Russell GarnerApr 8, 2024
Have you noticed that these days when time travellers grab you by the shoulders and ask what year it is, when you reply "2024" they no longer say "Thank God. I'm not too late"?
Show threadCourt Cantrell does not complyApr 8, 2024
@rgarner What's worse is when you say 2024 and they break down in tears of joy, saying, "Oh, it worked! It worked! It's all so much better now!"
Show threadDec [{()}]
@courtcan @rgarner
This was basically the plot of "Timescape" by Gregory Benford, with the future being 1998.
Apr 9, 2024 at 12:57pmWeb
Show threadCourt Cantrell does not complyApr 9, 2024
@dec23k @rgarner Okay, I thought for sure I'd seen a movie of that, but apparently there isn't one. So I really need to read this novel. Thanks for the (inadvertent?) recommendation! 😄
Show threadDec [{()}]Apr 10, 2024

@courtcan @rgarner
The time travel in "Timescape" is done with messages, not people moving through a portal. It's pretty good about the need to avoid paradox.

Excerpt available here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/11313/timescape-by-gregory-benford/

Timescape by Gregory Benford: 9780553297096 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Winner of the 1980 Nebula Award, Timescape has since become a classic of the science fiction genre, combining hard science, bold speculation, and human ...

PenguinRandomhouse.com
Show threadRussell GarnerApr 10, 2024

@dec23k @courtcan "Remember to smile a lot, John Renfrew thought moodily. People seemed to like that. They never wondered why you kept on smiling, no matter what was said. It was a kind of general sign of good will, he supposed, one of the tricks he could never master."

Oh fuck they've got *my* number

Show threadDec [{()}]Apr 10, 2024

@courtcan @rgarner
Don't go near the Wikipedia page if you want to enjoy reading the book (especially if you haven't read it before).

Not only does it spoiler most of the plot, it explains a lot of elements that the reader is supposed to work out the hard way.