04-05-2005 06:41									#1
	If you could go back in time and give our modern tech to someone, would you? Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Consider, if you went back and gave the Roman empire the tech needed to survive the barbarians, the dark ages would have been avoided. Or, give the Byzantines the tech to survive the crusaders and moslems. Give the American indians the tech of metalurgy...

When, where and what would you give?

	04-05-2005 06:56									#2
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Ipod -> to myself -> 1994 -> Sell it to some company -> become millionaire

	04-05-2005 07:02									#3
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I’d give a world history book to Napoleon, Hitler, and Jesus just for shits and giggles.

	04-05-2005 07:06									#4
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Napoleon might not invade Spain or Russia. France might be the world's only superpower. Nazi Germany...no invasion of Russia...maybe no invasion of Slovakia...

	04-05-2005 07:11									#5
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quote: Originally posted by Riesstiu IV I’d give a world history book to Napoleon, Hitler, and Jesus just for shits and giggles.

Could hitler have won the war if he had a detailed history book about WW2? Surely as soon as he used the information once, the course of the war would be different.

	04-05-2005 07:13									#6
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No, I wouldn't.

	04-05-2005 07:16									#7
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I would give the US of 1940 a stealth bomber.

	04-05-2005 07:19									#8
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Didn't Back to the Future 2 teach us anything?

	04-05-2005 08:03									#9
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I'd trade my DSL connection for a lavish Thracian slave anytime.

	04-05-2005 08:29									#10
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No.

1. It's going to screw everything up
2. They won't understand it anyway

	04-05-2005 08:40									#11
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quote: 2. They won't understand it anyway

Or burn you to a stake

	04-05-2005 08:44									#12
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quote: Originally posted by nostromo Or burn you to a stake

That's infinitely worse.

	04-05-2005 10:16									#13
	Re: If you could go back in time and give our modern tech to someone, would you? Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

quote: Originally posted by Lancer Consider, if you went back and gave the Roman empire the tech needed to survive the barbarians, the dark ages would have been avoided. Or, give the Byzantines the tech to survive the crusaders and moslems. Give the American indians the tech of metalurgy... When, where and what would you give?

I'd go back to the 1930s and chuck pc towers at people.

	04-05-2005 10:23									#14
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I'd go back to Athens and start the Badacemy: an equal and opposite to the Academy where the pleasures of the flesh are emphasized over those of the mind.

	04-05-2005 10:45									#15
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Yes, I'd give the first human being a revolver and stick candy in it.

	04-05-2005 11:29									#16
	Re: If you could go back in time and give our modern tech to someone, would you? Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Lancer Consider, if you went back and gave the Roman empire the tech needed to survive the barbarians, the dark ages would have been avoided.

Rome still would have fallen. They could have handled the barbs. Rome was imploding politically and economically from corruption. The barbs just finished them. To actually prevent the fall of Rome you have to go in and really clean house across the empire but doing that would have also precipitated a fall. From about Nero's time on the fall was inevitable.

Your original question is invalid because it would create the classic paradox: If you went back you would change your future but that would mean you don't need to go back so your future did not change (so on and so on).

	04-05-2005 11:36									#17
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Truly modern technology probably wouldn't by understood by anyone 100 years ago to be of any use, forget about earlier in time.

Take a care from the 50's, plonk it in the Reinessance, and given enough time the idea of an internal compustion engine and gears and axels and stuff could be understood. They might be able to even build one, just tediously longer due to the lack of the assembly line.

Hand DaVinci a laptop or GM crop and you're dealing with technology built on sciences he's never even imagined before.

	04-05-2005 11:46									#18
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I believe it was Arthur C. Clarke that said "Any technology sufficiently advanced will become indistinguishable from magic". That would be how it would appear to people far enough in the past (which would usually get you burnt at the stake).

	04-05-2005 11:51									#19
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Maybe give the romans the printing press?

	04-05-2005 11:57									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Tattila the Hun Maybe give the romans the printing press?

They'd probably try to run someone's arm (or something else ) through it.
Not many of the common folk were all that literite.

	04-05-2005 11:58									#21
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I would... but I wouldn't.

I like living and doing that would undo my existance.... unless I could give it to myself in the past .


What do you mean this program is liscened to microsoft?


Edit: There is debatible evidence that the romans actually had the printing press but it was not widley used.

	04-05-2005 12:21									#22
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quote: Originally posted by Vesayen I would... but I wouldn't. I like living and doing that would undo my existance.... unless I could give it to myself in the past . What do you mean this program is liscened to microsoft? Edit: There is debatible evidence that the romans actually had the printing press but it was not widley used.

I see you get my point.

The printing press could have made the Roman Empire even more chaotic. In our timeline it had the effect of spreading the Renaissance and Reformation. It was the right tool at the right time in the right place (for us, not them).

	04-05-2005 13:31									#23
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I would give a fire-extinguisher to Joan of Arc.

Just to annoy the Brits

	04-05-2005 13:33									#24
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I'd give a thousand machine guns and 10 million rounds of ammunition to Alexander the Great. That way, nobody would be impressed when he conquered the world.

	04-05-2005 13:53									#25
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Didn't William Golding "give" the Romans steam engine and printing press?

Also, Turtledove "gave" the Confederates AK-47's

	04-05-2005 14:07									#26
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quote: Originally posted by KrazyHorse I'd give a thousand machine guns and 10 million rounds of ammunition to Alexander the Great. That way, nobody would be impressed when he conquered the world.

A thousand machine guns in his time WOULD be impressive (just by being there). I can picture though how they would be as much a danger to each other as anyone else.

	04-05-2005 14:19									#27
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I would bring modern plants (much more nourishing than old plants), and explain farming techniques that are doable without mechanization.

	04-05-2005 17:06									#28
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Sometime back not so long ago so money still buys you everything. Then something, a tech that can be hugely commercially exploited, by me of course.
there's books with that subject, a connecticut yankee in the yard of king arthur is one

	04-05-2005 17:13									#29
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î would first do into the future to get all the cool stuff and then bring it back to like yesterday....and voila

	04-05-2005 17:24									#30
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Stopping the bubonic plague would be nice as would stopping the fall of the Roman Empire. Those were the two biggest calamities in western history. Heck, give the Romans knowledge about industrialization and fire arms then watch them Romanize the world.