Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

idlewords.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 45 posts

Re: Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

#31

Post by sprobertson »

rollcat wrote: post #25
lapetitejort wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A real time traveler would know that opening a rift just to get the latest Hacker News was banned in 2052

Sorry for nitpicking on your grammar, but you are supposed to use the prophetic perfect for stating future events as if they were past. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophetic_perfect_tense

I think "was banned" is correct according to that link -

> future events ... are referred to in the past tense as if they had already happened

Lots of wordy theologist writing elsewhere in the article but it sounds like in practice it's just using the past tense.

Re: Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

#32

Post by pixl97 »

KineticLensman wrote: post #18

A useful source of tips is in 'Percival Dunwoody Idiot Time Traveller From 1909' [0] as long as you do the exact opposite. My personal advice: Don't get in that time machine and travel back! Not if you are on any sort of meds. [0] e.g. https://www.gocomics.com/tomthedancingbug/2010/11/12

Well, disease may be another big risk, but not for you, for the people in the past.

If you shed MSRA you could make all the drugs of the 20th century ineffective killing billions.

Re: Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

#35

Post by TeMPOraL »

lapetitejort wrote: post #11

If I wanted to gain access to places in 2023 without too much trouble, I'd don a hard-hat, reflective vest, and a clipboard. However, what is the equivalent attire for 1880's London? 500's Mesoamerica? 300's Rome? Please answer fast as my rift is opening.

Not sure about 1800's London, but for those earlier dates, the typical community you'd be visiting was small enough that everyone knows of most members, so you'd be discovered no matter the outfit, if enough people saw your face.

The tip from 'bryanrasmussen is good - dressing as a priest is probably the safest bet; alternatively, as a soldier (in Rome) - the few people who had recognizable uniforms and were commonly traveling outsiders.

Re: Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

#37

Post by craz8 »

Simon_ORourke wrote: post #30

What about alternative historical timelines arriving in 2023? There's fewer mention of those H.G. Wells style Edwardian gentlemen showing up in some other timeline 150 years into their future!

Appearing at a science fiction convention as a Steampunk character allows them to blend right in.

I’ve seen hundreds of these travelers go by.

Some with lighter dress have passed as artisanal bartenders too

Re: Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

#39

Post by pizzafeelsright »

josh_fyi wrote: post #2

I was hoping to see "Best Practices for Time Travelers (2043)"

This was republished in violation of the Time Travel Ban of 1954, which was later repealed in 1942 and reinstated in 1941. The ban remains in effect until 2066 and finally legalized in 2051 with restrictions of no travel before 2025 due to the "intervention leading to the Temporal Event of 2015".

Re: Best Practices for Time Travelers (2003)

#40

Post by RecycledEle »

BurningFrog wrote: post #21
ge96 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could carbon dating prove age or is that too accurate eg. needs to be 100s of years apart.

You can probably carbon date the rubber in the tires: https://meridian.allenpress.com/rct/article-abstract/50/4/81...

It is unlikely that a 1967 Corvette has tires on it that are more than a few years old.
Post reply on HN