People, events or periods you’d have on the list to meet, visit, if given access to a fully functional time machine. You have access as well to a universal language translator, a la Star Trek. Your machine has its own environmental systems, so you’re safe if you accidentally stop in a place with toxic atmosphere, or into water, or even slightly in space – you have propulsion capability. You have the option to observe and listen surreptitiously if you desire, or to “land” and interact.
What’s your “Time Machine List” ?
- Thread starter Spearchucker87
- Start date
My first trips would not be meeting people, but watching events. First the very distant past of earth. A few quick stops just to see how the landscape evolved, then I go quickly to taking in the wildlife: Mesozoic Era, the first great age of dinosaurs. Next Jurrassic, seeing them in their final glory, then watching the giant asteroid impact and the aftermath. Then maybe some saber tooth cats, Wooly mammoths, and finally some hominids.
They say you “can’t miss” Mesopotamia, so I’d probably also stop in there or at whatever are the earliest civilizations. Let’s see, we’ve found some abandoned “lost cities” in S. America and maybe elsewhere. I’d find the story of those peoples. And oh yeah, some quick stops to look for evidence of Moses stories. Archeologists tell me many aspects are demonstrably false, but I’d look around nonetheless. If nothing else, seeing the wonders of ancient Egypt in their full flower and glory would be awesome.
The trip that intrigues me the most is probably when I start hitting stops between 30 AD and 50 AD in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas into which Paul began his travels spreading the gospels. Paul’s verified letters kick in around 50 AD, some written to thriving Christian communities in major cities. It went like wildfire…..what the hec happened? In the 20 intervening years, I’d want to go beyond “church tradition” and find out the story of what really happened to the those men who ended up miraculously responsible for the worldwide spread of their primitive movement.
Next maybe the Mt Vesuvius event.
Take a look at 2-3 early full bore naval battles between the mid-millenium European fleets
Then a couple involving British fleets in the 1700s when they reached their full mastery in the Age of Sail.
I’m not going to list the people I’d want to meet just yet. Curious to see if others have any interesting answer. But as for the rest of my sightseeing, I’d be quickly off to the future, seeing how the story of man unfolds and eventually ends. IMO it won’t end all that gloriously. Probably independent communities will eventually move off this world in “Interstellar Arks”, but it’ll be tough for them—Go to Amazon and read the synopsis / Reader summaries of a new Sci-Fi novel called “Aurora” if you’re interested in some of the problems, from a novelist who knows his hard science very well. With velocity of maybe 10% C, you might have an effective range of close to 100 light years for your traveling society to remain viable. Pretty soon our telescopes will be able to identify any planets in the “local vicinity” that show the spectroscopic signature of an Oxygen atmosphere. So you could head for one of those, live and die in space, but maybe have your 12th generation descendent one day walk on the planet, if it’s within say 30 light years.
They say you “can’t miss” Mesopotamia, so I’d probably also stop in there or at whatever are the earliest civilizations. Let’s see, we’ve found some abandoned “lost cities” in S. America and maybe elsewhere. I’d find the story of those peoples. And oh yeah, some quick stops to look for evidence of Moses stories. Archeologists tell me many aspects are demonstrably false, but I’d look around nonetheless. If nothing else, seeing the wonders of ancient Egypt in their full flower and glory would be awesome.
The trip that intrigues me the most is probably when I start hitting stops between 30 AD and 50 AD in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas into which Paul began his travels spreading the gospels. Paul’s verified letters kick in around 50 AD, some written to thriving Christian communities in major cities. It went like wildfire…..what the hec happened? In the 20 intervening years, I’d want to go beyond “church tradition” and find out the story of what really happened to the those men who ended up miraculously responsible for the worldwide spread of their primitive movement.
Next maybe the Mt Vesuvius event.
Take a look at 2-3 early full bore naval battles between the mid-millenium European fleets
Then a couple involving British fleets in the 1700s when they reached their full mastery in the Age of Sail.
I’m not going to list the people I’d want to meet just yet. Curious to see if others have any interesting answer. But as for the rest of my sightseeing, I’d be quickly off to the future, seeing how the story of man unfolds and eventually ends. IMO it won’t end all that gloriously. Probably independent communities will eventually move off this world in “Interstellar Arks”, but it’ll be tough for them—Go to Amazon and read the synopsis / Reader summaries of a new Sci-Fi novel called “Aurora” if you’re interested in some of the problems, from a novelist who knows his hard science very well. With velocity of maybe 10% C, you might have an effective range of close to 100 light years for your traveling society to remain viable. Pretty soon our telescopes will be able to identify any planets in the “local vicinity” that show the spectroscopic signature of an Oxygen atmosphere. So you could head for one of those, live and die in space, but maybe have your 12th generation descendent one day walk on the planet, if it’s within say 30 light years.
Last edited:
Go back to myself and make my younger self sell everything and buy apple/MS/Qualcomm/eBay all at just the riiiiiight times.
There are 2 ways that could go, based on which theory of physics is correct.
1). If the “Many Worlds Interpretation” of quantum physics is true, you will have created a new branch of the universe / a new alternate history. You can never return to this branch we all live in. But we’ll wonder where you went to and miss you on the board. When you return to the year 2015, your young self will now be rich. So the question is, how are you planning to play this? Will your other self be so grateful that he shares his wealth with you, treats you like a "twin"? What if he resents your presence, or what if money has turned him hard and selfish? You know, you could just play it in disguise when you go back in time, so he doesn’t know it’s you. Then when you come back to 2015 you kill him, and assume his identity (it’s legally your identity anyway! ). There’s no reason for there to be 2 of you. You’re killing an identity that you created by forcing a new branching of the universe. So doesn’t that allow you to ‘play God’ with it?
2). MWI is not correct, either the Copenhagen or Transactional interpretation is correct instead, and the universe we live in does not split. Then physics says there is only one history, and it can’t be altered. Time travel is possible, but you can only take part in events as they occurred, IE, whatever history you visit, you were always in it. If you invent a time machine in 10 years, you could certainly attempt to visit your young self. If you succeed, it’s already happened: If you can recall a mysterious stranger ever coming to see you or your family, maybe wearing dark glasses or a thick beard, that could have been you. You recall anybody ever trying to get you to invest in Apple or Ebay? But at rate, you will fail in changing history. History within any one timeline is unchangeable. You might end up going and trying to stop the JFK assassination, but even with full knowledge of everything that will occur, we know that for some reason or another you’ll fail. You already have failed -- it just hasn't yet occurred in your personal timeline.
I had some thoughts when I started reading this thread, but now I think I'd just go back to 3 minutes ago and skip reading this post.
Back to just before that 350 million powerball, and buy a ticket with the winning numbers.
Mostly selfish reasons, I would basically go back in time and mentor myself through huge life decisions, stock tips, etc. would come back in time and be retired at age 35 with plenty of cash in the bank and a Dan Bilzerian type lifestyle
This is the first thought that popped into my mind.
Can we go forward with this machine?
The first thing that popped into my mind would be to go back and watch the moon landing. That had to be awe-inspiring for the people at the time.
I would spend more time with my mom and dad. Once that they passed on, I lost that opportunity.
Can this thing only go back in time? I am going 100 years into the future and go forward from there.
I was going to say I would go back in time to see some living, breathing dinosaurs, but I could also just go see the Stones on tour now for that.
This is going to sound crazy. But I would not go. It's like the Back to the Future scenario. If I go back and make alterations then it would alter my outcome in the present.
In the movie Marty comes back and his father has gained confidence and because of that he is more succeful etc.
But in reality, if McFly had punched Biff like he did. He would have banged Ms. McFly that night and then continued to bang other women, because you know they would have all been coming at him. Therefore leading to a nasty break up or missed chance of being with Ms. McFly and starting a family.
If I go back and get rich, then the same could happen to me.
So idk...if I had a time machine I'd prolly go back with a packed lunch and sit on hill in a safe spot and watch the dinosaurs graze in the fields. It would be something where other people are not involved or any altering of my future could happen.
In the movie Marty comes back and his father has gained confidence and because of that he is more succeful etc.
But in reality, if McFly had punched Biff like he did. He would have banged Ms. McFly that night and then continued to bang other women, because you know they would have all been coming at him. Therefore leading to a nasty break up or missed chance of being with Ms. McFly and starting a family.
If I go back and get rich, then the same could happen to me.
So idk...if I had a time machine I'd prolly go back with a packed lunch and sit on hill in a safe spot and watch the dinosaurs graze in the fields. It would be something where other people are not involved or any altering of my future could happen.
Go back and spend some time with Genghis Khan. I would probably not be allowed back in civilized society
There are so many. But I wouldn't mind seeing my birth. Last time Cubs won a World Series. Jesus, Washingtin
Homer Simpson already did that, and he accidentally stepped on a bug, which completely change evolution and we all had frog tongues. However, it did rain donuts...
Homer Simpson already did that, and he accidentally stepped on a bug, which completely change evolution and we all had frog tongues. However, it did rain donuts...
ha...well in that case...I would love to spend a day with Jesus, win the biggest power ball ever, and party for a weekend during the roaring 20s.
There’s a cute little Sci-Fi short called “Crucifixion Variations”, where a reformed alcoholic/born again Christian/super brilliant physicist invents a machine that can access views of the past. However due to quantum variations, when repeat runs are done, the past they view isn’t always quite identical. In one view of a battle scene, 2 soldiers are killed. In another, 3 are. When they go to the actual grave site to check, it’s yet another number. So they can see general trends, but there are mistakes at the margins. His big project is to research the resurrection. He views Christ’s ministry, the Sermon and the Mount, the Palm Sunday ride into town on the donkey, the Crux. Then he finishes the run and sure enough, inside the tomb Christ’s body is resurrected in an intense escalation of bright energy, and vanishes. His troubled atheist boss goes home to reconsider his life. Next day, boss comes in and finds the physicist completely distraught, falling down drunk, liquor bottles all over the lab. When he went back and did the “second run” of the history, Jesus never resurrected but the disciples decided his message was too important to lose anyway. So they decided to lie about it. And he can’t know which history is really our universe.
Yes you guys can go forward, lol. This no second rate company you're dealing with. My time machines are strictly top notch, and the world leaders in luxury. Just follow sensible guidelines. In going back for instance, while as noted at the top my machines are "space safe", it would be unwise of you to venture very close to the beginnings of the universe. Temperatures then are so high that if you stopped, the ship would vaporize and become part of the general background radiation. Likewise if you do not stop, when the diameter of the shrinking universe reaches the size of the ship, you will become stuck, but also unable to turn off the time travel engine without vaporizing. So don't fall asleep in your machine while venturing into the past! Going into the far future has its hazards as well. Go too far and you will find that the surface of the sun has now expanded out to near the orbit of the earth in its red giant phase. If you make this mistake, we advise you to continue forward to approximately 7 and a half billion years in the future, when the sun will have shrunk down again into a white dwarf star.
You have way too much time on your hands. I am envious.
1. visit the grassy nole
2. see Led Zeppelin....as many historic dates as I can get to starting with Earls Court in 1975
3. try to go back and witness the Philadelphia experiment
4. watch the pyramids being built
5. visit George W. Bush around June 2001 and warn of 9/11...and hope the conspiracy nuts were not correct
And the list could go on forever...
2. see Led Zeppelin....as many historic dates as I can get to starting with Earls Court in 1975
3. try to go back and witness the Philadelphia experiment
4. watch the pyramids being built
5. visit George W. Bush around June 2001 and warn of 9/11...and hope the conspiracy nuts were not correct
And the list could go on forever...
Well now I might have to get back to some actual work. I'm just back from some traveling, but mostly in 3 Dimensional space, not so much in time -- I don't think our Jetliner ever got much faster than 485 MPH, so General Relativity effects were most likely negligible.
Latest posts
-
Softball FSU honors seniors, sweeps UNC, picks up 14th straight win- Latest: Bob Ferrante
-
