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If you had a time machine, when and where would you go?
I supposed that I've always fantasized about some sort of time travel ever since, as a kid, I became fascinated with Victor Von Doom's time machine and Kang the Conquerer. But it was reading Michael Crichton's Timeline early this millenium that reenergized my time travel juices. A short take from the Wikipedia entry on Crichton's plot:
In the middle of the Arizona desert, a vacationing couple comes across an ill man wandering miles from town. They find the man, Joe Traub, is a physicist and an employee of a company called ITC. However, ITC's headquarters are mysteriously far from where Traub was found. Traub soon dies of a cardiac arrest. The hospital receives an MRI scan later, which reveals that Traub's blood vessels were out of alignment. Traub, being the last of his family, is taken and cremated by ITC to prevent any further evidence about his death from coming through to the public.
In the Dordogne region of France, Professor Edward Johnston leads a team of historians and archaeologists studying the remains of the medieval towns of Castelgard and La Roque. Suspicious of the detailed knowledge of the site shown by ITC (their funder), Johnston flies to ITC's headquarters in New Mexico to investigate. While he is gone, the archeologists make a startling discovery in the ruins; a lens from a pair of glasses as well as parchment with a request for help written in modern English, apparently in Professor Johnston's handwriting.
Researchers Chris Hughes, Kate Erickson, André Marek and David Stern fly to ITC and meet Robert Doniger, its founder, who tells them Johnston has used their quantum technology to travel to Dordogne in the year 1357, but has not returned as expected. Chris, Kate, and Marek agree to travel back themselves to find him. Stern remains behind, distrusting ITC's technology and believing they aren't telling them everything. They dress in period-specific clothing, but Doniger allows only biodegradable modern advances to go back, banning plastic and weapons.
Normally, I'm not a Michael Crichton fan but that book did get me to contemplating when and where I would go on the timeline. At that time, I was deep in my study of classical antiquity, so I fantasized myself walking into a classroom at
Plato's Academy and sitting down for a few lectures.
I also recalled reading the passage in the Roman poet Martial's De Spectaculis (On The Spectacles) about the Inaugural Games of the Flavian Amphitheatre (the Colosseum) and especially his passage about the different nationalities in attendance.
Nowadays...as steeped in American history and American politics as I have to be, I must confess that, armed with a cell-phone whose battery lasted a few days and a modern weapon or two, I might like to go to Monticello in, oh, around 1803, and sit down to have a little chat with President Thomas Jefferson; a man that I am both fascinated and repulsed by. I'd break out with my cell phone and show him pictures of the country that we have become. Pictures of the 44th President of the United States and The First Family. Maybe I'd have him send for his slave, Sally Hemings in order to have the pleasure (and honor) of addressing her as "Miss Sally" as a matter of respect. (And, yes, I would tell Mr. Jefferson that his "little secret" hasn't been a secret for a long time). And to tell Mr. Jefferson just how fucked up and hypocritical that he was, in spite of my begrudging admiration for him.
I would also consider going to some unidentified hill in Palestine around 25-26 CE to hear a little known itinerant Palestinian preacher say a few things. I do love a good sermon, after all, and quite a few people still talk about that one, so why not.
And since I like sermons, I may as well head back to the 6th century BCE in India and listen to another well-known sermon.
Finally, far be it from a library lover like me not to go and visit the most famous library of all-time and hear more lectures and just to sit and study.
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Saturday, October 3rd
Seattle & Puget Sound Kos Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Columbia City Ale House
4914 Rainier Ave. S. • Seattle
ORGANIZER: Send John Crapper a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. John Crapper
2. John Crapper's SO
3. bleeding blue
4. momomia
5. Penny GC
6. doingbusinessas
7. TBApollo
8. kakumeiji maru
Max. Occupancy: 24
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Maybees:
Piren
EagleKeeper
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Latest diary: S&PS Kos - It's Time for a Meetup!
by Chrislove ♥ for Houston Area Kossacks
Another Houston event! Great job, Chris. Photos below:
L-R: Chrislove, Delilah, scott5js, cosette & suesue
L-R: htowngenie, her son, Blood, JJR1971 and PIZZA!
You can join Houston Area Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Chrislove.
by smileycreek ♥ for Butte County kossacks of CA-01
12 Kossacks from California's large First Congressional District made the trek to downtown Chico for camaraderie! Led by CUA Lady Co-Diva, smileycreek!
L-R: side pocket, smileycreek & paradise50
L-R: teresa, jesterman, Everett, Alice & Chico David RN
L-R: voracious, paradise50, side pocket & FoundingFatherDAR
Please visit smileycreek's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Butte County kossacks of CA-01 by sending a Kosmail to smileycreek.
navajo's Last Minute Trip to DC
by navajo ♥ for Connect! Unite! Act!
Here are two photos of the readers who took up a last minute invitation to join navajo for dinner or drinks, many thanks, what a pleasure to meet them all in real life!
Reston, VA - Thursday, August 13, 2015
L-R: Diana in NoVa, JamieG in Md, Elizabeth Amy Miller, Edward Adams, NinthElegy and navajo
Washington, D.C. - Saturday, August 15, 2015
L-R: navajo, mollyd, Edward Adams and mimi
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.