OK, a few answers about Starflung.
1: What's a shared world?
A shared world is a setting which is agreed on between a number of writers, each of whom then write their own stories in that setting. Stories may touch off each other, characters from one may appear in another, and so on. Published examples include Thieves' World, Liavek, Bordertown, and so on. The Star Wars Expanded Universe could arguably be one such, although it tends toward complete novels, not short stories. There is usually one editor in control of the overall plot, and major events within the setting - the editor may or may not write their own stories as well.
2. Wasn't it neo-Mayan revolutionaries in 2012, not an unknown cause in 2060?
It was, but cool and all as the neo-Mayans are, they now have only eight years to get going, and the world looks a little different now than it did five years ago, when we laid down the original plans for Starflung. 2048 seems an actual possible date for scientific research stations on Mars.
3. Why did the starflung humans forget where Earth was?
I dunno. Do you remember where your great-x100-grandmother was from? A single piece of information like that, with very little practical use, is unlikely to make it down through thirty centuries. Perhaps if someone really dug in and did research across all the human civilisations across the galaxy, they could guess to within a couple of thousand light-years where Earth was.
1: What's a shared world?
A shared world is a setting which is agreed on between a number of writers, each of whom then write their own stories in that setting. Stories may touch off each other, characters from one may appear in another, and so on. Published examples include Thieves' World, Liavek, Bordertown, and so on. The Star Wars Expanded Universe could arguably be one such, although it tends toward complete novels, not short stories. There is usually one editor in control of the overall plot, and major events within the setting - the editor may or may not write their own stories as well.
2. Wasn't it neo-Mayan revolutionaries in 2012, not an unknown cause in 2060?
It was, but cool and all as the neo-Mayans are, they now have only eight years to get going, and the world looks a little different now than it did five years ago, when we laid down the original plans for Starflung. 2048 seems an actual possible date for scientific research stations on Mars.
3. Why did the starflung humans forget where Earth was?
I dunno. Do you remember where your great-x100-grandmother was from? A single piece of information like that, with very little practical use, is unlikely to make it down through thirty centuries. Perhaps if someone really dug in and did research across all the human civilisations across the galaxy, they could guess to within a couple of thousand light-years where Earth was.