Time travel real?

[lomillialor]

SRD has used time travel in his work (won't say where so as not to spoil it for anyone), so I wonder what you all think of the John Titor phenomena (I think it's a very thorough and enjoyable fake). There's even a wikipedia entry about John Titor.

www.johntitor.com/

A Brief Summary of the John Titor Phenomenon

THE TIME TRAVEL TALE OF JOHN TITOR

Although there is debate over the exact date it started, on November 02, 2000, a person calling themselves Timetravel_0, and later John Titor, started posting on a public forum that he was a time traveler from the year 2036.

One of the first things he did was post pictures of his time machine and its operations manual. As the weeks went by, more and more people began questioning him about why he was here, the physics of time travel and his thoughts about our time. He also posted on other forums including the now non-existent Art Bell site. In his posts John Titor entertained, angered, frightened and even belittled those who engaged him in conversation.

On March 21, 2001, John Titor told us he would be leaving our and returning to 2036. After that, he was never heard from again. Speculation and investigation about who John Titor was and why he was online continues to this day.

Although it may be easy to dismiss all this as science fiction, most people who read his posts agree that there is something very haunting about John Titor and what he said. In addition, and open to more debate, he also made a series of predictions and comments that eerily seem to be coming true.

Unfortunately, I never spoke directly to John Titor but there are many out there who have and continue to wonder about their experience. As you get deeper and deeper into the story, you will find his posts, links to other sites about him, downloads and speculative information attributed to him after he left. I have taken the posts and organized them by date and subject. My editorial work is copyrighted but the unedited posts and the people who experienced it are in the public domain can be found on other sites listed inside.

As you read, please try to keep two things in mind:

1. John appeared to answer nearly every question that was asked of him over the 4-month period he was online. Because of that, many people neglected to read the previous posts and asked similar or exact questions he had already answered. It may offer a glimpse of what a time traveler goes through when having the same conversation again and again.

2. These posts were written before 911, the Discovery accident and the second gulf war. Many people believe John may have known of these events and dropped clues without actually referring to them. It's also widely agreed that he made several predictions about future physics discoveries that have materialized as he stated.

[ur-bane]

That is old internet hype.
The amazing part about JohnTritor is that his reasoning requires belief, but not proof.
While it certainly is interesting and entertaining, it is definitely, in my mind, a hoax.

[Avatar]

Seconded. If he'd really been trying to prove it, he would have done more than drop hints that only become "obvious" with hindsight.

It's a technique that many prophets and "psychics" have used to their advantage as well, not least ol' Nostradamus.

(I think there's another recent thread somewhere about this. Maybe in Gen Sci-Fi? Or the X-Forum? The Watch is so big. )

--A

[ur-bane]

Yes....I saw that thread as well.
The best part, was his reasoning was sound, even though he could reveal no definite details.
When asked for specifics, he simply denied it saying that he was not allowed to reveal anything--as if he would, but his "bosses" prohibited it.

Hey! I come from the future! I will prove it! There will be an earthquake in California in 2008! Things will shake! It will rain in the United states in 2009! South Africa will have a lot of sunshine! There will be a fatal car accident in New York, and people will die!

Don't ask me to get specific, because I am not allowed! If I told you, your knowledge could then change it! We'd have a time paradox on our hands.
But here's a picture of my 1970 automobile with my time-travel device. That should prove it!

PAH!

[Avatar]

--A

[lomillialor]

I had never heard of John Titor until yesterday.

You all surpass me with your knowledge.

Although it is clearly not to be believed, it is amazing how much effort went into perpetrating this hoax. Still, as I sift thru the info, I am constantly accosted by red flags.

[Edge]

The most interesting of his 'revelations', as I recall, was his 'prediction' (recollection?) of another US civil war, starting round about... um, now.

Also, IIRC, he hedged his bets with the 'well, there are different time-streams and I'm from just one of them', pre-emptive excuse.

[ur-bane]

lomillialor, it is very entertaining, and yes, a lot of imagination and effort went in to its creation.
I had heard about it a few years back, and formed my opinions then.
And yes, as reasonable as his statements may sound, they are the type that deflect the need for proof. That alone is enough to call "Bullshit!"

Just to be clear, I am not putting you down in the slightest. I am simply reiterating what I have said on other forums after having read the stories/message board posts. Believe me--there are people out there with better debate skills than I that can bring a pretty compelling argument for John Tritor to the table. (But compelling as it may sound, it is still flawed, and JT is still a hoax.)

[aTOMiC]

I read quite a lot of the John Titor information. It was quite entertaining. It had once occured to me that the Aliens that are supposedly visiting earth, given the distances involved, are more likely visitors from our own future. (Just a thought for fun not a belief.) John's posts are well crafted and "John" himself was quite the creative and intelligent person to be sure. The photos of his time mechanism are impressive. I wonder if someone was preparing a sci fi time travel film that didn't see the light of day and decided to use the props and ideas from the story to enact the hoax. Someone is out there having a good laugh at it all.

[lomillialor]

I read quite a lot of the John Titor information. It was quite entertaining. It had once occured to me that the Aliens that are supposedly visiting earth, given the distances involved, are more likely visitors from our own future.

Hmmm. If true, that would imply that they most likely would visit historicaly significant or interesting people and events and eras. And as such, if you never personally saw any UFO's or anything, maybe that means you are destined for an un-notable future.

BTW, I did see a UFO twice while serving in the USAF in Korean. So maybe some timetravelers are watching me? ha ha ha Boy, I they must bored out of their minds if they are watching me.

I also think the idea about unused movie props being used to help facilitate this hoax may be SPOT ON

[Revan]

Time is not accessible to manipulation.

[ur-bane]

Well, now. That is a different subject entirely, isn't it?
And I have to set my clock ahead an hour every spring and set it back every fall.

[Usivius]

never heard of the guy until now...

[aTOMiC]

I have to admit to you all that I myself am...a Time traveler. I was ashamed to admit it before but now things are different. As we speak I am moving through time toward the future. Here comes some future now. Pow. That was fun. Wait more future is coming my way...wow that was amazing. It seems that when I come in contact with the future it is instantly transformed into the present and then leaves me and is transformed once more into the past. I seem to have this effect on every drop of future that collides with me. Wow here comes some more future...how about that? And again and...

[Edge]

Tom: step up close.. I have a 'present' for you.

Heh... good post, bud.

[matrixman]

Ooh, Edge will presently present a present to Tom!

[The Laughing Man]

The most interesting of his 'revelations', as I recall, was his 'prediction' (recollection?) of another US civil war, starting round about... um, now.....

well, that proves he's the real deal to me, how about you?

[Variol Farseer]

We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain — not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

—C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

[The Laughing Man]

Wormwood says "Hi"!

[ur-bane]

Excellent quote, VF! That about sums it up for me. And with those few words, case closed.
Ah! The dreams in the minds of men!