JadedWriter
Member
My train of thought was:
Flying car: Fuck up and crash.
Teleporter: Fuck up and get mutated.
Tiime Machine: Fuck up and get eaten by a dinosaur.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Teleporter, time machine or flying car?
- Thread starter Pimpwerx
- Start date
- Status
Flying car: Fuck up and crash.
Teleporter: Fuck up and get mutated.
Tiime Machine: Fuck up and get eaten by a dinosaur.
MisterGrey3000
Member
Out of all three of the options you've presented, your idea of teleportation sounds the best out of all three of them. Your time travel concept sounds too limited, and flying cars are useless.
With the teleporters you've given us I imagine that...
-There would be no need for a car or all of the expenses that come with them.
-Needless waste of humans lives attributed to car accidents would cease.
-Assuming these things are sufficiently advanced and eco-friendly, dangerous pollutants from the things we rely on to travel would be a thing of the past.
-There would also be no need to pay for a rental car, get on a bus, or fly on a plane in a world with teleporters. Seeing out of town relatives or going to new and exotic countries would be a breeze.
-Space exploration would be much easier; providing astronauts with things like healthy food, breathable air, and water seems like it would be easy as pie seeing as one could build a teleporter in a space ship or bring one to the place they're exploring and have it link to one at NASA.
I mean sure there are some downsides like bad people using instant point to point teleportation to do bad things, but it just sounds so much better to me than a time machine that can't even go back to when it first existed or an impractical flying car that's no more convenient than a plane or helicopter.
With the teleporters you've given us I imagine that...
-There would be no need for a car or all of the expenses that come with them.
-Needless waste of humans lives attributed to car accidents would cease.
-Assuming these things are sufficiently advanced and eco-friendly, dangerous pollutants from the things we rely on to travel would be a thing of the past.
-There would also be no need to pay for a rental car, get on a bus, or fly on a plane in a world with teleporters. Seeing out of town relatives or going to new and exotic countries would be a breeze.
-Space exploration would be much easier; providing astronauts with things like healthy food, breathable air, and water seems like it would be easy as pie seeing as one could build a teleporter in a space ship or bring one to the place they're exploring and have it link to one at NASA.
I mean sure there are some downsides like bad people using instant point to point teleportation to do bad things, but it just sounds so much better to me than a time machine that can't even go back to when it first existed or an impractical flying car that's no more convenient than a plane or helicopter.
Time travel machine is no brainer. Who knows what sort of tech and medical advances will be made in 100, 1000, 10,000 years from now. Each forward time jump would be more mindblowing than the previous one. Medical advances in 500 years may extend human life to 1000 years. The idea of singular self might cease to exist in 1000 years as everyone will be directly hooked up to internet. Aliens may finally make their appearance! I might start to get iffy about the forward time idea if I have forwarded billions of years ahead and all humanity has died and sun has turned into red giant and is about to swallow up earth. Would I be able to jump forward into nothingness as time machine won't be on earth any more since there is no more earth? Ah well. I guess I would just push the button to go forward and see what happens. There are so much more mundane ways to die.
Uncle_Classy
Member
With 300 years of inflation you'd probably need to take about two zeros off that to get the actual buying power of $32 million in the future.
Coriolanus
Banned
Doesn't have to be in the name of a physical person. Just create a small business account or whatever.
Also can't see why banks would particularly care about the age of an account.
Didn't think of that. I suppose it'll be like a movie time machine. You can move it physically to a different location, but time jumps always land you in the same location, just in the future. PEACE.
zero shift
Banned
I would buy a time machine then travel to the future to buy a cheap teleporter and a cheap flying car.
OrlanisWorks
Banned
Out of all three of the options you've presented, your idea of teleportation sounds the best out of all three of them. Your time travel concept sounds too limited, and flying cars are useless.
With the teleporters you've given us I imagine that...
-There would be no need for a car or all of the expenses that come with them.
-Needless waste of humans lives attributed to car accidents would cease.
-Assuming these things are sufficiently advanced and eco-friendly, dangerous pollutants from the things we rely on to travel would be a thing of the past.
-There would also be no need to pay for a rental car, get on a bus, or fly on a plane in a world with teleporters. Seeing out of town relatives or going to new and exotic countries would be a breeze.
-Space exploration would be much easier; providing astronauts with things like healthy food, breathable air, and water seems like it would be easy as pie seeing as one could build a teleporter in a space ship or bring one to the place they're exploring and have it link to one at NASA.
I mean sure there are some downsides like bad people using instant point to point teleportation to do bad things, but it just sounds so much better to me than a time machine that can't even go back to when it first existed or an impractical flying car that's no more convenient than a plane or helicopter.
I like your style.
Flying car seems pretty shitty since it only has one perk: no runways. The cost? It's a car-sized private plane.
edit: But I could visit a dentist in the Bay Area and get there in less than a couple hours. Scratch that. I'm gonna take the flying car.
Gozer the Gozerian
Member
Can I fit my friends in the time machine? I don't want to go alone 
Sounds about right.
Wowfunhappy
Member
I'm of the firm opinion that (backwards) time machines can't exist and never will. Not for any physics reason (since that would apply to teleporters as well) but because there are far too many paradoxes.
So, teleporter.
So, teleporter.
I feel like I needed the flying car too much. What would make the flying car a more appealing option? I didn't mention it, but it has unlimited range. Would jet fighter international travel times make it more appealing? I figured making it like a small plane would be sweet, but no one cares to fly. I'm going to update the op. PEACE.
Twilight Gap
Member
as long as i never lose the time machine, i'll keep jumping forward until the world ends.
Time machine thar fits in my pocket.
I don't care if it just moves forwards, in fact I'd prefer it, I feel like I was born 1000 years too early.
I want to read about the era's regional politics and just amuse myself over how stupid people were way back then.
But alas, I'm living it.
I don't care if it just moves forwards, in fact I'd prefer it, I feel like I was born 1000 years too early.
I want to read about the era's regional politics and just amuse myself over how stupid people were way back then.
But alas, I'm living it.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Flying car. Clear choice
!. Ask the guy who made the time machine how long it'll take his company to figure out how to go back.
2. Jump forward in small intervals to monitor progress.
3. Eventually have a machine that can reverse jump.
4. Go back to a certain year, consequences be damned.
2. Jump forward in small intervals to monitor progress.
3. Eventually have a machine that can reverse jump.
4. Go back to a certain year, consequences be damned.
Indrid Cold
Unconfirmed Member
Time machine. No brainer. So much to see.
redmetal86
Member
I'm not in that much of a hurry to see the future. Since there's no way to go back, the time machine is useless to me.
The teleporter seems nice, but I'm a little cautious about any possible side effects, and how it teleports. Does it make mini wormholes, or does it disintegrate matter and attempt to put it back together? Does it make a copy of me and produce it on the other side, while simultaneously killing off the original? If it makes copies, and fails to kill the original, there would be two of me walking around (there was an Outer Limits episode about this).
So, I guess it's down to the flying car. If I'm the only one with the car, worst case scenario, I crash it into something and die, which can happen with just about any vehicle, so it's not that bad. I'll take the car.
The teleporter seems nice, but I'm a little cautious about any possible side effects, and how it teleports. Does it make mini wormholes, or does it disintegrate matter and attempt to put it back together? Does it make a copy of me and produce it on the other side, while simultaneously killing off the original? If it makes copies, and fails to kill the original, there would be two of me walking around (there was an Outer Limits episode about this).
So, I guess it's down to the flying car. If I'm the only one with the car, worst case scenario, I crash it into something and die, which can happen with just about any vehicle, so it's not that bad. I'll take the car.
2.6 maker of time machine dies before company figures out a way to reverse travel
SwiftDeath
Member
Time machine
$10 in a bank account of my choice in the present before I jump though
$10 in a bank account of my choice in the present before I jump though
Twilight Gap
Member
these are fascinating scenarios to contemplate. i'd say wormhole technology would be the safest. well, until it collapses and teleports half of the planet into oblivion.
Rhomega Beta
Member
I'll take the time machine. I want to live in Star Trek/Mass Effect world now.
SerTapTap
Member
Teleporter for sure. Wasted time during travel and shipping costs are big annoyances for me. Time travel sounds great but I'm not going to effectively commit suicide out of scientific curiosity--return trip or bust. Flying cars can fuck off in a hole. People are dangerous enough.
itwasTuesday
He wasn't alone.
time machine sounds nice. I would probably only go forward weeks at a time, you could live hundreds of years relative to everyone else. But having meaningful attachment to others could prove incredible tough.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
Well, this is a tough choice.
As long as the teleporter works 100% perfectly like in fiction and isn't just killing the original and making a copy, it would be my first choice. As long as there exists the technology to create a portable teleporter. Remember the episode of Family Matters where the family goes to France because Steve sent a friend a portable teleporter so they could go? Like that. If an exit location doesn't exist, I'd want the option to have someone set one up temporarily for me. Even if there are major teleporter locations I'd still want to be able to go anywhere. But I can see there being regulations. Since the technology is widespread they'd want to be able to make sure people won't be teleporting into bank vaults or something so there'd probably be either regulations for smaller ones, or an outlaw of portable teleporters, or special teleporter stopping forcefields to prevent unauthorized teleporting. So it would get complicated.
A time machine that only goes forward. I assume it was invented by Professor Farnsworth. But unlike Futurama I doubt time is cyclical and it won't just repeat itself in the case I make a mistake and need to go back. I'd choose this option but it would just be a temporary fun thing to do out of curiosity. How do we know how far to go? How do we even know how advanced we will be and when? What if humanity literally destroys itself? Fuck that. If there's no backup plan then I won't want to take that risk. As much as I'd be tempted.
And fuck flying cars. If teleports and time machines don't exist, they'd be the coolest thing. But seeing as both could also exist, why would you pick them? Anyway, if I had to pick this option I'd want to make sure they're perfectly safe like BTTF II. Will there be safeties in place to prevent failure and crashing or falling to earth? The technology would have to be perfected. By which I mean completely automatic so no one has to even drive at all. But it's too risky. Even backup systems could fail. Though maybe the crashes would be as rare as an airplane crash. Still. Teleporters, man! Who needs cars at all in a world with teleporters?
So yes, teleporters.
As long as the teleporter works 100% perfectly like in fiction and isn't just killing the original and making a copy, it would be my first choice. As long as there exists the technology to create a portable teleporter. Remember the episode of Family Matters where the family goes to France because Steve sent a friend a portable teleporter so they could go? Like that. If an exit location doesn't exist, I'd want the option to have someone set one up temporarily for me. Even if there are major teleporter locations I'd still want to be able to go anywhere. But I can see there being regulations. Since the technology is widespread they'd want to be able to make sure people won't be teleporting into bank vaults or something so there'd probably be either regulations for smaller ones, or an outlaw of portable teleporters, or special teleporter stopping forcefields to prevent unauthorized teleporting. So it would get complicated.
A time machine that only goes forward. I assume it was invented by Professor Farnsworth. But unlike Futurama I doubt time is cyclical and it won't just repeat itself in the case I make a mistake and need to go back. I'd choose this option but it would just be a temporary fun thing to do out of curiosity. How do we know how far to go? How do we even know how advanced we will be and when? What if humanity literally destroys itself? Fuck that. If there's no backup plan then I won't want to take that risk. As much as I'd be tempted.
And fuck flying cars. If teleports and time machines don't exist, they'd be the coolest thing. But seeing as both could also exist, why would you pick them? Anyway, if I had to pick this option I'd want to make sure they're perfectly safe like BTTF II. Will there be safeties in place to prevent failure and crashing or falling to earth? The technology would have to be perfected. By which I mean completely automatic so no one has to even drive at all. But it's too risky. Even backup systems could fail. Though maybe the crashes would be as rare as an airplane crash. Still. Teleporters, man! Who needs cars at all in a world with teleporters?
So yes, teleporters.
I was about to say "duh, the teleporter". But then I read about the "what if it:s just making a copy of you and killing the original". Uh, fuck teleporters so much. I'm now legitimally scared of teleporters. Maybe I use it and... it's over. Everything. Black. Nothing.
And then a copy of me is created and enjoys all the crazy shit.
But, me? I'm no more. I'm dead.
And when that copy uses the teleporter, he dies too.
And the million people using teleporters are all dying without even knowing it. (asumming the teleporter is not for me only.)
Oh and fuck the time machine if I can't regret it and go back.
So, yeah, flying cars for me, thank you very much.
Oh, if teleporters don't do that I would pick them. But in the real world I can't know if they do it or not so fuck them.
And then a copy of me is created and enjoys all the crazy shit.
But, me? I'm no more. I'm dead.
And when that copy uses the teleporter, he dies too.
And the million people using teleporters are all dying without even knowing it. (asumming the teleporter is not for me only.)
Oh and fuck the time machine if I can't regret it and go back.
So, yeah, flying cars for me, thank you very much.
Oh, if teleporters don't do that I would pick them. But in the real world I can't know if they do it or not so fuck them.
Ecto311
Member
Time machine then just go forward till there are teleporters and flying cars. Neither of the other 2 are going to make the time machine happen. Plus flying cars would suck. People in general can't fuckin figure out 2d driving let alone being in the air and navigating up and down also.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
If the teleporter was killing your original and making a copy then I'd go with the flying cars as long as like I mentioned, they are fail-proof. Able to prevent collisions, drive themselves, completely automatic, (Maybe make the flying portion of a trip automatic only and only require human control for the start and end.) then I'd go with that as it'd still be faster than regular driving.
Obviously there would need to be actual sky highways because letting everyone just fly straight to their destination would be dangerous and impossible to plan out like you do with flight patterns. And without traffic lights (Since every route would be like a freeway with on-ramps and off-ramps) it'd still be faster than ground highways. And since accidents would be almost gone, and even if there was one it wouldn't block the road, there would be no traffic. Especially if the highways could be made to automatically expand if more lanes are needed. Let some huge mega supercomputer do all the calculations for when roads should expand and analyze the traffic to assist with their navigation.
So I guess don't fuck flying cars if teleporters are crappy. Fuck them if they're perfect.
Obviously there would need to be actual sky highways because letting everyone just fly straight to their destination would be dangerous and impossible to plan out like you do with flight patterns. And without traffic lights (Since every route would be like a freeway with on-ramps and off-ramps) it'd still be faster than ground highways. And since accidents would be almost gone, and even if there was one it wouldn't block the road, there would be no traffic. Especially if the highways could be made to automatically expand if more lanes are needed. Let some huge mega supercomputer do all the calculations for when roads should expand and analyze the traffic to assist with their navigation.
So I guess don't fuck flying cars if teleporters are crappy. Fuck them if they're perfect.
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
Not if the 5% yield was from the real (nominal - inflation) interest rate.
Unknown One
Member
People who say this don't think about the possibilty of the teleporter killing you and making a copy that isn't actually you...
Isn't it both if it's an exact replica. You die and you are copied. As long as the original dies a painless death that's fine with me. I wouldn't know either way.
But... you would be dead. :/ You would cease to exist, you would never reach the destination, the replica is not you, he isn't the same self, just shares the memories. That's what I'm afraid of.
umop_3pisdn
Member
Flying car for the scenic views.
Can I use the Time Machine to travel to a point in time which the teleporter and flying car is invented? If so I'd do that.
Also if I can't. Do other people have flying cars? Or am I the only one? Cause everyone having a flying car would defeat the purpose of having one.
In the year 252525...the backwards timemachine still had not arrived.
Also if I can't. Do other people have flying cars? Or am I the only one? Cause everyone having a flying car would defeat the purpose of having one.
In the year 252525...the backwards timemachine still had not arrived.
Time Machine.
-Live my life here until old age
-Put a lot of money places where it will collect interest over many years
-Small time jumps to check out world conditions
-Look for a time where Tech/medical breakthroughs can extend my life significantly
-Hope I can still collect my money
-Pay for said tech to extend my life or restore my youth, or my robot body, whatever.
-If tech does not exist.. just travel forward in time repeatedly, spending a bit in each place to check things out, hopefully get to see how we end.
-Jump to a point where earth is gone and just be a body floating around in space.
Das it.
-Live my life here until old age
-Put a lot of money places where it will collect interest over many years
-Small time jumps to check out world conditions
-Look for a time where Tech/medical breakthroughs can extend my life significantly
-Hope I can still collect my money
-Pay for said tech to extend my life or restore my youth, or my robot body, whatever.
-If tech does not exist.. just travel forward in time repeatedly, spending a bit in each place to check things out, hopefully get to see how we end.
-Jump to a point where earth is gone and just be a body floating around in space.
Das it.
Coreda
Member
How is the flying car powered? Depends how long I can stay in the air.
Teleporter would be more like sci-fi transport open to the public, no? While future-only time machine travel could be either be amazing or depressing, and taking things/knowledge with you less useful than backward time travel.
Teleporter would be more like sci-fi transport open to the public, no? While future-only time machine travel could be either be amazing or depressing, and taking things/knowledge with you less useful than backward time travel.
- Status