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From: daver@felix.UUCP (Dave Richards)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.sci,net.philosophy,net.sf-lovers
Subject: Objects in a time loop
Message-ID: <1496@felix.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Aug-86 18:47:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: felix.1496
Posted: Tue Aug 26 18:47:29 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Aug-86 09:29:26 EDT
References: <646@ulowell.UUCP> <3223@ism780c.UUCP>
Reply-To: daver@felix.UUCP (Dave Richards)
Distribution: net
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 27
Keywords: time travel, murder
Xref: lsuc net.physics:2941 net.sci:1296 net.philosophy:1452 net.sf-lovers:9041

>In article <646@ulowell.UUCP> rickheit@ulowell.UUCP (Erich W Rickheit) writes:
>> The possibilities of a nonexistant item appearing within a time loop
>>though, are staggering. What else could you  do with this? Am I the only one
>>to have ever thought of such a thing?
>
Karl Heuer writes:
>No.  I first saw this described as (plot sketch) man invents time machine,
>travels to future, sees statue in park honoring himself as inventer of time
>machine, brings it back as proof, same statue is installed in park to honor
>him.  The same idea has been used in other contexts, though I haven't seen
>it used to create/destroy a murder weapon.

Jim Balter writes:
>I think Heinlein has been there before you.  Consider the character(s) in
>"All You Zombies" who is his/her own parents, and who drafts himself into the
>Time Service.  And while the dictionary in "By His Bootstraps" does not
>appear via a time loop, the information in it does.

 
This plot element was used in a film starring Christopher 'Superman' Reeve
(Somewhere In Time?).  Near the beginning of the film, an old woman hands him
a gold pocket watch.  This starts him on his quest to travel back in time,
which he does.  He meets the old woman as a young woman, and gives her the
pocket watch.  I had a real problem with this.  I wanted to know where it came
from originally.

Dave 'Ready when you are, C.B.' Richards