Time Travel Technology: Building Your Own Time Machine
We started this class with an exploration of the ultimate technological invention: a time machine. By comparing 2 versions of The Time Machine film we were able to see how technology changes us, but also how we change our view of technology over time. So, in a sense, the film versions of H. G. Wells’ classic novel really do make a form of time travel possible.
To end our course, I’m going to now use a different technology to make time travel actually possible. I know it’s hard to believe, but I am going to actually help you travel 10 years into the future.
How Does the Time Machine Work?
Now unfortunately we don’t have the technology yet to to take your physical body into the future. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for that. But, we do have the technology to take your mind there (and, hopefully, to bring it back again!). What I want you to do is create an electronic time capsule which will carry your thoughts and ideas from today to your future self living 10 years in the future. Here’s how it works.
The idea of a time capsule is to preserve a record of today for people to look at years from now. You might have read about some time capsules that were created when we reached the year 2000. Time capsules often contain pictures and artifacts, such as clothing, jewelry, coins, and music. They also tend to include letters and written statements.
Sample Time Capsule
One good example of a time capsule is the one the New York Times Magazine created to celebrate the 2000 millennium. This time capsule contains information on the most important historical events from the last 1000 years as well as sounds and pictures. You can read about this time capsule by going to:
How Does a Time Machine Work for Our Class?
We’re going to create your own electronic time capsule for class. You get to decide what to write, though I’m going to direct you in some specific ways as well. Your basic goal, though is to write enough significant content to make it worth opening your time capsule in the future.
You get to decide what to place into your time machine: you can write anything you like (but since it’s a pretty small time machine, we can’t fit anything in there except words, though words are actually quite big, if you think about it). The only real requirement is that you write enough to make it worth receiving your time machine back 10 years from now. If you don’t write much or don’t say anything interesting, you future self is going to be very ticked off with your present self. So don’t let yourself down!
I will not read your time capsule at all. It is private, so you can include any personal information you would like.
Potential Items to Put into Your Time Machine
The items below are interesting to include in your Time Machine. There are lots of items to give you plenty of options from which to choose, but there are probably more items than you will have time to write. So, skim over the list, then pick a few the items that interest you the most and have fun writing! Remember, the more detailed writing you do now, the more interesting reading you’ll have to do 5 years from now.
The Date
Record the date you finish writing up your time capsule.
Your Personal Description
Write a paragraph or two describing yourself at this point in time. Include things like:
- your weight and height
- the type of clothing you wear
- the type of job you have
- etc.
Also say something about your personality: are you a nice person, cheerful, outgoing, quiet, or what? How would your friends describe you?
Your Friends & Family
Spend a little time talking about the people who matter to you. Do you have a significant other? Who are you friends? Record their full names and maybe what they look like. What do you like about these people? Why are they important to you? Some friends will stay with you forever, but in 5 years time you might not remember all of these people. So make a record of them now.
Your Interests
Write about the things you really like and try to explain why you like them so much.
Your Things to Treasure
Include a couple of items in your time capsule that really matter to you. These might include:
- a quote or saying you want to always remember
- a description of one or two of your possessions which are most important to you
- the one thing that makes life worth living
- your favorite place to visit
- anything else that is extremely important to you
You Dissertation Plan
A graduate student’s letter to the future wouldn’t be complete without a dusty doctoral tome. Discuss your best current idea for a dissertation. Then write up a short time line for carrying that dissertation through to completion. It’s my sincerest hope that in 5 years time, your dissertation really will be sitting proudly on your bookshelf.
Your Hopes and Dreams
Think a bit about your future and then record some of your goals and aspirations:
- What kind of job do you hope to have in the future?
- How much money do you hope to be earning?
- Do you plan to be married or have children in the future? Is there someone special in your life now that you hope to still have in 10 year’s time?
- What do you hope the world will be like in 10 year’s time?
I hope lots of your dreams work out for you.
The Power of Technology
So why do this as your final activity for English 808: Technology & Literacy? It’s a chance for you to think about what is important to you and about how literacy and technology can preserve those things for you. It’s also a way to communicate those values to yourself in 5 years time. We don’t get a lot of chances to teach ourselves things, but a time capsule can do this. And, in the future, it will be a way to research who you were in the past. This time capsule will become an artifact 5 years from now that will help you look back to this time in your life.
Besides all that, most of my students over the years have said this is a fun assignment to do. That’s probably reason enough.
You should know that when you open your time capsule in 5 year’s time, it might make you a little sad as well as happy. Some of the things you recorded that mattered to you will be gone. Others you will suddenly remember and wonder how you could ever have forgotten them. If you write this assignment correctly, this time machine will really matter to you, and you will want to get it back in 5 years.
I hope this last assignment reinforces, then, that technology can transcend time, can preserve our stories, and can connect to us in intimately human ways. Literacy and technology truly are inextricably linked, and now, thanks to both, you present day self is linked to your future self.
Ciao,
Gian Pagnucci