industry (a technology that Sobel made no mention of in For Want of a Nail).

"Diplomacy" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 10 April 2002, and "Leebild Electronics, PLC" on 20 April 2002.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

FAN #66A: "In the Muck" by Johnny Pez

Up today on the Sobel Wiki are two more For All Nails vignettes.  I've posted my own #66A: "In the Muck", in which the CNA's foreign minister negotiates the release of North American POWs in March 1973; and David Mix Barrington has posted #75: "A Helping Hand" by Henrik Kiertzner, in which two British officers begin training North American troops, also in March 1973.

"In the Muck" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 22 March 2002, and "A Helping Hand" on 15 April 2002.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

FAN #63: "How Many Germans Does It Take..." by Johnny Pez

Up today on the Sobel Wiki, along with an article on Poland, is my For All Nails vignette #63, "How Many Germans Does It Take... ", featuring a June 1974 phone conversation between the King of Poland and the Emperor of Germany, as well as David Mix Barrington's #100, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation", in which retired Mexican Army medic Carmen Valenzuela witnesses the invasion of Grão-Pará by New Granada in August 1974.

"How Many Germans Does It Take..." was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 12 March 2002, and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" on 29 July 2002.

Friday, June 1, 2012

FAN #61: "Picking Up Slack" by Johnny Pez

Now up at the Sobel Wiki are my own For All Nails vignette #61: "Picking Up Slack" featuring French Premier Yvette Fanchon in June 1974, and David Mix Barrington's #94: "My Father Was a Gambler Down in Georgia", featuring Southern Confederation Governor Lennart Skinner in July 1974. Why yes, the FAN Cabal was fond of pop music references; why do you ask?

"Picking Up Slack" was first posted to the soc.history.what-if newsgroup on 3 March 2002, "My Father Was a Gambler Down in Georgia" on 15 July 2002 (28 years to the day after the vignette took place).