Searching the Internet For Evidence of Time Travelers 465
Posted
by
samzenpus
from the bill-and-ted-approved dept.
from the bill-and-ted-approved dept.
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Here's an interesting paper by two physicists at Michigan Technological University who have come up with a practical methodology for finding time travelers through the internet. 'Time travel has captured the public imagination for much of the past century, but little has been done to actually search for time travelers. Here, three implementations of Internet searches for time travelers are described, all seeking a prescient mention of information not previously available. The first search covered prescient content placed on the Internet, highlighted by a comprehensive search for specific terms in tweets on Twitter. The second search examined prescient inquiries submitted to a search engine, highlighted by a comprehensive search for specific search terms submitted to a popular astronomy web site. The third search involved a request for a direct Internet communication, either by email or tweet, pre-dating to the time of the inquiry. Given practical verifiability concerns, only time travelers from the future were investigated. No time travelers were discovered. Although these negative results do not disprove time travel, given the great reach of the Internet, this search is perhaps the most comprehensive to date.' Stephen Hawking's similar search (video) also provided negative results."
Whew. (Score:5, Funny)
Haven't been found out yet!
Re:Whew. (Score:5, Funny)
I didn't meet myself yet (Score:5, Funny)
An experiment in time travel you can do on your own. Go to your favorite coffee shop at noon tomorrow with the idea that you will travel back in time to meet yourself there. If you meet yourself, it proves that time travel will be possible in the future. If you do not meet yourself, it proves that it doesn't.
Of course, it could mean that it is too expensive for you, and you cannot afford to time travel. Perhaps you should not have wasted all tat time on slashdot.
Welp. (Score:5, Funny)
*speaks into cell phone*
The Organization has infiltrated Slashdot. I am posting anonymously as a result.
El Psy Congroo.
Re:Twitter and astronomy (Score:5, Funny)
Why would anyone coming back in time bother with Twitter? When I go back in time, I can't wait to setup a new MySpace page in the year 2001!
HOLD ON.
Who said anything about traveling backwards in time? I conducted the same type of search described in the paper, but instead looked for indications that someone should know something but does not, which would mean they have been traveling forward in time. And the number of positive matches is incredibly high.
Forming a Time Travel Association -- why not join? (Score:5, Funny)
Correction (Score:5, Funny)
hold on, what year was this again ?
Re:Time travelers not allowed to post prescient in (Score:5, Funny)
Tell that to John Titor.
John Titor... (Score:5, Funny)
...would have been found but there isn't a Twitter client for an IBM 5100.
Re:Christopher Reeve (Score:4, Funny)
If I could go back in time, I'd warn myself not to see it.
Re: But seriously speaking ... (Score:5, Funny)
So is New Madrid.
Sure, it is NOW - thanks to those technologically advanced, time-traveling pranksters.
Dupe!! (Score:4, Funny)
This is totally the same article as the one posted on the 5th!!
Re: But seriously speaking ... (Score:5, Funny)
Do you know how hard it is for them to do that? It takes like a whole hour to "encourage" a city to have been founded in a different place.
The big prank is San Francisco. Every time we move it somewhere safe, someone moves it back.
Re:Whew. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Whew. (Score:4, Funny)
Most of us don't admit to being time travelers.
Technically, we're all time travelers - all of us, forever going forward in time.