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When would you live if you had a time machine?
I know it may be trite, but when would you go and when would you consider settling if you had access to a time machine? I've always had a strong attraction to the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. I have no illusions about the harshness of the era, but I really feel comfortable with the idea of living there. I wouldn't want to go back any further than that, at least not to live.
I would be very, very comfortable in the 1950s. I could assimilate there without missing a beat, probably since I grew up in rural KY. It's still the 50s there.
And I'm only asking for periods about which you have some concrete knowledge - this takes "THE FUTURE" out of consideration.
I would be very, very comfortable in the 1950s. I could assimilate there without missing a beat, probably since I grew up in rural KY. It's still the 50s there.
And I'm only asking for periods about which you have some concrete knowledge - this takes "THE FUTURE" out of consideration.
Comments
If that level of exploration were available to me, settling down would be entirely out of the question.
That being said...seeing the world and the spectrum of time firsthand would be an intensely awesome experience, which goes without saying. Sure, I'd wanna see it all, from before mankind to the (forbidden) future.
But as long as we're discounting the future, then I've got news for you: it doesn't get any better than this. Shacking up in a Roman hostel or cavorting with the Druids as they plan to build a henge is great, but it's great the way a vacation abroad is great. If you spend long enough anywhere, you'll feel just as the locals do--that it is normal. However, having memories of the modern day, you'll begin to miss things like plumbing, medicine, the Internet, anime, and people who speak your fucking language. The fiftieth time you watch gladiators go at it in the Colosseum won't be so sweet...surely not as sweet as ice cream or chocolate.
If I ever somehow ran out of places to visit, I'd settle right back here. Sure, there'd probably be some profiteering and whatnot, but a much bigger problem than "how many pennies should I deposit in the bank in 1706" is probably "how will I avoid being killed on site in all of these historical locations". How's your Latin? Greek? Ancient Japanese? Dinosaur?!?
Just as long as you don't horribly, horribly waste your time machine like the dumbass in the H. G. Wells novel, I think you'll have a blast regardless.
Also, here's something for you. We move relative to the earth, the earth moves relative to the sun, the sun moves relative to the galaxy, etc. If a time machine moved forward or backwards in time without moving, you would end up in the middle of nowhere. If I went about twenty minutes into the future, and my absolute position on the coordinate plane that is the universe stayed the same, then I would almost surely die from the horrible deadliness that is space.
Though virtually every time machine ever depicted in film and literature exhibits this quality, it really doesn't make sense. You're already moving x,000,000 miles to remain in your original position...not to mention displacing air (hopefully just air), adding mass to the Earth (slowing down its rotation), etc. etc., so why not just teleport to your destination instead of remaining at the origin?
This would be far better if the machine were wholly intrinsic, perhaps nanotechnology-powered, and could be activated and configured through silent act of will, automatically returning you to your home space and time if you are critically injured or infected with an (contemporarily) incurable disease.
This would be a good chance at seeing what happens when a time paradox is created.
Somehow, I'm thinking not so much. High Concept, yes. High Minded, I doubt it.