Sunday November 1st

Daily Routiners,
I hope that you had a happiest of Halloweens. Unless you attend the University of Oregon. But as November begins, I felt compelled to bring you a new Daily Routine. First, UPDATE: I officially shaved today to begin Movember and let the Stachetasticness begin. I have raised $10 so far for testicular and prostate cancer. If you too want to sponsor my November moustache, click here. Next, I have put off writing about this topic since the beginning of the semester but I felt that I could wait no longer. So without further ado, here is our Daily Topic: TIME TRAVEL


As some of you may know, one of my courses this semester is titled, "Time and Time Travel." Up to this point, the focus has been disappointingly centered on the "Time" and less on the "Time Travel." However, since the midterm two weeks ago, we have moved on to the part of the course that I signed up for.

Lately, we have been discussing the paradoxes of time travel, which present some mind-bendingly difficult questions.

First, there is the question of loops. For example, in 2005 Mary steals John's wallet on the subway. When she reaches in his pocket to take his wallet, her ring falls off. Later that day, John travels back in time to 2003 and notices that this wallet is missing and finds the ring. He sells the ring to a jewelry store to make some money. Later that day, Mary's fiance-to-be walks into the store, buys the ring and later proposes to her. Where does the ring come from?

Time travel also calls into question the possibilities of affecting ones own free will and future. In our studies of an obscure movie called, "Back to the Future," we saw how time travel to the past could affect ones future.

But if I were to travel into the past, is it possible to change anything? If I do something in the past that will profoundly affect my own life, am I actually able to perform that action? Because I already exist as I am in the future to be able to travel back in time. Changing who I am in the past would have to affect who I am in the future, but my future self would be the one changing my past self who will later become my future self. So in the same sort of paradox, who could say what would determine your past, present or future if time travel is possible.

This brings about all sorts of moral and ethical dilemmas, along with the purely physical challenges of traveling time. Would it be possible to change the course of history, to change your own future or the future of others, or is the past, present and future predetermined? Do humans really have free will or are our futures already determined by our natures, our personalities or our surroundings?

Very existential, I know. But if it makes you feel any better, Albert Einstein, among others, doesn't believe that time travel is physically possible. So unless you have a 1982 DeLorean and a flux capacitor, these aren't things you have to worry too much about.

-ROF

Daily Food: Cheese and Crackers

Daily Activity: Shaving

Daily Song: Raindrops - Basement Jaxx

Daily Attire: Post-Halloween Costumes

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: With Karzai, US Faces Weak Partner in Time of War

Daily News No One Should Care About: Microsoft's New Retail Stores Look Just Like Apple Stores

Daily Life Goal: Time Travel, Duh

Daily Complaint: USC Football. Again.

Daily Drink: 7&7

Daily Television: Family Guy

Daily Movie: Oh My God