Impecible logic

A conversation from bedtime:

  • “Did you ever break a toy when you were a little boy?”
  • Yes, honey, sometimes I did.  And my daddy was pretty good at fixing things, but we didn’t have a robot.
  • “I have an idea!”
  • Oh?  What’s that?
  • “We’ll get a big box and a pulley and a rope and tie one end to your house when you were a little boy and pull on it and put the other end in my house and then you’ll have a robot when you’re a little boy!”

Note to self

If I could send a message to myself when I was a kid, to blow my own mind, here’s what I would tell myself:

One day you will own several computers known as “laptops,” the least of which is more powerful than the biggest most bad ass mainframe under the control of any company or government.  You will own a telephone/movie and music player/computer that can wirelessly communicate with anyone in the world who also has a similar device, which is pretty much everyone.  That telephone/computer will be so small you can carry it in your pocket.  It will have enough “hard drive” capacity to hold every song on every single cassette tape you own, more processing power than your IBM, and better resolution than your monitor or television.  It will be able to pinpoint your location anywhere in the world and give you real time directions to anywhere.  You will have cable TV that plays Doctor Who at least three times a day.  You will have a machine that will automatically archive those shows for you.  Your “laptops” and phone will be able to access something called the internet.  It’s like a BBS system – only nearly every computer in the world is interconnected.  You will be able to look up any fact about anything at all on your phone.  There will exist affordable robots that can make anything you wish out plastic, just draw it on your computer and send it to your robot.  You will own TWO of them.

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey.  (That will make sense one day).

Packing for time travel

I suppose a more adventurous sort would just leap into a time machine heedless of the consequences. I tend to be more deliberative. Here’s what I’m planning to take in my foray into the past:

  • A small netbook.  My itty bitty red Dell Mini 10.  Zero battery life, bad resolution, super light weight.
  • An analog notebook.  It’s made of paper.  AKA my “big book of ideas.”  This is actually my fifth such book.  The last four are sitting on a shelf.  Unlike prior versions this is entirely homemade from recycled print paper and a grocery bag.
  • A camera smartphone.
  • At least two varieties of USB cables for charging bluetooth and charging/tethering phone.
  • Maybe a book.  I haven’t decided which one.  I’ve been meaning to reread The Diamond Age.
  • A backpack and a satchel.  I say satchel, but I’ll readily admit it’s a manpurse. 1

What am I missing?

  1. Don’t ever fight who you are. []

Planning for time travel isn’t as easy as you might think

It is my intention to travel in time in about three days.  My plans are as follows:

On Thursday December 9, 2010 I plan to travel back in time 3 hours along my personal timeline.

On Sunday December 12, 2010 I shall travel forwards again by 3 hours.

Upon meeting people I shall declare unto them, “Lo!  I am from the future!  And it is a glimmering shiny place!  I cannot wait for you to see it!”