So, would you rather live 1000 years in the future or 1000 years in the past?

[Gurdur]

Originally Posted by retrow

Thats just an excuse. Everyone is afraid of the Norsemen who're gonna come down and pillage England.

Considering one of those was one of my main ancestors, I would think such fear quite justified.

Axes! Axes! Axes! Burn, baby, burn!

[verte]

*as own ancestors were lazy drunks, decides to beat a strategic retreat to the doughnut table*

[Meathead]

Originally Posted by verte

*as own ancestors were lazy drunks, decides to beat a strategic retreat to the doughnut table*

What do you see when the Pillsbury Dough Boy bends over?

Doughnuts

[verte]

Eeeeew, boys are so GROSS.

[Garnet]

*her own Germanic ancestors raise their arms...and blow across their armpits at Retrow and his marauders, thus successfully ending the invasion, but killing all the small animals in the area*

[retrow]

Originally Posted by Garnet

... thus successfully ending the invasion, but killing all the small animals in the area

Damn those germanics and their greenhouse gas emitting armpits. No wonder there are spikes of warm weather in global warming timeline.

See. I was trying to help the Norsemen fight the terrorists in their own land so we won't have to fight them across the North sea in Scandinavia. The Brittons surely had those damned weapons of mass destruction

[Godless Dave]

The future for sure. I'm a history nut and I'd love to see the past, but 1000 years ago they didn't even have toilet paper, let alone Preparation H. Nope, it's the future for me.

[Smilin]

Originally Posted by retrow

Damn those germanics and their greenhouse gas emitting armpits. No wonder there are spikes of warm weather in global warming timeline.

See. I was trying to help the Norsemen fight the terrorists in their own land so we won't have to fight them across the North sea in Scandinavia. The Brittons surely had those damned weapons of mass destruction

*giggles to himself*

I'm reminded of the that Monte Python Clip of the Frenchman taunting the English...

ARTHUR: Halt! Hallo! Hallo!
GUARD: 'Allo! Who is zis?
ARTHUR: It is King Arthur, and these are the Knights of the Round
Table. Who's castle is this?
GUARD: This is the castle of Our Master Ruiz' de lu la Ramper (sp?)
ARTHUR: Go and tell your master that we have been charged by God
with a sacred quest. If he will give us food and shelter for the
night he can join us in our quest for the Holy Grail.
GUARD: Well, I'll ask him, but I don't think he'll be very keen...
Uh, he's already got one, you see?
ARTHUR: What?
GALAHAD: He says they've already got one!
ARTHUR: Are you sure he's got one?
GUARD: Oh, yes, it's very nice-a [To Other Guards] I told him we already got one.
OTHER GUARDS: [Laughing]
ARTHUR: Well, um, can we come up and have a look?
GUARD: Of course not! You are English types-a!
ARTHUR: Well, what are you then?
GUARD: I'm French! Why do think I have this outrageous accent, you
silly king!
GALAHAD: What are you doing in England?
GUARD: Mind your own business!
ARTHUR: If you will not show us the Grail, we shall take your castle
by force!
GUARD: You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your
bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called
Arthur-king, you and all your silly English kaniggets. Thppppt!
GALAHAD: What a strange person.
ARTHUR: Now look here, my good man!
GUARD: I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal
food trough whopper! I fart in your general direction! You mother
was a hamster and your father smelt of eldeberries.
GALAHAD: Is there someone else up there we could talk to?
GUARD: No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time-a!
ARTHUR: Now, this is your last chance. I've been more than reasonable.
GUARD: (Fetchez la vache.)
wha?
GUARD: (Fetchez la vache!)
[moo]
ARTHUR: If you do not agree to my commands, then I shall--
[twong]
[mooooooo]
Jesus Christ!
Right! Charge!
ALL: Charge!
[mayhem]
GUARD: Ah, this one is for your mother!
[twong]
ALL: Run away!
GUARD: Thpppt!
LAUNCELOT: Fiends! I'll tear them apart!
ARTHUR: No no, no.
BEDEMIR: Sir! I have a plan, sir.

[later]

[chop]
[mrrrrrreeeeeeaaaaaaauuuuww]
[rumble rumble squeak]
MUTTERING GUARDS: ce labon a bunny do
wha?
un cadeau?
a present!
oh, un cadeau.
oui oui hurry!
wha-?
let's go!
[rumble rumble squeak]

ARTHUR: What happens now?
BEDEMIR: Well, now, uh, Launcelot, Galahad, and I wait until nightfall,
and then leap out of the rabbit, taking the French by surprise --
not only by surprise, but totally unarmed!
ARTHUR: Who leaps out?
BEDEMIR: Uh, Launcelot, Galahad, and I. Uh, leap out of the rabbit, uh
and uh....
ARTHUR: Oh....
BEDEMIR: Oh.... Um, l-look, if we built this large wooden badger--
[twong]
ALL: Run away! Run away! Run away! Run away!
[splat]
GUARDS: Oh, haw haw haw.

[AspenMama]

I fart in your general direction!

Not Shakespeare, but genius, nonetheless.

[Moosey]

Okay so if the question was 10,000 years, would you answer the same thing? Your problems in the past would be increased a huge amount but the future would be more uncertain..

[Josie]

10,000 years, I'd have to take my chances on the future then. 8,000 BCE is just too early for me, and nothing I could do would prevent the rise of Christianity. At least in 1000 AD, I could mitigate some of the effects of it, help people to grow past it faster.

12,010 AD is either going to be a glorious utopia, with all social problems fixed, or a mess worse than we have now. Who knows, if the mess is big enough, I may have some new suggestions to help fix it.

[Moosey]

You could not prevent the rise of Chrsitianity, as you're not allowed to change history *grins*

Dunno what the future would be like then .. I suppose it depends what happens with human development. I dunno if we can go on advancing exponentially .. prolly not. We might even be in another dark ages tho that's difficult to imagine. Or we might be in a post nuclear-holocaust state.

[Josie]

I'll change history if I want, you can't stop me, and you'll never know the difference.

Besides, I'm not talking about killing Hitler, or something big, just doing what I can to make my life, and the life of those around me, a little better. If that means that I have to teach them something new, so be it. That's how a healthy society works, everyone contributes to add to the common good. If I have lots of new information to add to society, that will improve things for all, it is my duty to teach them to others.

[Moosey]

You were talking about limiting the spread of Christianity! That would make a HUGE difference to modern history, if you'd managed to do it.

[Josie]

Technically, I wouldn't be suppressing christianity, as much as hurrying the enlightenment. 1000 years ago, all of europe was basically christian, with some pagan influences. Teach people some new things, new ways of thinking. Sorry Gutenburg, the printing press IS coming early, maybe add some minor improvements to existing machines, but nothing to major outside of that. I would have to work with the church, no other agency would have the ability to preserve and pass on the knowledge.

[Moosey]

*contemplates not allowing Josie to go, on grounds she might change things too much accidentally* ;)

[Shake]

Gotta gamble with the future.

[Josie]

Originally Posted by Moosey

*contemplates not allowing Josie to go, on grounds she might change things too much accidentally* ;)

I think that is kinda my point, that humans will change history given a chance. Unless you are doing a two week vacation, just sight-seeing, it is inevitable. If you are living and interacting with the natives, you can't help yourself.

Say I'm plunked down in 1000AD, as a common serf. I know that there are easier, and more effective ways to till the land, and I make modifications to my tools, to get more work for less effort. My neighbor notices the new tools, and I explain what I did, and why, and show him how it works. Either he uses it, or he turns me into the church as a witch. After a couple of years of improvements that don't get me burnt at the stake, most of the neighbors will come to me when they have a problem, as I have proven myself as helpful, and intelligent enough to solve problems.

Yes, I acknowledge that every new improvement is a chance to be burnt at the stake, but that is the price of living. I refuse to use methods that I know are out-dated and inefficient, when I can improve on them. At least I am willing to share these improvements with my fellow man, and not hoard them for myself, and watch them suffer with less efficient methods.

Would it be changing history for me to come up with some new invention today? Why not? The same if I add to the technology of 1000AD. The future hasn't happened yet, it is still the future if I am living in 2100, or 1000.

[retrow]

^^

Moosey, You will always have people trying to change the course of history by showing off their scientific skills to the 1000AD folks. If you have technology for making time machines, you definitely have the capacity to zap their science out of their brains too. So everyone who pulls the lever for 1000AD gets his/her brain zapped to a 5 yr/old level.

[Moosey]

That's a very good idea. I will zap all knowledge and common sense from their brains before they go

I wonder if burning at the stake happened as often as people think. Well I mean I know it happened but it happened in times of mass hysteria. I wonder if the average surf on the street really WOULD turn someone in as a witch unless they felt personally threatened of being accused of being one themselves . If that makes any sense.

[slideyfoot]

Future, definitely. In 1007, I'd die of either some guy chopping me up with an axe, get cast out as a witch for my strange clothes and bizarre accent, or most likely succumb to a perfectly normal disease which here would be fine but a millenia ago would be deadly. Thats not to mention the food, the water, the horrible prevalence of religion....list goes on.

Whereas the future = cyborg monkeys! Live forever! Hooray!

[A Dead Relative]

After reading what everyone else has to say, and thinking about it, I'd have to pick the future.

There may not be a Bush in the future, or the past, but why do I get the feeling there will be a Clinton in office, 1000 years in the future.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Smilin

I'm reminded of the that Monte Python Clip of the Frenchman taunting the English...

If there's anyone alive who hasn't seen the film, it's now public domain and can be viewed here.

[retrow]

Big fan of Monty Python's Meaning of Life. Especially of the scene with Michael Palin shouting orders for marching up and down the square. I died laughing!!!

Download clip

[AspenMama]

Originally Posted by slideyfoot

Future, definitely. In 1007, I'd die of either some guy chopping me up with an axe, get cast out as a witch for my strange clothes and bizarre accent, or most likely succumb to a perfectly normal disease which here would be fine but a millenia ago would be deadly. Thats not to mention the food, the water, the horrible prevalence of religion....list goes on.

All these things could happen in the future too-- especially the disease part. You are probably more immune to diseases of the past than what scary shit might happen in the future. You will be missing all those new vaccines. One breath could kill you. Not to mention what new badass religions might crop up.