Poll: If you had a time machine that can only ''fast forward''...

[CrazyCrab]

Hi everyone,
I was watching Futurama quite recently and the episode with the time machine that can only go forward really made me think.
Lets say that you have a machine like that (can go forward as much as you want, no fuel or anything like that limitations, but no going back and you stay in the same place), would you use it? No going back like in the episode though.
I'm not sure. I think that I would keep it in case of an emergency, but I'm quite happy right now.
What about you?

 

[tippy2k2]

Not only no but I think I'd try to destroy the thing lest I be tempted.

Life goes by quick enough. The goods are good and the bads are needed for you to learn from. There is virtually no situation I can think of where a machine like that would ever come in handy for me.

EDIT: I'm confused. Do you age with the machine then? Because that was my understanding but I'm starting to think I'm wrong based on other responses...

Either way, I'm still saying no. Seems like a terrible idea to jump forward where so many variables could kill me (zombie apocalypse, a new plague, the world nuked itself, I jump ahead and now there's a brand new wall where my machine was that I just jumped into, etc.). I suppose the only real exception to this would be getting some terminal illness that'll kill me if it's not taken of).

 

[Aeshi]

I'd probably just end up using it to skip commercials and/or waiting for my food to cook.

 

[TheRiddler]

Wait, you mean a machine that jumps forward into the future? Or a machine that just makes life go quicker?

If it's the former, yes. If it's the latter, no.

 

[JoJo]

I'd do the same as you OP, keep it for an emergency. The way I see it the future would be a gamble, it could be an earthly paradise with technological advances beyond our wildest dreams... and equally it could be a confusing place with a very different world view and perhaps inhabited by very different people biologically (genetically modified, merged with computers etc) who might look down on 'primitive' 21st century humans. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I'm happy in this world so I'd keep it in-case this time goes tits up for whatever reason, whether just for me personally or for everyone, it could be a handy last resort escape.

 

[The Event]

Save it in case I ever need it.
If I'm ever diagnosed with a terminal illness maybe I can jump forward and find a cure.

 

[Jolly Co-operator]

Nope, I wouldn't use it. I've had some pretty awful times, but I've learned from them, and I genuinely believe that I've become a better person as a result. I'd hate to think of the type of person I'd have grown in to if I could have just skipped my pain throughout my entire life.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Sounds dangerous. You'd end up in entirely new situations without knowing the context. I'd rather have a pocket-sized Omega 13. Now that would come in handy.

 

[FPLOON]

Nope because I'm already traveling forward in time at the speed of one millisecond per millisecond... Any faster and my clothes might fall off at the most improper of times...

 

[VyseRogueKing]

Spoiler: Already got one.

Skip to around :35 for the best 500 bucks I've ever spent.

If things are going south fast as hell, maybe. It'd have to be something catastrophic like burritos being outlawed or something. I don't really see the point in going forward when there's so much to do now and experience. Once you go forward you've wasted the opportunities you could have had.

Now a time machine that could only go backward? I'd be down to relive a few years and manipulate a future I've already seen.

 

[Scarim Coral]

The only time I would used it if I was impatience for something like waiting for the next episode or a game release but even then I will only used it to skip one week ahead. Having a week worth of email, links and news reading is my limits when it come to catching up! It will be a total nightmare if I had a year worth of catching up to do!

 

[Rattja]

Yes I would use it, as it is almost like the idea I was playing with a few years back.
The only difference is that here it is a time machine, and not some sort of cryosleep or something.

Regardless of how it would be done, I think it would be amazing to just leap through time like that observing the changes.
I am already quite detatched from people in general, so I would not feel I left anything behind.
It seems like there is a pattern, so if I ever ended up at a time things were bad, I only had to jump again to a time where it got better.
It would be rather interesting I think, to pop up every 10th year or something, look around for a month and then jump again.

The only problem I have with this is that I would age at a normal rate right? So I would not get that far into the future if I had too many stops.

The cool thing about this though, is that it is the future, so you can't really mess anything up. However you could set yourself up by placing some money in a high intrest bank and then skip ahead some for unlimmited funds so you can explore the future as you please.

As for the dangers.. Let's say we could make a machine like this, then it's fair to assume we made it so it would never end up inside solid matter or anything like that. Also it would have to be a sealed room/pod, so if it was dangerous outside at the time you appeared you could just jump again.

At any rate, I would use it. Even if I ended up seeing the world end, it would be quite amazing just to be able to see that first hand.

 

[shootthebandit]

Sell it. Who needs life to go fast when you now own a mansion in the carribean, a lambo, a ferrari and an aston martin and you are surrounded by playboy models

I dont know about you but I aint gonna fast forward that shit?

 

[Alpha Maeko]

I would start college then fast forward until its over.

If I'm a forced non-participant (time passes and I do nothing until its over), there's very little a time machine would do for me. (skipping commercials, I guess?)