What I would do if I had a time machine

[zmflavius]

Suppose you had a time machine. You could only operate it twice (as in, you can only switch times twice) and it could only be operated by you. If you went back in time to a time where there was a past self of yours, your mind would take the place of that past self's mind (and the past self would gain control of the time machine). Any other loopholes are free for exploitation. What would you do?

[solitu]

Buy a lottery ticket, that's for sure.

[MrBlack]

I would go to the day my wedding to my one true love, for old times sake.

[Choson One]

Get 2 of each eggs from the the Dino Era, and bring them back and giving them to Scientists. That would make me a legend in the Scientific Community. Maybe then we could tame them?

[thingirl]

There's a reason why Dinosaurs became extinct. And it's not because a commit crashed into Earth several millions of bajillions of years ago.

[zmflavius]

There's a reason why Dinosaurs became extinct. And it's not because a commit crashed into Earth several millions of bajillions of years ago.

Yes, but modern science can certainly recreate an environment where they could thrive.

[Doolipalally]

There's a reason why Dinosaurs became extinct. And it's not because a commit crashed into Earth several millions of bajillions of years ago.

[bad joke] Is that what people mean when they talk about a fear of commitment? [/bad joke]

[Daffanka]

Probably hop back to the 60s and go to Woodstock. ;)

[thingirl]

@ Dolli: :rolleyes:
@ Daffanka: Who or what is/ was Woodstock?

[scout1idf]

@ Dolli: :rolleyes:
@ Daffanka: Who or what is/ was Woodstock?



Here's a little reading about Woodstock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_Festival) for you.

[Daffanka]

Actually one more; I might go back in time and shake Gary Gygax' hand.

[thingirl]

Oh yeah, Woodstock. I read about that in ancient history class ;)

[Oldschool]

Probably hop back to the 60s and go to Woodstock. ;)

Actually one more; I might go back in time and shake Gary Gygax' hand.

Excellent and rep-worthy as ever.

[Elrond]

@ Daffanka: Who or what is/ was Woodstock?

Oh yeah, Woodstock. I read about that in ancient history class ;)

Thingirl, your memory is slipping and you're only 14 years old!

[scout1idf]

Actually one more; I might go back in time and shake Gary Gygax' hand.
Now that's something I would like to do!!

[thingirl]

Thingirl, your memory is slipping and you're only 14 years old!

I learned it 2 years ago. How many things from 6th grade did you remember in 8th?

[zmflavius]

I learned it 2 years ago. How many things from 6th grade did you remember in 8th?

When I was in 8th grade, I remembered almost everything academic-related I learned in 6th grade.

[Badstench]

My favourite movie themes involve time travel, anything from that really old movie, "The Time Machine" (recently re-made. It was passably okay) to "The Butterfly Effect" and "Groundhog Day". The latter remains in my "all-time-favourite" movies even though I don't particularly like Bill Murray. However, I do adore Andie MacDowell... not in a "phwar" sort of way, but in a , "yeah, I'd go there" sort of way.

But what would I do If I had a time machine?

There are so many mistakes I could correct, things I wish I could unsay and undo, things I should have said and did that I didn't.

All of those things are personally selfish events that might have changed my "now" life for the better, but you know what?

I just wish I'd known my father a bit better, been someone he would have enjoyed spending time with when he was alive. I was a crap son, a rebellious teenager who caused him more angst than not.

When he was dying of cancer, I will never forget what he said to me one day... "There was a time I'd given up on you. I don't know exactly when it happened or why, but one day, you were suddenly okay".

I want to go back before the time I was "suddenly okay". I want him to see me in a better light.

[crazyjay13]

i would go back in time and save lincon
but if you messed with time you could start a time paradox

[zmflavius]

i would go back in time and save lincon
but if you messed with time you could start a time paradox

Not necessarily, depending on how you view time travel, for example, you might cause a parallel universe to appear, or disappear from your time period, or end up doing nothing at all because the problem solves itself.

[spencer]

I might have to murder a young Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin.

[thingirl]

Ahh, but WWII played a big part in lifting the US out of the Great Depression. And we might still not have visited the moon if it weren't for the Cold War and the ensuing Space Race.

True, they were both [long string of profanity] jerks, but good did come of them. Sort of.

OK, maybe I would murder Hitler.

[zmflavius]

I remember that the premise of the Command & Conquer Series involves Albert Einstein convincing Hitler that Jews aren't evil and thus keeping him from rising to the position of Fuhrer, and thus allowing the Soviet Union to become a major world power much earlier because there was no Nazi invasion to set it back...

On the other hand, I wonder if killing Josef Stalin would fix that...

[thingirl]

There's still the point of no cold war probably equals no space race = no man would have walked on the moon, and we still wouldn't know much about space.

[Young Ned]

While walking on the moon was a tremendous achievement, we haven't done anything with it since then! :mad: We don't even have the capability of going to the moon any more; the space shuttle can't reach it. :(

Maybe if the Cold War hadn't prodded us into racing Russia to the moon, we'd have taken longer to get there but had a better idea what to do with it when we did.

[zmflavius]

While walking on the moon was a tremendous achievement, we haven't done anything with it since then! :mad: We don't even have the capability of going to the moon any more; the space shuttle can't reach it. :(

Maybe if the Cold War hadn't prodded us into racing Russia to the moon, we'd have taken longer to get there but had a better idea what to do with it when we did.

/pedant:

Actually, we do have the capability; we just can't be bothered to use it; capability is defined as the ability to do something, and we know how, and we have everything we need to do it; we just don't bother.

[Young Ned]

/pedant:

Actually, we do have the capability; we just can't be bothered to use it; capability is defined as the ability to do something, and we know how, and we have everything we need to do it; we just don't bother.

Well, we don't currently have the ability to get to the moon -- if tomorrow some urgent reason came up for us to get to the moon in a month, or even a year, we couldn't. There are no Saturn V boosters in existence any more, and it would take us several years to design/build something comparable. In my book, that means we can redevelop the capability to get there, but we don't currently have it. We lost it when the last Saturn V was used or scrapped.

[Oldschool]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/cev.html

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/cev/index_noaccess.html

[thingirl]

Cool. I didn't know that NASA is planning on going back to the moon. Thanks, Oldschool.

[Oldschool]

Thanks, actually that system and the associated Moon stuff is tied directly to Mars exploration.

[thingirl]

Which is even more awesome. If anybody can't tell, I'm a space nerd. Always have been, always will be.

[zmflavius]

Well, we don't currently have the ability to get to the moon -- if tomorrow some urgent reason came up for us to get to the moon in a month, or even a year, we couldn't. There are no Saturn V boosters in existence any more, and it would take us several years to design/build something comparable. In my book, that means we can redevelop the capability to get there, but we don't currently have it. We lost it when the last Saturn V was used or scrapped.

Yes...I suppose you're right in that sense.

In the same sense that Japan is not a nuclear power, because despite having enough plutonium for several hundred warheads, the capabilities and know-how to build several hundred nuclear devices, and an indigenous uranium facility (like so many other nations)

[scout1idf]

We have the ability to travel anywhere in the universe we want to.

Just go to AREA 51, grab an alien space ship, and take off.

You just have to deal with security on your way to the hanger........:p

[zmflavius]

We have the ability to travel anywhere in the universe we want to.

Just go to AREA 51, grab an alien space ship, and take off.

You just have to deal with security on your way to the hanger........:p

Actually, anywhere with space capable craft works.

Of course, there are no guarantees you'll survive the journey or that you'll reach it in a sane amount of time.

[texlaw1992]

I can drive there in 30 minutes. Unfortunately they won't let me take one of the alien craft from Groom Lake / Area 51 (I've asked when I was much younger).

[Oldschool]

Just build your own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=390WaPcxnFI

And this one will date me for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM7XbIXo-ds&feature=related

That was the movie pilot for the series.

Note the price for gas in the early part of the following.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODkJABWo08

[Young Ned]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/cev.html

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/cev/index_noaccess.html

VERY cool. I had no idea NASA was really planning to go back to the moon, let alone Mars. Thanks, Oldschool! :cool:

Which is even more awesome. If anybody can't tell, I'm a space nerd. Always have been, always will be.

I knew there was a reason I liked you. ;)

In the same sense that Japan is not a nuclear power, because despite having enough plutonium for several hundred warheads, the capabilities and know-how to build several hundred nuclear devices, and an indigenous uranium facility (like so many other nations)

That sentence seems incompl

[zmflavius]

VERY cool. I had no idea NASA was really planning to go back to the moon, let alone Mars. Thanks, Oldschool! :cool:



I knew there was a reason I liked you. ;)



That sentence seems incompl

/pedant

That word seems incomplete.

And what I meant was that "you're right ..."

[scout1idf]

Just build your own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=390WaPcxnFI

And this one will date me for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM7XbIXo-ds&feature=related

That was the movie pilot for the series.

Note the price for gas in the early part of the following.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODkJABWo08


Oldschool, you are old!!!!(for those that don't know) (http://srythforum.com/calendar.php?s=&c=1&week=&month=9&year=2010)


Actually, I loved that show. (Salvage 1)

[Badstench]

From Young Ned...
In my book, that means we can redevelop the capability to get there, but we don't currently have it.
Psst... there are lots of cows in New Zealand.

[Young Ned]

Psst... there are lots of cows in New Zealand.

Really? I thought it was all just sheep as far as the eye could see. ;)

I don't have a clue what that has to do with what I said, though... :confused:

[Oldschool]

I should have made mention of this re: Constellation when I first posted it above. That was started under the previous administration and while the current administration has increased NASA's budget it has voiced plans to scrap Constellation instead focusing on using commercial "partners".

Many members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have voiced opposition to such a plan and plan to try to save the program.

Although most of the lamestream media aren't reporting this at all the internet is full of info.

Here's a couple recent articles - googling will reveal much more if you're interested.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar...24-2010mar24/2 (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/24/nation/la-na-nasa-constellation24-2010mar24/2)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...a-funding-2011 (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nasa-funding-2011)

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/10040...rk-orders.html (http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100409-nasa-centers-get-new-work-orders.html)

[texlaw1992]

Since I live in the Houston area, the NASA changes will likely impact thousands of contractors who do business here. The local paper keeps acting like the sky is falling. My guess though is that Congress will keep Constellation funded. If not, NASA will adapt.