>>2 what is the parallel universe when the Sega Master System/Sega Mark III far more popular than the Nintendo NES/Famicom?
The iPhone has been revamped as a sugar-filled plastic wrapper because everybody keeps breaking it with their hooves. Also, Project Orion was put into practice, leading to significant concentrations of Antarctic fallout.
What's it like in the world where LaMont Cranston is a real person and The Shadow is a gonzo documentary?
>>203
I can hardly distract all these nubile females from trying to mount me long enough to reply to your post! If you have an insatiable sex drive, I heartily recommend this universe.
>>205
What's it like in the universe where the Chinese writing system completely replaced the Roman alphabet worldwide in the early 1350s?
>>211
We live in an dystopion society where people get pulled of the street and are forced to rat out on their dearest friends by writing explicit details about them for the government. They are never quite sure if their overlords are satisfied with their essays and always finish them with "THE END‽", opting for a character that is the perfect mix of an exclamation and question mark.
Let me tell you, the overlords are never satisfied. And the interrogations always end with a bang.
>>213
What's it like in the universe where nobody can see other people but still has to manage to live with together them?
>>215
Software piracy never became a big problem. Bereft of a reason for large downloads to become desirable, there was never a market for fast internet connections either, outside the confines of large companies and universities. The average household still uses a 56k modem to go online. On the plus side, websites with ridiculously bloated flash animations and mystery meat navigation don't exist, as few users have the patience to wait fifteen minutes until a page becomes readable.
>>217
What's it like in the universe where there are no tectonic plates?
>>243
They're actually considered more "depraved", as "nerdy" carries intellectual connotations. In any case, the entertainment industry as a whole is akin to pornography, and we do not speak about such things in public.
>>245
What's it like in the universe where Jews have finally taken over the world?
>>246 The movie which featured the song "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" will traumatize you for life, and the most famous porn star in the world looks like a combination of Ron Jeremy and Joseph Stalin.
>>248 What is it like in the universe where China and Japan switched places?
>>248
I'm going to assume you meant their populations rather than respective geographies.
Chinese industry is heavily impeded by recurring earthquakes along the north-eastern coast, forcing manufacturers to relocate further south. Given such a small area and disadvantageous location, however, it is reticent to maintain commercial operations and shifts swiftly to military fortification. Political and racial turmoil between Japanese and North Koreans causes heavy militarisation of the former southern Chinese border. Much of Europe comes to Japan's aid in attempting to pacify the embittered, enraged North. Russia remains outwardly indifferent while secretly entertaining the notion of Chinese/North Korean alliance, given promises of an increased nuclear arsenal, technological competence, and its strategic location above the entirety of Eurasia. North Korea, in a bid for land, resources and substantial manpower, abolishes the DMZ and easily convinces the South to become part of the DPRK. Parts of the northernmost Southern Pacific are conquered jointly by China and Korea to establish a stronger commercial industry and some weapons production.
It's all fucked up.
>>250
What's it like in the universe where we've dangerously intruded upon a massive underground civilisation spanning half of Mars?
>>255
All manner of graphical tomfoolery never had the chance to arise from the powerhouses of modern video cards. As a result, information is still presented with the least possible distraction and computer games have become increasing complex puzzles which offer far more challenge than their present counterparts. I suppose we're better off as a society for it.
>>257
What's it like in the universe where Elizabethan values still hold true?
>>256
The progress of modern medicine has ground to a hault before truly starting, and thus the vast majority of people still rely on apothecaries for remedies to ailments. Also, everyone wears really scratchy, starched-up clothes and it's terribly uncomfortable.
>>258
What's it like in the universe where a handful of gifted people have the ability to bring fictional characters in and out of reality?
>>264
The industry is now filled with F2P/DLC games which suffer from misconceptions about various religions. Microsoft allows you to create and customize your own youkai avatar via Games Marketplace.
On the bright side, Black & White title is resurrected.
>>265
What would the world be like if there were no Jews? Please, take into consideration an ancient history as well.
>>266 Many people are haunted by the sound of dial-up modem sounds, they are unable to stop the sound from constantly replaying in their minds.
>>268 What is it like in the world where all computers operate at 100 terahertz or more, have 4 TB or more of ram, and files download at 100 TB per minute or faster?
>>269
There's no heaven, either, and that's because the concepts of "good" and "evil" are unknown to us. We have a moral system that works on axes of efficiency and pleasure and it seems to work out quite well. Children are seen, and not heard. Trolling is an offense punishable by death. I'm a heroin tester and prostitute inspector. I am living in your dreams.
>>271
What's the universe like in the universe where all of the DQNs live together? Tell us a fun story.
>>271
The Kirby games gained popularity at an astronomical rate. Within a week of the first release, it was the most popular game on the market. Within two months, at least 40% of every demographic/age group was playing it. Nine months later Kirby was elected president of the United States. Several disorganised cults sprang up in His honour, followed by an organised religion known as Kirbyism. Now, in the year 2012, every single member of the human race worships Kirby and spends at least two hours per day playing Kirby games. Life is good.
>>273
What's it like in the universe where computers and robots are given the same basic rights as humans?
>>272
Programmers who create infinite loops are given long prison sentences without the possibility of bail. Also, cars take a lot longer to build because of the robot unions mandating that working hours and break times for robots be just as long as for humans.
>>274
What's it like in the universe where all branches of government in every human nation have been left in the hands of AIs and robots controlled by said AIs for the past twenty years?
>>273
On the one hand, we're a lot more efficient now that we don't occupy ourselves with a political circus of liars and charlatans jockeying for votes. On the other hand, the AIs regard us as resources to be used and managed just like all the rest, farming us in eugenic breeding programs, and if two of them go to war over resources/territory, you might end up being sent on a real-life Zerg rush. Draft dodging? Expect some robotic enforcers to show up at your door.
>>275
What's it like in the world where humankind has uploaded its consciousness into robotic bodies, leaving the frailties of flesh behind?
>>274
Turns out that being inside a robotic body severely hampers creativity, so the new society of immortal robots just sits there, doing regular maintenance on their bodies but basically stagnating.
>>276
What's it like in the universe where Japan was invaded and large parts occupied by Chinese communists during World War II, and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was carried out by Japan's American allies in order to destroy the most fortified Chinese bases on Japanese soil?
>>279
Most parts of the Earth were destroyed decades ago when world leaders launched powerful bombs that ran on little wooden treadmills and a few centilitres of water. Now only licensed thermodynamicists are allowed the knowledge of how to build them. Unfortunately, thanks to the ease of generating unlimited electricity, food, and water, thermodynamicist is the only occupation left.
>>281
What's it like in the universe where (GNU/)Linux is the most popular operating system?
>>280
There are five distributions for every computer user on the planet, all steadily growing towards mutual incompatibility. Companies have given up trying to release "Linux versions" of their software, and instead specialize on making software for maybe a dozen different distributions. It's like the old DOS/Mac OS divide times a couple billion.
>>282
What's it like in the universe where Neo-Confucianism has been adopted as the dominant ideology all over the world?
>>283
North America has a pristine ecosystem, unspoiled by even Homo erectus immigration. Mexicans and Russians have occasionally mounted expeditions there, but the many large predators kept them away. Europe is mostly torn apart by religious warfare, although France has become something of a global refuge for atheists. Australian aborigines number less than four hundred, and continue to be threatened by their British conquerors if they refuse to convert to Anglicanism.
>>284
What's it like in the universe where the recent drive by fundamentalist Christian Conservatives to boycott Facebook and Google has led to the creation of a wholly separate Conservative Internet, running on its own root nodes, data centers and cabling, with Conservatives refusing to connect to anything on the old Internet anymore?
>>284 The Conservative Internet means as much to the regular internet what Christian Rock bands mean to to music scene. This bothers investors on the Conservative Internet, so they always try new ways to limit the regular internet.
>>286 What is like in the parallel universe where religion is allowed to exist, but extremism does not exist?
$ cat >>293.c
#include <quantum/universes.h>
#include <self/thought.h>
#include <comms.h>
int main (void) {
universe_t *this = get_universe (null);
say (think (DESCRIBE, universe_inspect (this), null);
return 0;
}
$ cat >>295.c
#include <quantum/universes.h>
#include <bbs/kareha.h>
#include <self/thought.h>
#include <comms/question.h>
int main (void) {
entity_t *next_san = post_ref (null, 295);
ask (next_san, think (QUESTION,
universe_inspect (get_universe (next_san)),
pose_thought (WHALES_ARE_LAND_CREATURES)));
return 0;
}