Time Travel
Another crazy post from the science fiction loving imagination of Tom Baker. I love the movie Time Cop. Don’t laugh, I thought it was a well thought out piece of creative sci-fi and that is where the catalyst for this post comes from.
If time travel were possible (you invented it) and you could go anywhere in time where would you go? Keep in mind that if time travel were readily available most likely you could only travel into the past because the future has not happened yet. So traveling backwards in time, where would you go and to what time?
As for me, I would like to go back in time and buy shares of stock in all the major oil companies around the world. I would purchase 10,000 shares of each companies preferred stock and set up a bank account (in the past). I would use the money for people who are unemployed today and those without health insurance. I would use the money to start a company that would help keep benefits going for the millions who have exhausted their benefits. People like Iron Cook Carl, who have exhausted their unemployment benefits, who have children and need to continue to have a roof over their heads.
I just heard the Republicans have overturned the healthcare bill today that was passed last year helping millions without insurance in the U.S. Also the Republicans and Democrats can’t seem to get together to help the so called 99ers who have exhausted all benefits but still have living expenses; I think going back in time might help.
In a far less noble gesture, I think I would like to go to ancient Egypt and see exactly how they made those pyramids.
What would you do and where would you go?
Morning Erection 
#1 by southwindtrails on January 21, 2011 - 3:03 PM
This is a good question, I think my time travel wouldn’t be nearly as noble as yours but it’s somthing very close to my heart. I would go back in time, find the person who came up with the phrase “the customer is always right” and kick him in the shins. Come to think of it there may be alot of shin kicking depending on how many people I can track down.
If shin kicking was out of the question then I’d go for meeting some of my favourite dead people like Alfred Hitchcock or Grace Kelly, tour about some of my fav. ancient cultures and pick up some deocorating tips. Basicly a nice vacation with some celebrity lunches.
#2 by Tom Baker on January 21, 2011 - 3:21 PM
I would love to meet Princess Grace!
#3 by thejazzmonger on January 20, 2011 - 3:45 PM
Assuming we can’t (or won’t) affect history, but can only observe, then to be present at the Continental Congress (1776) or the Constitutional Convention (1787) would be pretty fascinating.
#4 by Tom Baker on January 21, 2011 - 8:22 AM
To see how the founders really were would be an experience!
#5 by thejazzmonger on January 20, 2011 - 3:42 PM
If we are going to interfere with history, how about preventing the assassinations of Lincoln and King, instead of documenting them? Don’t think you could prevent the Crucifixion, though. Presumably, that HAD to happen.
#6 by Tom Baker on January 21, 2011 - 8:22 AM
I don’t think I want to interfere because of the ramifications and yes, Christ’s death was his whole purpose for coming to Earth.
#7 by cherlyn on January 20, 2011 - 7:40 AM
1985.
Great Scott!
#8 by Tom Baker on January 20, 2011 - 8:34 AM
What would you do in 1985?
#9 by Cherlyn on January 21, 2011 - 3:59 AM
I’m trying to get back to 1985 – Doc brought me to this year because something had to be done about my kids!
If you haven’t seen Back to the Future then I think I may just have to bang my head on my desk for a little bit… lol
#10 by Tom Baker on January 21, 2011 - 8:19 AM
Forgive me for being so dense! I don’t know where my mind is. I just watched BTTF a couple of weeks ago.
#11 by Cherlyn on January 21, 2011 - 10:13 AM
Hahah it’s ok, I’ll forgive you – this time. DUN DUN DUNN!! lol
#12 by Cherlyn on January 21, 2011 - 4:03 AM
But if you want a serious answer, I wouldn’t time travel if I could – knowing my luck with the whole space time continuum, I’d like accidentally kill an ancestor of mine thus endangering my own existence. It’d kind of be like Back to the Future, but way less entertaining, no Doc Brown and no Delorean.
However, if there was the technology to travel to a different universe, ie an alternate reality type of universe like the multiverse theory, then I’d consider it.
#13 by Tom Baker on January 21, 2011 - 8:20 AM
You wouldn’t be afraid of meeting up with your alternate self and being replaced in your universe and then Fox moving you to a new night?
#14 by Cherlyn on January 21, 2011 - 10:17 AM
Sure I’d be worried, we just got our coveted time slot and I’m not ready to give that up without a fight. However, I’m comforted in the fact that I’m probably the evil…no, no, wait, that’s wrong – I’m the EEEvill Cherlyn, so if another me switched places, they couldn’t do much harm.
#15 by Tom Baker on January 21, 2011 - 3:22 PM
I guess some things are worth taking risks.
#16 by Chris on January 21, 2011 - 6:33 AM
Any and all Back to the Future References get instants props!
#17 by Cherlyn on January 21, 2011 - 10:18 AM
How can there be a talk about time travel without mentioning the greatest time travel movie ever?
Now I’m gonna make like a tree, and get out of here!
#18 by littlemisshomosapien on January 20, 2011 - 2:16 AM
I have a question: If I go back and do something like, for example, what Rosa Parks did, would that action of mine create some sort of a butterfly effect? Because if it does then I would certainly return and stage all sorts of uprising in the strain of “not getting up from the white section of the bus”, regardless of what point in time in history, all in the hope that there would be more equality, justice and tolerance in this world right about now.
#19 by Tom Baker on January 20, 2011 - 8:33 AM
I believe any changes you make if you time travel would have huge consequences for those in the ‘present’. For instance if you went back and killed Hitler before he rose to power where would the world population be right now as just one example. If you went back and made sure Roe vs. Wade never passed? If you took today’s medicines back to the Dark Ages…
#20 by jurline's Blog on January 20, 2011 - 1:02 AM
I absolutely hate slavery. I would go back to Africa and do all in my power prevent the madness that started the slave trade. I will tell them how we continue to suffer because we lost our language, our history, our culture. I will tell them we are still like “strangers in a strange land”. I want go back in the past to find my people! My tribal ancestors, my language and my culture!
#21 by Tom Baker on January 20, 2011 - 8:31 AM
Very noble reason to time travel. Slavery is a cruel devastating stain on America and so many Americans. I believe a lot of people might want to travel to undo the wrongs that were done. Along different lines, I would like to see who was truly the first to “find” North America. I certainly don’t believe Columbus should get the credit.
#22 by timkeen40 on January 20, 2011 - 12:37 AM
I would like to sit here and say that my going back in time would nothing short of a noble gesture. It would. I would indeed give large sums of money to charity and causes – once I made myself rich enough to do so. In other words, I think I would naturally secure easy street for my family and then move on to the rest of the world. No matter how much I want to be Mother Theresa, I am not. Most people are not.
Now my purely selfish self, the part that I would do that would be only for myself, is the writer part of me. You want to see the pyramids. I want to see every historical event of worth. I am talking about all of it. JFK and Lincoln assasintation. I would go to the steps of the MLK speech (I have a dream). I would wrangle my way into the signing of the Declaration of Indepence. I would be there when Paris was liberated in WWII.
I would be in the desert with Moses and on the mountain with Muhammed. I would watch Jesus die and be there for the resurrection.
I would be all those places just to gain a writers perspective, a first hand account of history.
Then I would write books with details and theories that would blow people’s minds.
By the way, the house repealed but it is dead in the senate. The Health Care reform is very much alive.
Thanks for the opportunity to let me rattle on so.
http://timkeen40.wordpress.com
#23 by Tom Baker on January 20, 2011 - 8:22 AM
Tim, that is a great idea. You could also bring a movie camera and document the real truth of it all. From Jesus, to Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler, Ghandi and all the great news stories of our time.
#24 by Scent of my heart on January 20, 2011 - 12:26 AM
That’s very tempting idea Tom, to be able to go back in time, well I have few places I’d like to go back to. Ancient Egypt is for sure on my list, you know I have passion with Egypt. I’d go back if I can, before I was born and change the place I was born at … then go back to when I was 18 and make few choices in a different direction … And the last stop, go back to the age of 25 in a particular day and make sure instead of going to the beach, to just stay home and avoid that day :) … It was a pleasure traveling to the past with you, have a good night!
#25 by Tom Baker on January 20, 2011 - 8:20 AM
Maybe we could travel together because even the smartest scientists cannot say for certain how the pyramids were erected. I would love to witness (from afar with binoculars)! Don’t want to be made into a slave!
#26 by Scent of my heart on January 22, 2011 - 9:35 AM
hehe you’re right about the slaves, but still let’s go a bit closer :) I’d love to travel back with you …