Discussion:
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
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Lynn McGuire
2024-08-23 19:49:07 UTC
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xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
https://www.xkcd.com/2976/

So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been

Explained at:

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death

Lynn
Tony Nance
2024-08-25 19:39:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
   https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What? No Daleks???
BCFD 36
2024-08-25 19:56:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
   https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What about the earth no longer being where it was when transport was
initiated? I think that may be fatal.
--
----------------

Dave Scruggs
Senior Software Engineer - Lockheed Martin, et. al (mostly Retired)
Captain - Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
Board of Directors - Boulder Creek Fire Protection District (What was I
thinking?)
Chris Buckley
2024-08-26 02:11:32 UTC
Permalink
Post by BCFD 36
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
   https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What about the earth no longer being where it was when transport was
initiated? I think that may be fatal.
In what frame of reference has the earth moved? I think that can be
hand-waved, a minor problem.

Chris
Robert Carnegie
2024-08-28 01:53:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by BCFD 36
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
    https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
Air conditioning may be needed. Admittedly,
if you recognise that air may be needed,
other fatalities described can be avoided.
I don't trust your word anyway on the past
climate or the future.
Post by BCFD 36
Post by Lynn McGuire
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What about the earth no longer being where it was when transport was
initiated? I think that may be fatal.
Not a problem in practice, except when it is.
In The Time Machine_, for instance, it's fine.
Whereas the mutant "Strontium Dog" bounty hunter
Johnny Alpha has a remarkably potent grenade-style
weapon, which transports somebody a short distance
in time, not in space, while the planet they were
standing on moves along its orbit. Cute visual,
you can see your house from here... a long way down.
Cryptoengineer
2024-08-28 16:20:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
    https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years
ago when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
Air conditioning may be needed.  Admittedly,
if you recognise that air may be needed,
other fatalities described can be avoided.
I don't trust your word anyway on the past
climate or the future.
I *think* he's talking about the Permian
Extinction event, when temperatures reached 95F.

It got nearly that bad during the Paleocene-Eocene
Thermal Maximum, which was only 56 million years ago.

pt
Bobbie Sellers
2024-08-28 18:52:17 UTC
Permalink
Post by Cryptoengineer
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
    https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years
ago when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
Air conditioning may be needed.  Admittedly,
if you recognise that air may be needed,
other fatalities described can be avoided.
I don't trust your word anyway on the past
climate or the future.
No reason to trust him when anyone can look
up such matters without much trouble if you own
a computer and speak a language that permits
questions.
Post by Cryptoengineer
I *think* he's talking about the Permian
Extinction event, when temperatures reached 95F.
It got nearly that bad during the Paleocene-Eocene
Thermal Maximum, which was only 56 million years ago.
pt
I won't be here long enought to experience the
worst of what is coming in terms of heat and weather.
Dinosaur Summer might cover it. Deep caves and urban
redoubts with solar and wind generated electricity for
deep heat pipe cooling...
Back in the in the days of my youth about 10-11
years of age I borrowed the Amazing stories from the
Trailer Park office and this was in the age of the
Shaver stories. In one issue I read about a post-atomic
apocalyptic retreat by humans to deep caves and tunnels
and a brave explorer goes toward the surface only to
find gigantic cockroaches have taken over mankind's
place on the surface. The Shaver stories had no plot
but paronoia and the subjection of humanity to the
deros and their beasts.

bliss
--
b l i s s - S F 4 e v e r at D S L E x t r e m e dot com
Your Name
2024-08-31 01:11:23 UTC
Permalink
Post by BCFD 36
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
   https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What about the earth no longer being where it was when transport was
initiated? I think that may be fatal.
What about accidentally squashing an insect in the distant past and
wiping out the entire evolutionary chain for humans? ;-)
Bobbie Sellers
2024-08-31 06:14:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by Your Name
Post by BCFD 36
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
   https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years
ago when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What about the earth no longer being where it was when transport was
initiated? I think that may be fatal.
What about accidentally squashing an insect in the distant past and
wiping out the entire evolutionary chain for humans?  ;-)
Insects and mankind are separate paths.
Mammals appeared about the same time as the saurians were in
charge definitely with the dinosaurians. It was not until the
extinction of the dinosaurians that mammals had the chance to
rule the planet. They did this by taking over all sorts of niches
in the ecology of the Earth following the big extinction and
some became primates which evolved into a fair sized family
and one branch or maybe more than one but quite closely
related began to grow larger brains and eventually frontal
cortexes and we had homo sapiens sapiens. Really only half
sapient unless specially trained.

But if you go back to the age of the Saurians avoid
injury to mouse-sized animals. But i think you can slap that
mosquito. Better to stay in this time line where all the
people you care about are rather than risk ending up in
a very strange timeline.

bliss
--
b l i s s - S F 4 e v e r at D S L E x t r e m e dot com
John W Kennedy
2024-08-31 22:32:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Your Name
Post by BCFD 36
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
   https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years
ago when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Lynn
What about the earth no longer being where it was when transport was
initiated? I think that may be fatal.
What about accidentally squashing an insect in the distant past and
wiping out the entire evolutionary chain for humans?  ;-)
It can't be that simple. Insects are orthostomes; humans are deuterostomes.
--
John W. Kennedy
Algernon Burbage, Lord Roderick, Father Martin, Bishop Baldwin,
King Pellinore, Captain Bailey, Merlin -- A Kingdom for a Stage!
Pluted Pup
2024-08-30 23:02:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: Time Traveler Causes of Death
https://www.xkcd.com/2976/
So no time travelers died of the extreme heat at 250 million years ago
when the average temperature of the Earth was over 90 F ?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-hottest-earths-ever-been
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2976:_Time_Traveler_Causes_of_Death
Suppose I go back in time to eat ammonites, they look delicious.
But butter hasn't been invented yet!

I think this is what is called the Time Traveler Paradox.
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