What would you do with a time machine?

[IrezumiKiss]

See the OP -- you can't change the past!

That's impossible. A fantasia conceit.

You will change the future by fiat of you arriving into any era or moment of the past no matter what. Whether on a small or mega scale.

Even Star Trek knew this by way of their Prime Directive. As a black man, if I'm going into the past, I'm wiping and rewriting ALL THE FUCKING CHALKBOARD, guy.

Buddha help you if I get into that DeLorean!

 

[Kirkrapine]

That's impossible. A fantasia conceit.

You will change the future by fiat of you arriving into any era or moment of the past no matter what. Whether on a small or mega scale.

For purposes of this thread, I'm assuming your arrival there is already part of the past.

When Heinlein used time travel in Time Enough for Love, he made the same assumption.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

For purposes of this thread, I'm assuming your arrival there is already part of the past.

When Heinlein used time travel in Time Enough for Love, he made the same assumption.

yeeeeaah, but...

...did he allow for splintering timelines, though? The one you personally go back to will not be the one you left. If you went back to change it to your hopes, then this is the point. It will be the reality with everyone you knew of still or not existing with their legacies, but differently.

The one you left, is still going on with your disappearance. It no longer matters.

 

[Kirkrapine]

yeeeeaah, but...

...did he allow for splintering timelines, though?

No, he didn't. Only one reality. It was enough that Lazarus Long got to fuck his mother.

 

[Not Normal]

That's impossible. A fantasia conceit.

You will change the future by fiat of you arriving into any era or moment of the past no matter what. Whether on a small or mega scale.

Even Star Trek knew this by way of their Prime Directive. As a black man, if I'm going into the past, I'm wiping and rewriting ALL THE FUCKING CHALKBOARD, guy.

Buddha help you if I get into that DeLorean!

I'm on board for a Zumi altered world. That shit would be awesome.

 

[JohnnySavage]

I'd like to see what (now) ancient structures looked like when they were new.

 

[fma20fma]

hi

Go back to my age 15 and start all over and make use of the opportunities i missed out.

 

[IG_88]

Investing in certain stocks would be the way to go. Oil companies, IBM, Mircrosoft, Amazon, etc.
Simply buy and then go back to my time and collect the rewards. Hire a solid firm you know is still gonna be around to take care of things over the years where you can't be accounted for.

 

[JohnnySavage]

Long term money making schemes wouldn't work because dormant accounts become the property of the state after a period of time. And if you went back to 1930 and acquired a stock certificate in your name, how would you explain a 90 year old certificate if you aren't about 110?

To make money you can only go back a few years and bet on something, knowing the results in advance. Betting on the last Presidential election would be a good opportunity, assuming you had money to bet with and could convince your 2016 self to part with it (and not spend it in the intervening years)

 

[IG_88]

Long term money making schemes wouldn't work because dormant accounts become the property of the state after a period of time. And if you went back to 1930 and acquired a stock certificate in your name, how would you explain a 90 year old certificate if you aren't about 110?

To make money you can only go back a few years and bet on something, knowing the results in advance. Betting on the last Presidential election would be a good opportunity, assuming you had money to bet with and could convince your 2016 self to part with it (and not spend it in the intervening years)

I was curious about the long term accounts. Seems there would be a way around that but maybe not.
I thought of the Biff route by betting on sports and such but that would seem to draw attention if you did it more than a couple times. Maybe use proxies to make the bets I guess.

 

[JohnnySavage]

I was curious about the long term accounts. Seems there would be a way around that but maybe not.
I thought of the Biff route by betting on sports and such but that would seem to draw attention if you did it more than a couple times. Maybe use proxies to make the bets I guess.

You'd need a well thought out scheme, where you would make stops along the time line to keep things in order. I'd recommend the Highlander series as a basic outline. You'd have to kill yourself off every few decades and inherit. But that gets to sound too much like work.

 

[Generic_chick]

You could go to those thrift stores and buy the Pollock, or find the declaration of independence, or the priceless stamp before the current owner did, but I'd probably feel guilty for robbing them of their windfall. I suppose you could go way back and collect some coins or stamps and bury them in jar in the back yard if you had family property. Things of value that are easy to "stumble" upon.

I'm more of the go forward a few days and then come back and buy the winning lottery ticket, or avoid the asshole relationships of my debauched 20s type.

 

[JohnnySavage]

You could go to those thrift stores and buy the Pollock, or find the declaration of independence, or the priceless stamp before the current owner did, but I'd probably feel guilty for robbing them of their windfall. I suppose you could go way back and collect some coins or stamps and bury them in jar in the back yard if you had family property. Things of value that are easy to "stumble" upon.

I'm more of the go forward a few days and then come back and buy the winning lottery ticket, or avoid the asshole relationships of my debauched 20s type.

That's a sound plan, right there. The lottery is almost $700 million tonight.

 

[Generic_chick]

That's a sound plan, right there. The lottery is almost $700 million tonight.

I don't suppose you have a time machine handy? I'll split the proceeds with you.

 

[Sweet_Lara]

Set that sucker for pre-1980, attend an ACDC concert, sit in the front row and hope I catch Bon Scott's eye.

 

[vibes]

Set that sucker for pre-1980, attend an ACDC concert, sit in the front row and hope I catch Bon Scott's eye.

https://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2014/12/Bon-Scott-compressed.jpg

there you go

 

[Sweet_Lara]

Exactly

 

[vibes]

Exactly

I thought you'd like that

 

[SpeareChucker]

Trade it for a Klondike Bar™.

 

[SpeareChucker]

You could go to those thrift stores and buy the Pollock, or find the declaration of independence, or the priceless stamp before the current owner did, but I'd probably feel guilty for robbing them of their windfall. I suppose you could go way back and collect some coins or stamps and bury them in jar in the back yard if you had family property. Things of value that are easy to "stumble" upon.

I'm more of the go forward a few days and then come back and buy the winning lottery ticket, or avoid the asshole relationships of my debauched 20s type.

That's a sound plan, right there. The lottery is almost $700 million tonight.

There's no guarantee that the balls would fall the same when you got back...

 

[AdrianHot]

Many things.

Meet Romulus in 753 BC.
Watch Tunguska Disaster from the safe place.
Hear "A Time for Choosing" speech of Ronald Reagan live.

And many other.

 

[Sweet_Lara]

https://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2014/12/Bon-Scott-compressed.jpg

there you go

Much appreciated, vibes! In the words of Bon, Let there be Rock!

 

[Kirkrapine]

I'd like to see what (now) ancient structures looked like when they were new.

Oh, yes! Rome under the Antonines! Classical Athens! Persepolis before Alexander sacked it!

 

[Kirkrapine]

Long term money making schemes wouldn't work because dormant accounts become the property of the state after a period of time. And if you went back to 1930 and acquired a stock certificate in your name, how would you explain a 90 year old certificate if you aren't about 110?

Just say you found it in your late grandfather's things.

 

[Kirkrapine]

You could go to those thrift stores and buy the Pollock, or find the declaration of independence, or the priceless stamp before the current owner did, but I'd probably feel guilty for robbing them of their windfall.

See the OP -- no artifacts now known to be in someone else's possession! That would be changing the past!