A Small Victory

I would like to be Cirocco Jones, and if I spelt my ersatz name wrong,,,feh.

Is the time machine a reliable one, so that you can be sure of coming back here if you want, or is it likely you might get stranded in the destination time period?

Hmm. Okay:

Fictional: Dune.

Real: London, late 1800's.

David, you sound like me. I worry about things like that, even in imaginary situations.

Let's say for sake of argument that you can come back any time you want.

Fictional: The island in Swiss Family Robinson, but without the Robinsons.

Real: Fiji, our current time period.

Actually, I like this one... sorta... I have several ideas for it.

But the longer and more complex the topic, the more LIMITING it is, I think. But then, what does it matter what I think? I think ice cream is the work of the devil.

I think I'm going to use my bus trips home from work to write my stories instead of taking up valuable work time... yawn gotta get in all my naps, you know.

Icecream the work of the devil, huh? Why do you hate freedom Mr. Simon?

If it's actually living there, I always get caught up on the "what if I'm black or some other persecuted minority?" (which eliminates a lot of history as desirable) or "jeez, will I be impacted by the average lifespan being 37?" questions.

Just visiting: Noir L.A. as described by James Ellroy would be an interesting week.

Just visiting as a kid: Narnia.

United States. Philadelphia or Boston. Post Revolution, but prior to the mid 1800's. I'm assuming I would be a land owner and able to vote. I would have to be fully aware of my presence in the past so that I could enjoy it.

Real: Upstate New York from 1700's to 1900 (so long as I get to jump around from time to time)

Fictional: The shire, or maybe somewhere else in middle-earth.

If the time machine is a TARDIS, who cares?

(this is the "best of both worlds" option.

Although I would love to see how people built, fought, and lived during epochs of the past, I'm pampered enough and have been damaged enough to understand that I don't want to live in a time without advanced medicine, antibiotics, and dentistry. So this essentially rules out going backward.

That's fine because I really want to know what the stars are like. I want to live in a time when mankind has a starfaring civilization, if that's even possible. Although I have a lot to live for right here, for the sake of this discussion, send me ten thousand years into the future to have a look. If I like it, let me stay.

I'm not sure where I'd go, but I'd bring as much pennicillin as I could carry ...

barring that, I'd brush up on my calculus, science and engineering, go to London, circa 1680 and fuck with Sir Isaac Newtown.

"Yo, Izzy - check this out ..."

Real: Edinburgh, Scotland 1760's
Fictional: Coruscant

Pretty much any Robert Heinlen world. If I had to pick one, then Time Enough For Love.

Garrett - that's my favorite Heinlein book.

Real - New Zealand at the beginning of the making of the LOTR trilogy, blessed with artistic talent (maybe building those fantastic miniatures and 'bigatures') and employed by Weta Studios.

Fictional - Hogwarts, as a student, learning how to do spells, charms, and potions.

London During the Regency times. But I would have to be rich so I could dress well and bath. But I wouldn't want to remember indoor plumbing if it was not invented yet. Can't miss what you don't remember.

Real: 1880s Tombstone AZ
Fiction: Raisa (Star Trek universe)

Fictional: Star Treck federation. I may not be in love with the show, but it's not a bad utopia as utopias go.

Factual if I can make sure I'm rich: Rome, post Christianity
Factual if I can't make sure I'm rich, and don't remember all the wonders of modern convenience (I'd give up teh interweb for Rome, I think): Post revolution Philly. They had cheese steaks then, right?
Factual if I can't make sure I'm rich, and do remember all the modern conveniences: Forward in time till we get to ubiquitous intercranial computing. Not Cleveland.

Fictional: the high school world of Betsy and Tacy (Deep Valley, Minnesota 1906-1910)

Real: 1880s Midwest (Chicago, maybe, or Milwaukee). But only if I'm at least middle-class. Poverty in any era doesn't seem like it would be fun to visit.

OR: Jerusalem at the time of Christ...but just for a few days so I could hear Him preach. Then I'd get the hell out of Dodge (so to speak). Brutal time for women back then.

Jennifer: you could end up in Christ's entourage, which was well respected. But yeah, other than that, not much you could do.

Ironically, that would be one of my first choices - I'd probably stay until the early church was established with Paul as the traveling missionary.

Either that, or here in the 1960s and 70s. And maybe 80s. I've been there since the 90s, but would love to see what's changed over time. That, and I want to SEE the days when we were allowed to swim in the pond.

Fictional: Shire, Rivendell, Dale (under the Lonely Mountian), or Rohan.

So I really can't decide. Sue me.

London, 1837, the beginning of the Victorian Age.

Jennifer - I LOVED Betsy and Tacy! I'd join you there.

real: 16 years ago...that way I could communicate all i have learned with my younger self.

fanasty: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe :-)

I would want to go to ancient Rome...between the years of about 90 bce - 35 bce. There are SO many reasons to want to go back to this time period. From witnessing how the ancients were able to harness technologies that our society was only able to re-utilize after 1700 years of absence...seeing how they lived..observing a very large metropoltian city with no sounds of technology (airplans, cars, etc) and then for the political and historial evolutions that allowed a society within 80 years from wanting to live in a Republic to a Principate. I would want to put some observation in that dramatic evolutionary change.

Real: Right here, right now. What could be better?

Fiction: Anywhere in Larry Niven's Known Space. Well, except the Ringworld, because I'm just not into rishathra.

Mr. Lawson -- I'll join you at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Who's buying the Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters?

Other fictional choice: Hogwarts

Real: Hmm...hard to say. I really do enjoy indoor plumbing. As somebody else mentioned, if I could check out the future, that might work.

Gilligan's Island.
California, gold rush days. Colorado, silver rush days.
During King Arthur's day.

Fiction: Either Swiss Family Robertson.. or Niven't Dream Park

Real world: Berlin.. from Regean's speech .. to the Pink Floyd Concert.. or to have been a pilot in the Berlin Airlift (or both :)