Timetravel: what to take?

[iago]

I got this from a really awesome blog.. what do you think?

You’re about to go back in time. You’re going to land somewhere in Europe during the High Middle Ages, in the range of 1000AD to 1300AD. You’re standing in your house. This trip will take you and about a loaded suitcase worth of volume. If you attempt to take more you won’t be able to predict what will be left behind. What do you take with you?

You’re going for good. This is a one-way trip. You don’t know exactly where or when you will land within the given window, or what time of year it will be. (Let’s assume you can be confident that you’ll land on solid ground, though. Don’t worry about appearing over the ocean. inside of rock, or 100 meters off the ground. You’ll arrive safely. After that it’s up to you.)

Don’t worry about changing history. It’s inevitable, so don’t go in trying to preserve the original timeline.

So… what items will you put in your suitcase before you go? What’s the plan when you get there?

Answers might perhaps be long. Leave them in the comments, or put them on your blog and I’ll link back.

Oh, and the goal? Survival.

[Sidoh]

a science book, several science experiments, so i can be accused of witchery (that always sounded like fun)

a taser, a cattle prod, a shotgun, clothes..

Those seem like the bare essentials!

[rabbit]

Glock 17, the Anarchists' Cookbook, and the rest of the suitcase stuff with as many 9mm bullets as humanly possible (including shaving a mm or 2 off of the inside of the case just to increase volume).

[MyndFyre]

I would personally prefer to take a .22 - although it has much less stopping power, you could still get by with a couple shots, and a brick of 500 .22 rounds takes up about the same space as two bricks of 50 9mm rounds.  My roommate has a Walther P22, and I've found that it's generally easier to shoot than my 9mm Ruger.

The flip side is that I probably would like a shotgun.  And a chainsaw that mounts to my left arm.  That seemed to work out for Ash.

[iago]

How about...

Tough book (or two), complete set of Wikipedia, Wikihow, and other online sources, and plans to make a hydro generator (really, it's just a magnet, wire, and water ).

Also, and most importantly, this shirt

[rabbit]

I would personally prefer to take a .22 - although it has much less stopping power, you could still get by with a couple shots, and a brick of 500 .22 rounds takes up about the same space as two bricks of 50 9mm rounds.  My roommate has a Walther P22, and I've found that it's generally easier to shoot than my 9mm Ruger.

The flip side is that I probably would like a shotgun.  And a chainsaw that mounts to my left arm.  That seemed to work out for Ash.

Fuck bricks.  I'm just gonna buy a shit ton of bullets and dump them in the suitcase.  Also, I don't know how well a .22 would stop a fully armored knight (neither I nor the Mythbusters have ever experimented) or a warhorse.

[nslay]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

[iago]

I would personally prefer to take a .22 - although it has much less stopping power, you could still get by with a couple shots, and a brick of 500 .22 rounds takes up about the same space as two bricks of 50 9mm rounds.  My roommate has a Walther P22, and I've found that it's generally easier to shoot than my 9mm Ruger.

The flip side is that I probably would like a shotgun.  And a chainsaw that mounts to my left arm.  That seemed to work out for Ash.

Fuck bricks.  I'm just gonna buy a shit ton of bullets and dump them in the suitcase.  Also, I don't know how well a .22 would stop a fully armored knight (neither I nor the Mythbusters have ever experimented) or a warhorse.

Bullets would tear right through old style armour.

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

You're being held at gunpoint? You were forced to do it by the government? Aliens? You're the only one that can fix a problem in the past that's about to destroy the world? You want to make it with some 11th century ladies of negotiable affection? *shrug*

[rabbit]

On second thought, I'd bring a portable, rechargeable time machine, use that to go into the future to get a BETTER time machine (and a badass weapon), then go BACK to right when I left the present and kill all the aliens and government and shit.  And if I am literally the only person on Earth who can stop a problem, I'd call bullshit.

[warz]

I'd bring some halloween costume of something crazy so they think I'm a God. Then I'll just live the high life and have bitches stomp my wine out.

[nslay]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

You're being held at gunpoint? You were forced to do it by the government? Aliens? You're the only one that can fix a problem in the past that's about to destroy the world? You want to make it with some 11th century ladies of negotiable affection? *shrug*

Hmm, but maybe preventing the pending world destruction results in something worse.  Suppose preventing a nuclear holocaust results in an overall worse time line with the addition of world destruction by a slow and painful war grade virus?

That's why I ask "why?"  So many "ifs"...  Visiting the past is a big gamble.  And you know whats great about time travel, the joke is on you!  You will have tried to change history for the better, possibly making it far worse and having to live its development all over again.

[Newby]

I'd bring some halloween costume of something crazy so they think I'm a God. Then I'll just live the high life and have bitches stomp my wine out.

^

And a flamethrower.

But on a serious note, I'll remark on this when I'm done taking my midterm in half an hour!

[iago]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

You're being held at gunpoint? You were forced to do it by the government? Aliens? You're the only one that can fix a problem in the past that's about to destroy the world? You want to make it with some 11th century ladies of negotiable affection? *shrug*

Hmm, but maybe preventing the pending world destruction results in something worse.  Suppose preventing a nuclear holocaust results in an overall worse time line with the addition of world destruction by a slow and painful war grade virus?

That's why I ask "why?"  So many "ifs"...  Visiting the past is a big gamble.  And you know whats great about time travel, the joke is on you!  You will have tried to change history for the better, possibly making it far worse and having to live its development all over again.

My point is that it doesn't matter why -- talking about it is pointless. Just assume that it's going to happen, for one reason or another, in order to properly answer this.

[truste1]

Magic Genie

[BigAznDaddy]

toilet paper.

[rabbit]

On second thought, I'd cram a doctor with a masters in biology into my suitcase.

[dark_drake]

A few of the practical engineering textbooks (not the ones that explain every ounce of theory, just how to do stuff), a .22 with a bit of ammo, a historical textbook so I could predict major disasters and whatnot. A laser. Dragon repellent. I'll post more as I think about them.

[rabbit]

I would shrink an enlarging gizmo from Honey I Blew Up the Kid with a shrinking ray from Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  I would also shrink an entire team of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, biologists, physicists, chemists, doctors, and surgeons, along with all of the equipment they'd need (or want).  I'd also bring a few battalions of mercenaries, including a mechanized and air division, plenty of ammo and fuel, plus spare parts.  I'd also bring maps of the entire world, and probably a navy.  I'd then unshrink everything once I got back to the past and proceed to take over the world.

[iago]

I would shrink an enlarging gizmo from Honey I Blew Up the Kid with a shrinking ray from Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  I would also shrink an entire team of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, biologists, physicists, chemists, doctors, and surgeons, along with all of the equipment they'd need (or want).  I'd also bring a few battalions of mercenaries, including a mechanized and air division, plenty of ammo and fuel, plus spare parts.  I'd also bring maps of the entire world, and probably a navy.  I'd then unshrink everything once I got back to the past and proceed to take over the world.

Then, when you get through, the shock of the transition causes you to drop the suitcase, killing them all.

[rabbit]

I would shrink an enlarging gizmo from Honey I Blew Up the Kid with a shrinking ray from Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  I would also shrink an entire team of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, biologists, physicists, chemists, doctors, and surgeons, along with all of the equipment they'd need (or want).  I'd also bring a few battalions of mercenaries, including a mechanized and air division, plenty of ammo and fuel, plus spare parts.  I'd also bring maps of the entire world, and probably a navy.  I'd then unshrink everything once I got back to the past and proceed to take over the world.

Then, when you get through, the shock of the transition causes you to drop the suitcase, killing them all.

Except I've packed them all in stasis pods surrounded by packing peanuts.

[truste1]

Wal-Mart.

[truste1]

In all seriousness. A gun and ammunition, body armor, a supply of MREs, sleeping bag, a solar powered or crank powered laptop with a collection of howto articles & Wikipedia, medicine, lots of gold, water purifier, clothing, bugspray, soap, toothbrush/toothpaste.

Edit: Scratch the laptop, too heavy. iPod touch with solar charger and relevant apps (navigation, phrases, recipes, first aid, etc.) and wikipedia downloads. Silencer for the gun. Something lightweight to sell...retractable pens maybe. Modern bow.

[Blaze]

Iron Man suit.

[iago]

What about filling your suitcase with drugs (meth, heroin, whatever)? As the only source, you could be rich!

[truste1]

What about filling your suitcase with drugs (meth, heroin, whatever)? As the only source, you could be rich!

Until you run out and then you're chased by fiends.

[Towelie]

What about filling your suitcase with drugs (meth, heroin, whatever)? As the only source, you could be rich!

Why not fill it with the seeds to grow the plants for drugs, and knowledge as to how to cultivate them / process them? As long as the process is relatively simple, and the materials can easily be accessed.

[Camel]

iPod touch with solar charger and relevant apps (navigation, phrases, recipes, first aid, etc.) and wikipedia downloads.

Just for the record, core location wouldn't work in the past. It'd still be pretty handy to have a digital atlas, though.

[truste1]

iPod touch with solar charger and relevant apps (navigation, phrases, recipes, first aid, etc.) and wikipedia downloads.

Just for the record, core location wouldn't work in the past. It'd still be pretty handy to have a digital atlas, though.

star charts

[Camel]

Is there an iTouch app that will tell you your location if you take a picture of the sky?

[Joe]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

Because you're returning from a distant planet on a stolen starship and when you approach Earth, there's an alien probe flying above the ocean, emitting high pitched whalesong and trying to communicate with an extinct species of whales, whilst destroying earth. The only way to stop the probe is to return to Earth of the past, beam two whales aboard your stolen starship and return them to the present time.

Kirk out.

[iago]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

Because you're returning from a distant planet on a stolen starship and when you approach Earth, there's an alien probe flying above the ocean, emitting high pitched whalesong and trying to communicate with an extinct species of whales, whilst destroying earth. The only way to stop the probe is to return to Earth of the past, beam two whales aboard your stolen starship and return them to the present time.

Kirk out.

You're assuming you have the ability to use the sun's gravitational pull to go fast enough that you end up back in time, somehow.

[truste1]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

Well if you did go back in time it would be less effort! You could live in the present while knowing the future already, and also knowing what would happen in the present and what has already happened in the past. The only bad part is you'd still want to contemplate the future only it'd be hundreds of years further into the future.

[Joe]

I can't imagine why you would want to time travel at all.  Living in the present while contemplating the future is already quite a lot of effort and work.

Because you're returning from a distant planet on a stolen starship and when you approach Earth, there's an alien probe flying above the ocean, emitting high pitched whalesong and trying to communicate with an extinct species of whales, whilst destroying earth. The only way to stop the probe is to return to Earth of the past, beam two whales aboard your stolen starship and return them to the present time.

Kirk out.

You're assuming you have the ability to use the sun's gravitational pull to go fast enough that you end up back in time, somehow.

The starship in question is presumed to be able to travel at warp 10.

[iago]

There's no such thing as Warp 10, on the scale they use Warp 10 = infinite velocity.

(Actually, Tom Paris and Janeway did Warp 10 once, they were everywhere in the universe simultaneously. But if messed them up.)

[Joe]

"Several episodes of the original series placed the Enterprise in peril by having it travel at high warp factors; at one point in "That Which Survives" the Enterprise traveled at a warp factor of 14.1."

[iago]

"Several episodes of the original series placed the Enterprise in peril by having it travel at high warp factors; at one point in "That Which Survives" the Enterprise traveled at a warp factor of 14.1."

Original series doesn't count, they just made up things. The four newer serieses actually had some consistency.

In 24th century warp theory, a warp factor of 10 corresponds to an infinite velocity. Theoretically, a vessel traveling at warp 10 would occupy all points in the universe simultaneously. Warp 10 was the transwarp threshold, representing infinite velocity. (VOY: "Threshold")

In theory, it was possible to travel backwards in time by surpassing warp 10. (TNG: "Time Squared")

Although considered a theoretical impossibility at the time, Tom Paris of the USS Voyager reached the warp 10 threshold in 2372, using shuttlecraft Cochrane which was equipped with an extraordinarily rare form of dilithium discovered earlier that year. After it was discovered that such travel induces hyper-evolution, this technology was discontinued after the initial test. (VOY: "Threshold")

Kathryn Janeway made the observation in 2376 that rumors travel fast on board Voyager. Chakotay agreed with Janeway, quipping at "warp 10." (VOY: "The Voyager Conspiracy")

I suppose if you go faster than Warp 10, you go to infinite velocity then out the other side, or something.

.. although if you keep reading Memory Alpha's section on Warp Speed, there seems to be a lot of inconsistencies..

[Joe]

Well then I'll just say that the starship.. oh, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, can travel at warp 9.8.