It's About Time

The concept of time travel has intrigued me since I was 10 years old. I first saw “The Time Machine” movie on a Black and White TV, since Dad refused to get a color set until the color drift and registration problems were solved.  And when he finally did cave, we soon realized he should have waited longer. But the concept of a time machine colored my thinking, regardless of the visuals.

And now it has become time to think the concept through.

------------------------------Especially for Ed and Evan and Luke and Roland.-------------------------------------------

We’ve got phones smarter than we are, cars that almost drive themselves, and satellites that tell us exactly where we missed the last turn.

But where are the time machines?

The concept has been around since at least 1895 when H. G. Wells published “The Time Machine.”  Previously, the notion of time travel existed, but it was the province of mythology and magic.

Is this Greek Laptop Statue proof of time travel?

Mr. Wells’ story popularized the idea that travelling through time could be achieved by a technological approach significantly more impactful than changing the clocks to accommodate Daylight Savings Time.  Thus time travel would even be available to those living in Phoenix.

Without going into all the brilliance of your design, let’s assume you’ve figured out a way to unlock the inexorable march of time.  You’ve flipped the switch and can move through time without all the relative messiness of moving heavy stuff at nearly light speed, or reading clocks measuring time from afar.  Congratulations!

But wait a second.  Let’s consider a few potential issues.

At the very least, your time machine has to have someplace to go. Is there really more than the present?  Is the nature of time a single shining moment that moves at a steady pace with nothing before and nothing after?  It seems easier to grasp that there could be a past that still exists, having played a part in creating the present and your machine, but is it really only a memory?  Is the previous moment still in existence as the present passes beyond it?

The eminent temporal scientist, Steven King, proposed that the past does not exist after we leave it.  First the food loses its taste, and then monsters appear and eat everything. Then the past no longer exists.  This is fully documented in the peer-reviewed and groundbreaking made-for-TV documentary, “The Langoliers.” Please disregard thoughts regarding when the monsters have time to defecate, and where that defecation goes.

Hungry Langoliers.

And what about the future?  If your machine is set to go forward, does it really have anywhere to go?  Does the present create the future on the fly, or does it already exist? (And if the future already exists, what does that mean for free will?  Perhaps we’ll ponder that later, should we decide to do so.) If you leave the present and the future has not yet been formed, you go forward into nothingness, if you go at all.  And even if you go into nothing, will you have a reference from which to return? Will you become nothing? Perhaps only teenagers can go forward, since every one of them has had to assure their parents that they will not become nothing.

But let’s ignore that issue of the existence of the past and future.  Let’s assume there is more than the present. Your machine has somewhere to go.  A landing zone. A foundational past and a glorious future.

But wait a minute.  Even if the past exists, for you to go there, it must be mutable and malleable.  Changing it must be possible, and does not break it somehow. If changing the past is not possible, then backward-moving time machines are just nonsense.  If you head back, it will be like crashing into an invisible mountain. If you can’t change that which has already happened, you’re out of luck for backward travel, even if you are just observing.  Ask Schrodinger, et al.

Not a principle for cat lovers.

What about forward?  Same deal. Ibid. It must be possible to change it.  But since all but the most fatalistic among us believe this is true, forward travel seems less daunting.

One of the more fatalistic among us,
Friedrich Nietzche must have formed his views
when his mustache encountered wind.
(https://www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-Nietzsche)

But let’s also ignore all these potential minor hiccups.  The past and future exist, and they are changeable.

When going forward, set the chronometer, press the button, and you’ll go missing in the present.  Poof! Then you’ll appear sometime later. Even if your machine only has forward gears, this would be really useful in a magic show, and helpful for some other purposes as well.  One might send forward a breeding population of flora or fauna that is in danger of extinction with the hopes that some preservationist or a less destructive environment would receive them, but you can’t tell because you don’t know that future without making the trip back.

Military use might be desirable.  When your force is about to be wiped out, going missing in the present is a really nice option.  Or sending a bomb forward to the space you vacate in the present, and also enticing your foes to occupy that space at the proper moment.  Create a whole new meaning for the term “time bomb.”

That disease that is killing you might be curable in the future, so spend your health care dollars on a time machine.  Not sure your provider will cover the expense. And whoever sells you the machine will want the money up front.

Those of us stuck in the present could know about this forward movement.  When you disappear, providing we are watching, we’d know about it. “He did it!” Of course we couldn’t be sure that it was really time travel until we see you pop back in, even if we happen to be in the right place at the right time.  You could have just become invisible, which is a much less impressive feat. We observers would feel cheated.  

Provided you made the proper arrangements, we could check recorded history to see that you disappeared at some time in the past, and now you’re back.  That is, of course, if you can convince us of who you really are, and that you’re not one of our many kooks. Come to think of it, we seem to have more and more kooks, so maybe time travel is the reason.  And don’t say you’ll take your DNA record. Clones are everywhere in the future.

What about only backward?  Clearly useful. Maybe Warren Buffett is a time traveller.  Take a copy of the Wall Street Journal back in time and take all the risk out of your investments.  Might also be good to take an identity you can assume.

I needed it yesterday. (https://www.wsj.com/)

Or maybe you just want to suggest that Mr. Lincoln might want to stay home and read rather than going to the theater, or warn Julius Caesar that he might want to avoid the forum on the Ides of March.  How’s your Latin?

If you can't manage travelling in time,
The Dover Thrift Edition is surprisingly affordable.

So let’s say you go back.  Not too far. You don’t want to be foolish enough to be born yesterday.  Just go back 1 day with the winning lottery number. Write the number on your hand, just in case you are easily confused.  Head to the corner store, buy the winning ticket and wait. A new present is marching forward. With two of you. One is still readying the machine, and the other is waiting at the local bar until he can collect the money.  

Can that work? As soon as you arrive one day earlier, the past-present, the one that now contains with 2 of you, has been altered.  The present you left has also been changed because the previous present, now altered, creates the present you left. So the present also has to be malleable.  

The two yous only exist for one day.  You can even go help yourself put the finishing touches on the machine, begetting a new definition for self-help.  Maybe you even provide the secret sauce that makes the machine work.

But there is a logical conundrum.  Future You may know the secret, but Present You can’t just get it from Future You because he has not invented it yet, and Future You wouldn’t know the secret unless Present You invented it.  So Future You can’t exist without the discovery of the secret by Present You. So just be satisfied with your lottery winnings. Or grab something valuable and come back. Yes, that’s the Holy Grail on the mantle.

Not the movie prop, this image is from Time Machine Restoration on Facebook.
And you thought I had too much time on my hands.

All sounds great, but there are a few other issues.  

What about the matter that occupies the destination?  Something has to be done with that. If you don’t want to become gas-impregnated, you’ll need to move the air out of the way, providing you’ve picked a landing zone occupied only by air.  So maybe you will need to start materializing at a single point and get reconstructed from there, pushing the resident atoms out of the way. But that takes time, so your machine needs to make a record of you and itself and reconstruct all gradually.  Sounds complicated.  

Or perhaps it makes more sense to appear in the near-vacuum of space and then settle back to earth (which is an issue you’ll have to deal with in any case, so read on).  If our astronomers and physicists are not pushing fake news, we’re constantly moving. The earth rotates, and also revolves around the sun. Even when you take a time trip of only one day, you’re going to have to match position and velocity with your destination unless you want to materialize where the earth was yesterday. 

So your time machine needs to move.  It’s a Star Trek transporter with a time component.  But move relative to where? The center of the earth?  Center of the sun? Center of the galaxy? Maybe the machine needs to move relative to the center of the universe, wherever that is.  If that’s the case, many people we all know would have no problem. Perhaps only a select group can be time travellers.

Always be sure to check your destination on Trip Advisor
before you travel.

And do you travel through time, or do you just leave it altogether and pop back in at the prescribed moment?  Travelling through, you’d be like a statue during the travel time. Still there, like a stopped train in a tunnel of time.  So if you went back that single day, you’d see a statue-like you-in-your-machine for that day. But at least you’d have proof that your machine worked.

Better to pop out and then back in.  Leave time completely. For forward travel, it would be like taking a flight from Chicago, circling, and then landing and disembarking at the same gate back in Chicago.  Without the intervening time, of course. Kind of like sleeping on the plane.

Also better to leave time completely so that aging is not an issue.  You don’t want to go forward 100 years and find yourself dead since you aged during the transition.  But then again, if the reverse was true, and you lost years by travelling backward, you could live a long, long time.  Particularly with multiple trips. But only in the same epoch. It might get boring, knowing what was going to happen, even with eternal youth.  But maybe you could shape that epoch, in a "Groundhog Day" sort of way.

Sigh.

There are a few issues to iron out before we can enjoy our time machines.  But it’s only a matter of time until some future character comes back and lets me know how they were solved.

Would be great to see them again.

“What famous date do I send us to today, Mr. Peabody?”

“Sherman, set the WABAC Machine for November 20, 2019.  And bring three books.”

With a timely apology to H.G. Wells, a brief one to Steven Hawking, and dimly flickering apologies to Hollywood.

After the Leaves and the Loons

Gone.

The foliage and the loon friends, both feathered and foolish.

But life goes on, this time in the form of a storm.  Wind and rain inundated the area.

Soggy roots followed by high winds.  Sound like a formula?

Top left, the large gate can be seen leaking.
The spillway is showing a good deal of water overflowing,
even though the output of the control gate at lower left is at max.
The water level was supposed to be low so the Dam Masters could work on the leak.
This probably helped the keep the upstream water from getting higher than it did.

A generator is no good unless you have fuel.
It's a good policy to refresh your supply after a year,
but be sure to get fresh gas.
There were many of these windfalls preventing acquisition of fresh fuel.

Tough to see, but the reason this tree is not on the road surface
is that the electrical wires are holding it up.

It was good to see the crews cutting the trees off the wires.
Power will be back on in no time, right?

The usual waterline is well below the rocks submerged on the right.
Wind driven whitecaps populate the lake.
Debris has piled up on the launch dock.

Since there was still some pressure in the system even though the well pump was without voltage, we were able to draw enough water for coffee.  Since we have a gas range that can be lit with a match, we were able to boil water.  Since the water was heated in a teakettle, it could be poured over the grounds just as the powered automatic drip would have done.

As we sipped our coffee, we watched as the launch dock detached from the shore and floated downstream.

Quickly donning outdoor clothing and a life jacket, I hopped into a kayak and paddled off to catch the escaping dock.  Unfortunately, I had to plunge my hand into the cold, cold water to attach a rope to the dock so it could be towed.    Knots are difficult to tie when one's hands are cold-shocked.

As the whitecaps broke over the bow of the kayak, I paddled backward to tow the floating dock back close to home.  Not too close to shore, though, since the assembly got hung up in the shallows more than once.  Towing turned more out toward the channel than toward the destination.  Fortunately, out of the strong current in the main channel, the force of the wind was dominant, and the dock floated almost exactly to its departure point.

Mary and Pete scrounged up some additional rope, throwing the end out to the kayak.  Soon the dock was secured to a tree, vagabond no more.

Don't warm your hands by the fireplace when they are nearly frozen.  Rubbing them in comfortably cooler air is a whole lot less painful. 

This magnificent example of stationary dock architecture
usually sits feet above the water.
Here it is only inches above where it is not touching.

An interesting effect appeared as the high water impinged against the perfectly straight dock.
Where the water, flowing left to right, was impeded by the side panel of the dock,
a "pressure ridge" formed. 
Open eyes often see new things.

All the rain filled the swampy area
behind the satellite flowers.

The wind died the next day.
We had plenty of time to appreciate the view since the power was still out.

Perhaps you can make out the black wheels of Pete's new dock in the center of the image.
They switched places with the metal dock surface,
which made a pretty good airplane wing in the wind,
and is now doing its submarine impression.

The sunset pleases, regardless.

Though we were without power for 3 days, our plight was a mere inconvenience.  In nearby Dolgeville and Middleville, large creeks fed by many tributaries the size of our lake's outlet swelled to flood stage.  Both towns evacuated people sleeping in low-lying dwellings.  Cars and buildings floated away.  

Dolgeville: https://www.uticaod.com/news/20191101/updated-cuomo-assesses-dolgeville-flood-damage-photos-video

Middleville:  https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/flooding/2019/11/02/herkimer-county-communities-struggle-with-floods#

Ever wonder why the well-to-do live up on the hill?

Why Trump?

A citizen of another country recently confessed confusion.  This person has watched hours of documentaries regarding Mr. Trump, but still cannot understand how he can be President of the United States.  Here are a few points that may provide insight.

In one of the most colossal political blunders of all time, Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump’s opponent in the US 2016 Presidential election, lumped half his supporters into a “basket of deplorables.”  Yes, Mr. Trump has support from some citizens with views that most would like to think are contrary to American values, but insulting the supporters of one’s opponent is not very intelligent.  This elitist comment provided a banner under which all of Mr. Trump’s supporters could rally.
Ms. Clinton was a weak candidate.  She was not charismatic and there was an overtone of entitlement to her campaign.  She was not one to inspire undecided people to vote for her.
Mr. Trump pays attention to the “flyover” locales.  He has made, and continues to make frequent appearances for rallies in places like Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Tupelo, Mississippi.  The mere notion that these are places to fly over rather than stop is offensive to the citizens living in these areas.  Mr. Trump is especially good at telling
those people he cares about them, and that his opponents do not.
The decline of American manufacturing has drastically decreased the need for unskilled and low-skilled workers.  Those decent-paying jobs are not coming back due to the low wages in competing countries.  Though few in the current workforce were working during the post WW2 heyday of American manufacturing, that era is looked back upon as a golden age when anyone who desired one could have a living wage job.  Hence at least one reason for the power of the “Make America Great Again” slogan.

The Official version costs $25,
and profits are a political contribution to Mr. Trump.
The knock-off shown here
is available on Amazon for $6.99.

The retirement investments of middle class Americans have swelled on the basis of Mr. Trump’s policies.  The generation that suddenly had to work longer until retirement due to the crash of 2008 has seen much of that lost wealth returned.  This may be the most important thing for the Baby Boomer voters, and it is the fulfillment of a campaign promise to stimulate the economy.

https://www.macrotrends.net/1358/dow-jones-industrial-average-last-10-years

Businesses large and small have benefited from deregulation.  Most businessmen viewed the regulations of the previous administration as unnecessarily punitive, and are happy to see less government involvement in business.

The environment is a secondary issue to most Americans.  A good deal of the deregulation compromises environmental safeguards, but most US Citizens are more concerned with other issues (including jobs) to worry about something that may not affect them until years later, if at all.

Mr. Trump is happy to use strong-arm tactics to get what he wants.  This attitude is embraced by many citizens who are happy to see the desires of career politicians thwarted by Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump promised more jobs, and has delivered low unemployment, continuing along the trend line of the previous administration.  His deregulation and tax cuts for corporations have also worked towards this goal.

Unemployment rate graph supplied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Mr. Trump is in no way politically correct (PC).  This is also embraced by many Americans frustrated with the euphemisms employed by the purveyors of political correctness.  They feel that political correctness is the enemy of straight, honest talk, and that only those unable to stomach truth will try to be PC.

“Drain the Swamp” is the mantra employed to indicate that the federal government needs to be overhauled, or at least repopulated with representatives who are less concerned with personal enrichment than the welfare of their constituents.  The outsider status of Mr. Trump purports to give him some better perspective on how this can be done than anyone with previous political experience, which includes almost all of his political opponents.  Some honestly believe that Mr. Trump is exactly what the USA needs.

The Evangelical Christian community tends to support Mr. Trump because his presidency has the potential of providing Supreme Court Justices which will be sympathetic to their primary issue, which is outlawing legal abortion.

Many gun owners support Mr. Trump because he makes no attempt to rein in gun violence through ownership restrictions.  The concern that gun ownership rights will be compromised has been fostered and reinforced by the activities of the NRA (National Rifle Association), one of the most powerful and influential lobbying organizations in the US.

24 hour “News” channels, spend the bulk of their efforts on negative and fear and smear campaigns.  The biased media expands small bits of news into constant chatter about the awful activities of their opponents.  At best, these attacks are overblown.  At worst, they pervert reality for the political purposes of those who fund these outlets.

Divisive politics is the order of the day.  This issue has become much worse over the past 20 years.  Many politicians are more interested in thwarting the desires of their opponents than compromising for the sake of the populace.  Compromise has become equated with weakness, and the election primary system tends to replace moderate candidates with more radical ones.

There is a lack of a strong, charismatic opponent for Mr. Trump.  There is no Democratic or Independent candidate who can come close to Mr. Trump's media presence.

The citizens are suffering from apathy, media-imposed stress, and truth confusion.  There are so many lies perpetrated all the time, it is quite difficult to determine the truth.  The research necessary to ferret out the lies is exhausting.

Innocence of wrongdoing is the conclusion of many who feel that all negative accounts of Mr. Trump's activities are frivolous, politically-motivated attacks.  That he has been under intense scrutiny for a long period of time without being convicted is assumed as an indication of innocence.

Big money has a negative effect on the political process for all but the largest donors.  An unfortunate Supreme Court decision has allowed huge sums to be used to support candidates and political positions.  This often becomes propaganda with precious little fact checking.

Mr. Trump delivered on his promise of a tax cut.  In particular, there has been a major tax cut for corporations.  The net result is a short term boost in the economy, a small gain for much of the middle class, and a huge addition to the government deficit and national debt.  It may well be that the Baby Boomers have continued their lifestyle at the expense of their children and grandchildren who will have to deal with the debt.

Many patriotic citizens have been alarmed at the erosion of use economic and military power and welcome Mr. Trump's promises of Making America Great Again.  Others embrace this motto because they are distressed and made uncomfortable by the changes they see, particularly in social mores.  They believe America was a better place in an earlier age.

There is over-representation of states with larger percentages of rural inhabitants due to the legacy electoral college, which is the actual elective body.  A vote in a state like New York is not as valuable as a vote in Wyoming, in terms of determining electors.

Wyoming is in the sparsely populated American West.

There is widespread frustration with gridlock and do-nothing politicians.  There is also frustration with the fact that our representatives seem to get rich over the years, too often by guiding government money to "friendly" places, or by investing with inside knowledge of where that money is going. Many welcomed Mr. Trump as an alternative to business as usual, even though his financial dealings are not particularly exemplary.

The rise of targeted persuasion by organizations like Cambridge Analytica (assisted by big data corporations such as Facebook) have allowed politicians to characterize and sway voters in previously unseen manners.  Tailoring information received by "influence-able" people has been proven to be effective.

Many politicians are completely convinced that they have a monopoly on the proper programs, policies, and proposals, and that there is no good in anything the opposition proposes.  Party is put before country.  More cynically, these politicians put their self interest, best supported by party, ahead of all else, and their self interest is determined by lobbyists.

There is a severe lack of empathy in America.  Most do not believe that we are all in this together and treat fellow citizens as foes.  We disregard the reminder that is on every one of our pennies.  "E Pluribus Unum," ... Out Of Many, One.  We are at our best when we remember this and act accordingly.

Adirondack Autumn

The fall is a great time to explore the Adirondacks, but timing is everything.  Weather and elevation conspire to make peak peeping indeterminate.

Here are some images collected on a few well-timed excursions.

The view across Piseco Lake.
That rock ledge looks interesing.

$50 gets you a view from the air
at Long Lake.

Adirondac, later called Tahawus, was the site of mining operations
and a sportsman's club.
The massive ruins here were once a blast furnace, built in the 1820s.

If you want something to last,
build it with rock.
A little restorative stabilization doesn't hurt either.

Across the Hudson River (near the headwaters)
is a decrepit but still standing sportsman's cottage.
There was once a foot bridge to this fixer-upper.
Teddy Roosevelt was in town nearby when he learned
President McKinley was headed toward his demise.

Much farther south, the climb to the cliffs on Good Luck Mountain
is rewarded with a great view to the west
over Spectacle Lake.

Watch your step!

You can hike up Prospect Mountain,
but most drive up the Veterans Memorial Highway.
If you are an old New York State resident, you can use the toll road for free.

Lake George fills the valley below.

Looking north, the Adirondack High Peaks
show themselves beyond the foothills.

Down near the southern border of the park,
Lily Lake (one of many in NY)
provides lovely views of nearby foliage and Kane Mountain.

...and puffy clouds in a blue sky.

...and geese flying overhead.

And now to close with a fine sunset.

...or two.

For those of you unable to attend

The 2019 fall Loon Weekend was a major success.  Lots of stuff happened.

Booboo brought Picasso Loon to his new home.

Dock Doc provided pasties (That's "past -- ease," Sinman)
prepared with new interesting novel ingredients:
marjoram and Guinness.

There were many other fine meals including Clam Chowder and Lasagna.  No one lost weight.

The DEC promised that the water would be let down the week before,
but the rain and slow hand on the valve
made it higher than it has been all year.

These two tried to convince us they were on the level.
You buyin' it?

Hard at work on the egress hole covers
by the masters of "design as you go."

Meanwhile, Booboo expertly drops a couple of trees,
sparing the small hemlock in the foreground.

An opaque egress cover for the guest house,
since the snake living in the hole really doesn't need much light.
Hopefully, it will provide crawl space access if necessary.

Covers in place.
Bring on the snow.

It's not just a downed tree.
It's a Pete filter.
After the tree disintegrated,
we invited him over for a beer.

Frosty Saturday morning.

Good thing Cut Boy is so tall.
He put up the gutters on the guest house almost single handed.
Would have gone faster if he'd used both hands.
He didn't need the ladder...that's for the shrimpy support staff.

Color match is superb.
One can barely see the gutter.
The overhang at the back is to assist in getting the water
away from the building
(and to remove the need for cutting metal).

Someone rewarding himself for all the hard work.

Last winter, the need to get into the crawl space
was caused by a snow drift covering the intake.
Reset was easy, once digging through 8 feet of snow and ice was finished.
The elevated intake and exhaust should prevent the need.

The pudgy purple hand
was caused by doing handstands to crush the wine grapes.
Or by poor handling of PVC primer.
Could be either.

Staining has begun.
Dr. John and Chowdahead begged to be allowed to do the deed
so that they could get high on the fumes.
Later that same night, they did a magic trick,
making a bottle of good scotch disappear.

Regretfully, there are no shots of the mud in the entryway or the sill on the window.  You'll have to see those for yourself.

Also missing - the ghost in the wood shot, images of the fine bonfire, OSHA ladder safety course images, and other stuff, no doubt.

And after all save one were gone,
the setting sun provided a spectacular sky.