If this was possible, i can only start to imagine how the wrong people or even the right people could really mess up things with their first little test.
I really can't stand the idea most people have that, if you go back in time and change something, you'll "mess up" the present. This is apparent in almost every time-travel based movie, and probably stems from people thinking "if I had done something else different in the past, then my present would be different, so if I went back in time and changed something, then my present would be different".
This is one of the most illogical beliefs the general population holds. Simpe logic tells us that if we went back in time and changed the past, then the present would be different. Slightly more complex logic tells us that this couldn't happen, because the present is the way it currently is, and if we were to go back in time and change it, we would be in a different present - one that we know can't exist, because we aren't in it right now. Therefore, we can infer that we *can't* change the present, as there is only one present - and we are experiencing it.
For example, right now, we're reading slashdot. Let's say that we have a time machine that allows us to go back to yesterday, and we decide to use it to go back in time to set up a DDoS attack against slashdot, and therefore prevent ourselves from reading slashdot today. We know right from the beginning that this mission is doomed to fail. Why? Because if it succeeded, slashdot would be DDoSed right now. Assuming that it's possible to go back in time, all you can do is confirm the present.
Slashdot Mirror
This following comment is copyrighted by Ultra-Loser. In order to read this comment, you have to pay me $10.
Assuming everyone pays me their money, I'll make around $1,000,000 today.
*twiddles thumbs, checks back account*
What, no money whatsoever?! You lost me a million dollars! $*&@# pirates!
I really can't stand the idea most people have that, if you go back in time and change something, you'll "mess up" the present. This is apparent in almost every time-travel based movie, and probably stems from people thinking "if I had done something else different in the past, then my present would be different, so if I went back in time and changed something, then my present would be different".
This is one of the most illogical beliefs the general population holds. Simpe logic tells us that if we went back in time and changed the past, then the present would be different. Slightly more complex logic tells us that this couldn't happen, because the present is the way it currently is, and if we were to go back in time and change it, we would be in a different present - one that we know can't exist, because we aren't in it right now. Therefore, we can infer that we *can't* change the present, as there is only one present - and we are experiencing it.
For example, right now, we're reading slashdot. Let's say that we have a time machine that allows us to go back to yesterday, and we decide to use it to go back in time to set up a DDoS attack against slashdot, and therefore prevent ourselves from reading slashdot today. We know right from the beginning that this mission is doomed to fail. Why? Because if it succeeded, slashdot would be DDoSed right now. Assuming that it's possible to go back in time, all you can do is confirm the present.