Interesting hypothetical question. - Page 2

Uncwilly · 2014-01-17, 04:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by c10ck3r

Also, questions for UNC: Do we assume current life expectancies or life expectancies from the period? Do we keep our current age or revert to, say, childhood? Do we land, as previously suggested, in the same area geographically?

I think that current age is assumed. All others are up for grabs.

Oh, and one person said the very practical, "turn my smart phone off".

chappy · 2014-01-17, 04:58

one character

retina · 2014-01-17, 10:22

I now realise the flaw in my above comment.

The first thing I would do (albeit involuntarily) would be to suffocate in the airless void of empty space.

This is based upon the assumption that 2000 years previously the most likely contents of this portion of space of which I am currently residing would have been empty of any planet or star. Since the Earth orbits a star which is orbiting a galactic black hole which is moving relative to other galaxies, and that since most of the known universe is just empty space (virtual particles and the occasional atom or molecule floating around), then there is almost no chance of finding a suitably hospital environment awaiting me as I exit the doorway.

ewmayer · 2014-01-17, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by c10ck3r

I would attempt to make my way to Africa and work on three major goals

Those are "if I manage to survive my first few weeks, to say nothing of embarking on an intercontinental voyage..." things, not first things. The OP didn't ask for beauty contest entrants to say what they wished for most fondestly ("world peace and loving kindness and all that nice stuff..."), he asked for the first. Prioritize.

Quote:

Also, to Silicon Valley guy- I assume you played a role in planting those giant sequoias, right? :P

Don'i I wish - nah, those were there eons before my trip back, and there were about 100x as many as in the California I left from. In fact, I spent last night in a hollowed-out one, in case anyone was curious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by retina

The first thing I would do (albeit involuntarily) would be to suffocate in the airless void of empty space.

Now you know why I started with the OP-unstated same-geographic-locale caveat. Let's just say it pays to fully understand the travel restrictions on that ticket :)

Qubit · 2014-01-17, 23:15

Spend time (perhaps surreptitiously?) spreading knowledge of our time's technology and science. The complexity and success of this task would highly depend on the prior preparation for the journey (if any), and of course the different life-endangering consequences of such travel to such time.
Afterwards, blend in, sit back and wait for a few industrial revolutions to kick in (not dying until it happens would be a plus).

Now, unless failed/dead, all should be ripe for the first computer to be built.
What are you waiting for? Start running LL tests!
If lucky, after a few weeks you might just be the first one to find the 5th Mersenne prime, 2¹³-1 (Wow!). This would surely impress the many illiterates who still think you're a demented apeman.

Thanks to your early effort, and assuming Moore's law, the 21st century would benefit from computing power that is about 2^980 times more capable than what we have "now".
("now" being the concept of time which those reading this post can relate to.)

Uncwilly · 2014-01-18, 00:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Those are "if I manage to survive my first few weeks, to say nothing of embarking on an intercontinental voyage..." things, not first things. The OP didn't ask for beauty contest entrants to say what they wished for most fondestly ("world peace and loving kindness and all that nice stuff..."), he asked for the first. Prioritize.

Did you miss this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

A broader, more perhaps more interesting question is, what else would you do, or attempt to do?

I think that this is more of a whirled peas question.

ewmayer · 2014-01-18, 00:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Did you miss this?

No, but I do expect it to be preceded by the "first" stuff. Planning to start a religion, open the world's first distillery or save starving children in Africa is little use if the planner is eaten upon landing.

[python] Speaking of starting a religion, I seem to be missing a sandal. [/monty]

ewmayer · 2014-01-19, 00:51

So, anyone of the nonsmokers/non-eyeglass wearers manage to make fire yet, and if so, how?

[I'm using the bowstring method with a shoelace for string, but it's harder than it looks on TV when the survivo-experts do it.] Resinous pinecones are excellent firestarters (i.e. right after the really fine tinder).

On the plus side: As you can see, my WiFi surprisingly still works! Luckily I was clutching my macbook when the transport occurred. Wish I'd invested in ne of those solar-panel charger gizmos, though.

tServo · 2014-01-20, 02:08

Hey, why do you have to go back in time to found a religion? Just ask L. Ron Hubbard !!
Also interesting is the frequent mention of spreading technology. I seem to remember a short story I read eons ago by one of the greats ( Asimov? Clarke? someone else?) about a guy who invents a time machine and goes back to Rome and gives them vaccines and antibiotics and most of modern medicine. Of course, many lives are saved and the population of the planet explodes ( just as now ). Since man can't escape our solar system, all planets and moons are exploited to feed & house the enormous population. 2000 years hence, another person invents time travel and goes back in time and kills the first time traveler just as he appears and this sets everything back.
2 interesting time travel stories: King's 11/22/63 about a guy going back to prevent Kennedy's assassination. Also a movie, "The Final Countdown" about a weird storm sending the nuclear aircraft carrier "Nimitz" back to Dec 6, 1941. Do they intervene or stand aside and let history proceed as we know it?
It seems like Bruce Willis has been in a couple movies like " 12 Monkeys" and a recent one about assassins going back to kill people.

LaurV · 2014-01-20, 03:06

One of my favorites ever, Asimov, "The End of Eternity". The moral of that story is wonderful. If you didn't read it, go and do it...

edit: adding a link, as I see the wiki article is quite well written, but if you want to read the book, only read the "history" part, don't read the "plot" part

(remember when I was talking here about genetic mutations, and if it is ok or not to cure the cancer? hehe, that was inspired by this novel)

Nick · 2014-01-20, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by tServo

Do they intervene or stand aside and let history proceed as we know it?

Perhaps they intervened and, in that way, made history proceed as we know it.

2014-01-17, 04:58	#13
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 13·89 Posts	one character Attached Thumbnails

2014-01-17, 23:15	#16
Qubit Jan 2014 2·19 Posts	Spend time (perhaps surreptitiously?) spreading knowledge of our time's technology and science. The complexity and success of this task would highly depend on the prior preparation for the journey (if any), and of course the different life-endangering consequences of such travel to such time. Afterwards, blend in, sit back and wait for a few industrial revolutions to kick in (not dying until it happens would be a plus). Now, unless failed/dead, all should be ripe for the first computer to be built. What are you waiting for? Start running LL tests! If lucky, after a few weeks you might just be the first one to find the 5th Mersenne prime, 2¹³-1 (Wow!). This would surely impress the many illiterates who still think you're a demented apeman. Thanks to your early effort, and assuming Moore's law, the 21st century would benefit from computing power that is about 2^980 times more capable than what we have "now". ("now" being the concept of time which those reading this post can relate to.) Last fiddled with by Qubit on 2014-01-17 at 23:16

2014-01-20, 03:06	#21
LaurV Romulan Interpreter Jun 2011 Thailand 7·1,373 Posts	One of my favorites ever, Asimov, "The End of Eternity". The moral of that story is wonderful. If you didn't read it, go and do it... edit: adding a link, as I see the wiki article is quite well written, but if you want to read the book, only read the "history" part, don't read the "plot" part (remember when I was talking here about genetic mutations, and if it is ok or not to cure the cancer? hehe, that was inspired by this novel) Last fiddled with by LaurV on 2014-01-20 at 03:20

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2014-01-17, 10:22	#14
retina Undefined "The unspeakable one" Jun 2006 My evil lair 6196₁₀ Posts	I now realise the flaw in my above comment. The first thing I would do (albeit involuntarily) would be to suffocate in the airless void of empty space. This is based upon the assumption that 2000 years previously the most likely contents of this portion of space of which I am currently residing would have been empty of any planet or star. Since the Earth orbits a star which is orbiting a galactic black hole which is moving relative to other galaxies, and that since most of the known universe is just empty space (virtual particles and the occasional atom or molecule floating around), then there is almost no chance of finding a suitably hospital environment awaiting me as I exit the doorway.

2014-01-19, 00:51	#19
ewmayer ∂²ω=0 Sep 2002 República de California 103×113 Posts	So, anyone of the nonsmokers/non-eyeglass wearers manage to make fire yet, and if so, how? [I'm using the bowstring method with a shoelace for string, but it's harder than it looks on TV when the survivo-experts do it.] Resinous pinecones are excellent firestarters (i.e. right after the really fine tinder). On the plus side: As you can see, my WiFi surprisingly still works! Luckily I was clutching my macbook when the transport occurred. Wish I'd invested in ne of those solar-panel charger gizmos, though.

2014-01-20, 02:08	#20
tServo "Marv" May 2009 near the Tannhäuser Gate 2·3·109 Posts	Hey, why do you have to go back in time to found a religion? Just ask L. Ron Hubbard !! Also interesting is the frequent mention of spreading technology. I seem to remember a short story I read eons ago by one of the greats ( Asimov? Clarke? someone else?) about a guy who invents a time machine and goes back to Rome and gives them vaccines and antibiotics and most of modern medicine. Of course, many lives are saved and the population of the planet explodes ( just as now ). Since man can't escape our solar system, all planets and moons are exploited to feed & house the enormous population. 2000 years hence, another person invents time travel and goes back in time and kills the first time traveler just as he appears and this sets everything back. 2 interesting time travel stories: King's 11/22/63 about a guy going back to prevent Kennedy's assassination. Also a movie, "The Final Countdown" about a weird storm sending the nuclear aircraft carrier "Nimitz" back to Dec 6, 1941. Do they intervene or stand aside and let history proceed as we know it? It seems like Bruce Willis has been in a couple movies like " 12 Monkeys" and a recent one about assassins going back to kill people.