What would you do with a time machine?

[Cikomyr]

What if Lotteries were invented as a way to finance time travellers?

Brb, writing down idea: "Voltaire and John Blunt are the first time travellers".

Winning at the lottery is hardly an effective way of earning contemporary riches. You need to exist in the system; they wont hand over multi million dollars cash; you will need an ID check and a bank account.

To have these things, you will will funds. Which becomes bootstrapping.

[Jay R]

Yup. The presence of any long-term successful gambling house disproves the existence of time machines, precognition, and any other form of getting information from the future.

I've had statistics students ask me if there is a statistical system for beating the house at Vegas. I reply, "You can judge any proposed system by a very simple test. Is anybody still teaching statistics? If so, then there is no statistical way to win over a long period."

[RandomNPC]

Time travel. Yea.

I would go find the best hi-definition, surround sound, big screen, Awesome McAwesomesauce Entertainment Center with the most comfy couch ever supplied for sitting. I would then go get J.R. Tolkien, and sped a few minuets berating him, "How dare you create this? Do you know what you've done?" things like that. After about the three minute mark I'd finish with "Look what you've done!" Then I'd hit play, and make him watch the extended edition of every movie based on his works, with about twenty pounds of popcorn.

After there would be much to talk about, an apology for the yelling, and quite a lot of a fan asking all kinds of questions fans tend to ask.

[SMEE]

I would send myself back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor.

[DataNinja]

Yup. The presence of any long-term successful gambling house disproves the existence of time machines, precognition, and any other form of getting information from the future.

I've had statistics students ask me if there is a statistical system for beating the house at Vegas. I reply, "You can judge any proposed system by a very simple test. Is anybody still teaching statistics? If so, then there is no statistical way to win over a long period."

I have proof that there is time travel, and being used on a regular basis. Have you eve noticed that the one thing excluded from your insurance policy is the thing you're claiming for? Or that your warranty always expires one day before the thing breaks?

[Eldan]

Winning at the lottery is hardly an effective way of earning contemporary riches. You need to exist in the system; they wont hand over multi million dollars cash; you will need an ID check and a bank account.

To have these things, you will will funds. Which becomes bootstrapping.

I was more thinking that time travellers would set up lotteries in their own times, then travel back a week or so to obtain tickets. Then they could use the funds from that for bigger investments and bigger time machines.
Hence Voltaire, who made a lot of money by rigging lotteries.

[Cipher Stars]

I'd travel forward into the future, learn about the world. Science. Physics. Medicine. I'd take things back to the Present and sure myself now and generally try not to ruin the normal flow of things but ensuring longevity for me and my family. Age. Disease. None of that.

I'd also try to bring back a good future-computer and some super-amazing games from the future. Whatever tech I could get my hands on really. But yeah.


Also I'd just be curious to see how far we can go as a species, what happens. If there's a defined End in sight I'd probably be a lot more active in my use of the Time Machine. Even to the extent that I'd bring technology back to Pre-History and try to advance the species as a whole from a much much earlier starting point and see if we can't advance far enough to prevent whatever "The End" came. Even if it was something like a Gamma Ray Burst, if we advance enough there's nothing we can't handle. Either by simply not being there (Moving on to new galaxies), or having suitable defensive measures (Planetary shielding?)


But yeah. I'd in general be focused on the future rather than the past. Eventually I might dabble in the past, after the future. Go back and steal historical figures before their deaths and leave a clone dead in their place perhaps, muahahaaa. A Historical Human Zoo. But not a Zoo so much as an isolated establishment where they can all continue to be themselves, perhaps in VR simulations in which they continue to live their previous lives out under watchful curious eyes. Eventually they'd need to know though, so concepts of the present world and beyond could be introduced when they start running out of steam/hitting the end of their roads.

[Unuoctium]

I would take my time machine, go back in time to the time my past self stole a time machine from my future self, slap the sucker with a fish, and produce a stopwatch to time how long a time jump takes both forwards and backwards in time. Then I could go to the future and learn how the time machine functions. Armed with knowledge, a newer, better machine would be crafted: the HTF. This new machine would use the powers of time and space travel to move itself through space via a multitude of small time jumps forwards. At this point, the public would realize *exactly* how time flies. The public educated, scientific analyses gathered, and a good day had, it would be just about time for me to head back to my normal place, give the time machine to my past self, and give my gerbil a good petting.

He's an old fat fuzzy gerbil that enjoys lots of pettings, or is too old and fat to decide fleeing from pettings is worth the effort. Pretty hard to beat that with whatever a time machine offers.

[JacksonTaylor]

If I had a time machine, I would go back the past an take some accent items, take them to the present, and sell. I would earn a lot of money!

[Vizzerdrix]

I'd want to find out if Mars ever had an atmo or not. If so, what happened to it?

I'd save Dr. Who. Most of the original stuff was lost over the years or improperly stored and got damaged.

Oooh! I'd spend a few jumps ambushing sailors that stopped at the Dodo islands and beat THEM with clubs for fun. See how they liked it.

And someplace in all that fun, I'd have to take a trip into my own past and have a good, long talk with my parents. Set them straight on a few things. Maybe spend a day playing LEGOs with myself and letting me know that it indeed IS okay to get into a particular sort of trouble from time to time.

Oh! Most importantly, I'd keep Firefly from getting canceled. Some how. Some way I'd do this miracle.

[Douglas]

Yup. The presence of any long-term successful gambling house disproves the existence of time machines, precognition, and any other form of getting information from the future.

I've had statistics students ask me if there is a statistical system for beating the house at Vegas. I reply, "You can judge any proposed system by a very simple test. Is anybody still teaching statistics? If so, then there is no statistical way to win over a long period."

There used to be one, namely card counting in blackjack. A few people made a pretty good profit off of it for a while, but then the casinos caught on and changed the game in various ways to stop it. Well, first they tried treating the card counters as cheaters and throwing them out, but someone sued over it and got an official court ruling that card counting is a legitimate exercise of skill and not cheating; then they changed the game.

"The house" universally missed a working system once, it's possible it might happen again. Unlikely, sure, but possible.

On the other hand, if you don't insist on beating the house but rather on making a personal profit, there are games where beating the other players is an option. That's a potentially much easier target, depending on the pool those players come from, and has no risk of the house getting mad at you.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Oh! Most importantly, I'd keep Firefly from getting canceled. Some how. Some way I'd do this miracle.

I can only imagine the butterfly effect that would cause...

[SalmaHayek]

Save the world from Lavos.

It's funny.

[Alent]

I've thought of a new one.

I'll find the person who came up with the expression "The Customer is Always Right" and disappear him before he has a chance to popularize the phrase.

[Chester]

Go back to around 10:00 AM today and prevent my past self from leaving my phone and car keys in my pants pocket before starting the laundry cycle.

[Anuan]

Go back to the 9th century in Scandinavia and find out who the hell Ulfberht is and whether or not they're getting their steel from India, so we can finally have some damn confirmation.

Also I'd swap them some superior modern steel for a couple of their swords, come back and confuse the hell out of the museums.

[Cakesnizzles]

Steal all the books/scrolls from the Library of Alexandria, and then burn it if it doesn't burn. I don't really mess with time too much, haha!

[Chives]

1. Go back to WW2
2. Save Hitler
3. Bring him to the present and tell him that regardless of everything he did everything happened anyway.

If he improves and positively tries to help people, I get to see the most feared and hated man in history function as an altruist. If he snaps I namedrop myself and take him back. He's found gibbering my name in a bunker.

Either way, the outcome would be hilarious.

Spoiler

Show

Edited because I just read through, didn't read the guidelines properly ':D
I guess the big thing I'd do is go back about ten thousand years and watch modern geological formations... form. (I'd have a camera take a picture every two months or so) Being able to see something like that would just be so incredibly cool!

[Jay R]

Having done my research on time travel, I've decided I want to go to the future and get one of those fancy futuristic hoverboards Marty McFly got.

So I'd do the same thing he did. I'd set my time machine for the same date in the future - October 21, 2015. Then I'd go to that futuristic time and ... um ... that is ...

Oh.

Never mind.

[DataNinja]

Having done my research on time travel, I've decided I want to go to the future and get one of those fancy futuristic hoverboards Marty McFly got.

So I'd do the same thing he did. I'd set my time machine for the same date in the future - October 21, 2015. Then I'd go to that futuristic time and ... um ... that is ...

Oh.

Never mind.

Dang it, future. You Always disappoint.

I'd go back in time two hours so I could make that joke first.

[Svata]

Go forward to October 21 2015 and stop judgement day.

[Insane Trystane]

First, I would bring back someone from Colonial America and walk them around DC, answering all their questions and enjoying their awe/horror.

Then I would go forward 200ish years and have someone do the same for me.

Oh, and I'd go to a performance by John Cage. Dude was just crazy, in the best sense of the word. I'd have liked to hear his premiere performance of that twelve radios piece.

[Elskeleton]

Hang out with mini me, 'show her the hacks and hoax of life.

[Lord Gehnvaar]

I'd go back to July 1986 and watch Queen perform at the Wembley Stadium. *sighs* I wish I was born sooner (and had the economic means to travel all around the world to see my favorite bands perform at their peaks )

[noparlpf]

I'd probably take every other day (perceived time) off because I can't handle "adulthood." A few months in, I get confused by the three other mes in my apartment when I come home from a long day and we kill one of us. We can't figure out when in the timelines that me came from so we go back in time to stop it from happening. Things devolve rapidly.

[Velaryon]

I've thought of a new one.

I'll find the person who came up with the expression "The Customer is Always Right" and disappear him before he has a chance to popularize the phrase.

Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge's department store in London, to save you a bit of time looking for him.

Maybe you should kidnap him, bring him to the modern day, sit him in front of a computer, and make him read Not Always Right. You'll either change his mind, or drive him insane. Either should work for your purposes.

[PinkMarshmellow]

There is so many things I would do. I would probably travel back to the year 2000 right before people were going nuts over y2k... I was musch younger then. Would be pretty interesting now a days