Time Travel discussion

SCENARIO:
You've just found and entered a time machine. There are only 3 buttons in the machine. One is labeled "PAST", one is labeled "PRESENT", and the other is labeled "FUTURE". There's no indication as to how many years into past or present you will travel, and you hope that the "present" button will take you back to your timeline, but you're not sure. There is only room for you and a small bag in the machine. You find that you can only cram about 5 items into the bag.

QUESTION
Which button do you press (if any), and what 5 items you bring with you?

I'd press the future button.


If the future is more advanced, it's unlikely I could bring anything that would be of help, so I would plan for any destination being more primitive. In that case:

-- A book on medicine, including herbal remedies
-- A book on surviving in the wild, including edible plants
-- Something to reliably create fire, since I would be inept about it otherwise
-- A .357 Magnum with as much ammunition I could fit into the bag
-- A good hunting knife

After finishing my new Will:

1. I'll take my Smartphone which has a Kindle app, so I'll buy as many useful reference ebooks I can before boarding plus store as many photos, mp3s and videos of memories, of sport, holiday locations etc. My ebooks will include encyclopaedias, first aid, survival. Reason for photos is not to be nostalgic but just in case I am very far in the future and our present cultures have become a distant legend and myth, I can earn a living to teach them history and show them photos and videos etc.
2. A Pebble battery charge pack for my all important smartphone. 5 cycle recharge which altogether give me (150hrs use)
3. My Asthma inhaler (usually with a 2 year expiry date)
4. Medium size First Aid Kit ;)
5. My wits!

Then I shall stare at the buttons for a long time. Play "Imagine" by John Lennon on my smartphone then finally press the "Future" button and hope and pray that humanity is still around, learning from their past naivety, irrationality, selfishness...and tendency for self destruction.

I'd also take a good knife & a first aid kit.
Plus a compass and
An atlas and
Some gold coins, for trade.

But I think, to first test the machine's function, I'd hit the present button & see what happens.

If I remained in the present after the machine fired, then I'd feel better about using either of the other buttons.

Now I'm trying to remember if many time travelers I've met (in books) have actually packed anything for their journey. In 11/22/63, Jake does have a bag with some clothes & Al's notebook, but he throws his modern technology into a lake. I think Connie Willis has her time travelers pack for the journey as well, but I really don't remember this being a big part of most time travel narratives. I wonder why.

I like the idea of packing survival equipment as you guys have. And, Tej, the Kindle idea is brilliant. I suspect you'd do well with a solar charger for your technology.

Howard, The gold coins are definitely a good idea. They should be legal tender in most ages. I like your idea of pressing the "present" button first just to make sure it's your present. Smart, smart.

Thanks Amy & I forgot to say that, loving History as I do, I'd go for the Past.

I prefer to make my own Future.

Howard wrote: "Thanks Amy & I forgot to say that, loving History as I do, I'd go for the Past.

I prefer to make my own Future."

Once my test flight was over, I mean.

I don't see a test flight as a possibility, since the question asked which button you would push, not buttons. If you could press multiple buttons or multiple times, there would really be no need for a choice, because you could easily "undo" whatever choice was made.

If you could do test flights, you should do the test flights BEFORE deciding what to fill the bag with. It would make a big difference if the PAST was 20 years ago and 20 centuries ago.

If 20 years ago, you would want a book on sports and financial results over the past 20 years. Maybe a few computer chip patents? If 20 centuries ago, those would be worthless.

And, even if the buttons could be used multiple times, the PAST or FUTURE could be random points in the PAST or FUTURE as well. So you'd probably want several test flights to confirm that. But what if the machine can only do a limited number of trips?

Or, what if the machine doesn't go with you, but just transports you someplace?

Yes Randy, I understand but you're overthinking this in my opinion.

My choices would remain.

Thinking beyond the rules & doing what's not expected is the only way to go here, if under the unique circumstances you wish to exert any control, that is.

Your points may be valid, but moot.

If I do remain in the present, then it's the present so press away as I said & while I could test to my heart's content, I'd have no further need.

For if transported w/out the machine, then my supplies would be usefull as hoped no matter where I went.

Gathering knowledge would explain my attempt, not financial gain, so that's not a concern for me.

Whether I were misplaced in relation to my present, or if I were lost forever is also not a valid concern as you wouldn't know that beforehand anyway in any case.

So yes, it may not be as I envisioned, but then again it just might.

You, on the other hand, would never know.

In the bigger picture, life is the journey & in your life the choice is only yours.

I prefer to make choices against the grain, always have as it's much less constricting that way & so far at least, it's been very interesting.

Howard wrote: "I understand but you're overthinking this in my opinion."


LOL. Wouldn't be the first time I was accused of that! :)

The question is what button you would press... FIRST. You can't un-press the button once it's pressed, so it's important what the first button is that you press. You have to rationalize the possible consequences and the possibility that the machine's "present" may not be your own "present" such that you never ever get to return home. It's the first button that you press that's oh so important. You can press buttons to your heart's content afterward, but you can never take back your first choice, so you've got to choose wisely.

Whoaa so much detail on the function of these buttons, Amy, I'm beginning to think you have this machine in your backyard ;) Now I can see your excellent thought process behind writing up that scenario. Very clever :)

Howard pressing the Present button first do indeed sound like the most rational and safest action to take. Clever again. I am not so rational...Time Machine...Button that says Future...me press!

Gold coins, nice idea again but how many have you got? All I can afford is the chocolate ones!

Tej wrote: ..."

Ha ha. "Future ... me press!". Yeah, that would be a great temptation, wouldn't it.

Tej:

I'd take only as many coins as I could easily carry, for if you went to ancient times you could always divide them with your knife, a la pieces of eight, etc.

If you went to the Future, then they'd have value beyond the gold itself & the further you went, the more valuable they would become, as artifacs.

A good start at least, in any Timeframe, as Amy said.

And if I used up my options with a test as discribed eariler, I'd still have the coins but now with a good story to tell.

No one would believe it, of course, sorta like my books I guess.

Great question Amy. I've always imagined going into the past. Though, recently I was having a discussion with someone at work about the Mars rover landing. He seemed pessimistic that we would ever live on Mars. I love the original Total Recall film and am sure we will live on Mars.

So I'd press the 'Future' button and I guess it wouldn't matter what you took because everything would be so much more advanced. I don't even think precious metals would be rarer then. As Howard said above anything you took would belong in a museum or in a private collection. (Could be a way to make money?) Maybe some books from now would be immensely valuable then.

I'd bring a contemporary book to sell, a kindle (for me to read if there are long waits), a knife, torch and lots of coins to sell.

You could make yourself useful as people forget the lessons of the past so quickly. An example is the way we keep having financial melt downs. This has been going on for centuries but we still fall into the same patterns that lead to a bust. Maybe in the future they will listen to the warnings of a visitor from the past? (Probably not...fear and greed and all that)

Benjamin, history is full of cycles, as you say.

Time Travel is full of loops, so figure it out.

Future and Past are relative terms, they depend on reference for definition, so perhaps your scenario is already in play, with a Time Traveler from your future or past pulling the strings in all sorts of earth-changing ways.

You need to investigate the Elastic Limit of Time to see how it all works.

Just an idea.

The theory sounds fascinating thanks Howard and I'll put the book on my to do.

Out of interest, while web surfing I did find a slightly less dangerous way to move 5 years into the future then a worm hole. (Though still unimaginably dangerous) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0cVdP...

This question places me in a quandry. Past or Future? Now there, as Hamlet put it, is a question!

Like several others I would take something tradeable. Gold is good, but a set of mint condition coins would do as well if going forward as these would be "collectable." So, my list would be -

1. Trade goods,
2. good boots and clothes,
3. A survival Pack.
4. Kindle with a load of "How to .." books uploaded.
5. The means to defend myself if the environs prove hostile.

As I am a believer in the cycles of history, I think I'd go forward as I'd like to see the world we are perhaps creating even by discussing this. Some one mentioned they prefer to create their own future and would go back in time. I believe we could create a future from wherever we arrive in the future. It is still a future I would be creating. I'm also a believer that mankind won't wipe itself out in toto (there may be some local variations in that!) but there may well be a drastic reduction in the population looming, probably brought on by a combination of natural factors and our own insatiable ability to find ways to damage ourselves.

Yup, for me, the future beckons ...

I would press past & hope I was in the late 1800's. I wouldtake: 1.lots of antibiotics (yellowfever), #2.a small nine millimeter gun & as much ammo as possible #3.A very detailed history book #4.gold because it has always been valuable. As most people died of simple infections even of teeth among other things. I'd NEVER want to go into the future, it's bad enough alrady.

Linda, well thought out but only four items.

Don't short-change yourself.

LOL I thought the ammo might have been counted as another!

k, I'll may it realy simple: I would bring only one item: a very acurate time capsule!! LOL

Linda wrote: "k, I'll may it realy simple: I would bring only one item: a very acurate time capsule!! LOL"

What do you mean by "time capsule"? In my mind, that would be a collection of items from one time to be opened up in the future upon finding it or at a set date.

PAST. Colt 45 ACP, Medical kit, spare shoes, water purifier, antibiotics

QUESTION
Which button do you press (if any), and what 5 items you bring with you?

That is a thinker. I will have to meditate on the subject a bit.