Time machine building paradox

hatrickpatrick

Was discussing building a time machine last night to get me closer to an event I've been looking forward to.
Put forward the idea that while the time machine will undoubtedly take me many years to complete, far longer than I have to wait for the event in question, once it's done I can come back to this moment and give it to my younger self, thus enabling me to skip the aforementioned processes of both building it and waiting for the event.

However, as I was thinking this, it occurred to me that since no aged Hatrickpatrick is currently standing in the room with me offering me the keys to a time machine, this essentially suggests that the project I'm embarking on is already doomed to failure before I even begin it.

This further brings into question why I'm even embarking on this project, knowing in advance that it's not going to work.

Have a think about that, I think I've had too many pints but nonetheless I'm getting another

EDIT: Literally just saw the other time travel thread after I posted this.

COINCIDENCE?! :eek:

Tombi!

It appears I need alcohol to consider an answer. Thank you.

I used to get confused too over things like but then I started believing in the infinite universe theory (or whatever it's called) that for every thing that happens, no matter how it differs, causes a new reality to take place.

So for example, in one world you'd be doomed to failure, in another you'd have done it, in another you'd have done it, come to the past, built it quicker, in another one you might travel back to when you were very young and then built one, etc.

hatrickpatrick

Brutal Deluxe wrote: »

It appears I need alcohol to consider an answer. Thank you.

I used to get confused too over things like but then I started believing in the infinite universe theory (or whatever it's called) that for every thing that happens, no matter how it differs, causes a new reality to take place.

So for example, in one world you'd be doomed to failure, in another you'd have done it, in another you'd have done it, come to the past, built it quicker, in another one you might travel back to when you were very young and then built one, etc.

I've always loved that theory.
Gives me the hope to cling to, that regardless of how many epic f*ck ups I have been responsible for (and indeed will be responsible for before God or whatever you believe in decides it's time for me to stop terrorising humanity), there's another universe out there in which I was genuinely an absolute legend who made all the right decisions, as opposed to this one where I just claim to be an absolute legend and have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

buried

I think time is an illusion. Time could well exist all at once, the past, the present, the future, all existing at once, just like an infinite circle. Its just that our brains are not developed enough yet to comprehend or understand it, yet. The 4th dimension and all that. Time could well be a machine itself, designed by some architect that is unseen by our eyes, for the moment.

Conall Cernach

Maybe old Hatrickpatrick is a bit of a knob and doesn't want to give you a time machine and instead spends his time trolling you by changing exam questions to stuff he knows you don't know etc.

darkpagandeath

I like the theory that states time travel will only be possible back to the point of when it was invented. And don't get me started on the earth moving through space.

hatrickpatrick

Conall Cernach wrote: »

Maybe old Hatrickpatrick is a bit of a knob and doesn't want to give you a time machine and instead spends his time trolling you by changing exam questions to stuff he knows you don't know etc.

This is exactly the kind of thing I would do, to be fair. When I'm 70, I'mma kick my own ass*.

* Flexibility permitting, of course

Amirani

"Time travel" forward is possible in a sense, at least relative to the Earth. Time travel backwards probably isn't.

hatrickpatrick

Diego Simeone wrote: »

"Time travel" forward is possible in a sense, at least relative to the Earth. Time travel backwards probably isn't.

Time travel forward is technically something we're all doing right now.
Mind = blown.

Cee-Jay-Cee

You have to start the cycle in order for time travel to work so you have to build it first then you can visit a previous you and give it to him to travel to earlier or future times.

The Backwards Man

I had a dream last night where I was working as a mechanic for Alitalia () and I was in a plane crossing the Atlantic (very dedicated to my job it seems) and the only way I could save the plane from crashing was to run and airline through the fuselage from the tailrudder to the cockpit. Just as I was about to connect it under the pilot's seat my phone rang and I woke up.

If there really are infinite universes, that has probably happened, will happen or is happening right now.

Or maybe it's all just a load of old balls.

The thought of meeting Biff Tannen meant I abandoned my plans. He was nasty.

cerastes

This reminds me about a thread which I think was primarily about a film where a time machine is built, its a box but the person that gets into it dies? I think it was a low budget but supposedly good film, anyone know the name of the film?

The Backwards Man

cerastes wrote: »

This reminds me about a thread which I think was primarily about a film where a time machine is built, its a box but the person that gets into it dies? I think it was a low budget but supposedly good film, anyone know the name of the film?

The Fly

Sheldons Brain

I built a time machine and went far into the future. Mayo still hadn't won another All Ireland.

darkpagandeath

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Time travel forward is technically something we're all doing right now.
Mind = blown.

I think it's in relation to the speed of travelling, Possibly in relation to orbiting a singularity. And the flow of time is different to the observed and the observer.

Phoebas

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

However, as I was thinking this, it occurred to me that since no aged Hatrickpatrick is currently standing in the room with me offering me the keys to a time machine, this essentially suggests that the project I'm embarking on is already doomed to failure before I even begin it.

There's a multiverse theory that basically goes that at every decision point a new universe is created where each of the various possibilities exist.

So there may be a hatrickpatrick in another universe who has invented a time machine, but is posting on boards denying it to throw the rest of us off the scent.

L1m1tless

I built a time machine out of an old box. It let's me travel into the future at 1sec/sec. I'm currently working on making it more efficient. Any beta testers?

Phoebas

Neo_Ninja wrote: »

I built a time machine out of an old box. It let's me travel into the future at 1sec/sec. I'm currently working on making it more efficient. Any beta testers?

Stick it on an aeroplane.

Youngblood.III

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Was discussing building a time machine last night to get me closer to an event I've been looking forward to.
Put forward the idea that while the time machine will undoubtedly take me many years to complete, far longer than I have to wait for the event in question, once it's done I can come back to this moment and give it to my younger self, thus enabling me to skip the aforementioned processes of both building it and waiting for the event.

However, as I was thinking this, it occurred to me that since no aged Hatrickpatrick is currently standing in the room with me offering me the keys to a time machine, this essentially suggests that the project I'm embarking on is already doomed to failure before I even begin it.

This further brings into question why I'm even embarking on this project, knowing in advance that it's not going to work.

Have a think about that, I think I've had too many pints but nonetheless I'm getting another

EDIT: Literally just saw the other time travel thread after I posted this.

COINCIDENCE?! :eek:

You have been stopped from interference by the "Time Cops"

Youngblood.III

I had an interesting dream about a time machine a few months ago...technically very vivid....one wonders was it a 'reach back' from the future

Conall Cernach

cerastes wrote: »

This reminds me about a thread which I think was primarily about a film where a time machine is built, its a box but the person that gets into it dies? I think it was a low budget but supposedly good film, anyone know the name of the film?

The Prestige? It's about rival stage magicians who both do a teleportation trick.

One of them actually has a teleporter but it also creates duplicates of the magician so he has to kill himself every time he does the trick so that there aren't loads of him running round the place.

Bruthal

Phoebas wrote: »

Stick it on an aeroplane.

Or just walk along with it.

dandyelevan

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

I built a time machine and went far into the future. Mayo still hadn't won another All Ireland.

Any sign of the Limerick senior hurlers while you were there?

The_Valeyard

I built a time machine 8 years from now, it caused me nothing but trouble, so im not doing it again this time around.

cerastes

Conall Cernach wrote: »

The Prestige? It's about rival stage magicians who both do a teleportation trick.

One of them actually has a teleporter but it also creates duplicates of the magician so he has to kill himself every time he does the trick so that there aren't loads of him running round the place.

Thats about teleportation though,
but No, good film I thought but isnt the one, I hadnt considered the similarity, where Ive seen the Prestige, I havent seen the other film, it was discussed on boards before though and set in the current timeframe, ie not victorian as in the Prestige.

The Backwards Man wrote: »

The Fly

No, isnt that about teleportation too?

buried

cerastes wrote: »

Thats about teleportation though,
but No, good film I thought but isnt the one, I hadnt considered the similarity, where Ive seen the Prestige, I havent seen the other film, it was discussed on boards before though and set in the current timeframe, ie not victorian as in the Prestige.



No, isnt that about teleportation too?

Could be 'primer'? Great modern time travelling movie

ectoraige

Learn to use the search function first, there was already another thread started about this next week.

blinding

If when you go back you change even the smallest thing, then you never exist (there after) so therefore cannot go back.

By even one trillionth of a second back in time you already stop the circumstances that allows you to create a time machine.

The time Gods don't stand for that kind of thing and annihilate you.

There is no time so you cannot go back.