May - "The Time Portal" by Joe Corso and Deborah McCarthy

[Debbie]

I feel like it would be too risky to be messing with the space/time continuim!! If you bring an item back to the present, does it still exist somewhere in the past? Can an object take up spce in two time eras at once? I say NO!

[Paul]

John wrote: "Even rarer is the 1944 steal penny which can fetch up to $110,000. ..."

Hey John, I've got a small bag full of Lincoln black steel pennies, forty or so. Unfortunately, they're dated 1943. Bummer. "Close" probably doesn't count.

I think what I would do, acknowledging greed as a motivating factor (and philanthropy, of course), is check tomorrow's CA Super Lotto drawing and write down the winning numbers. If no matching ticket had been sold I could travel to yesterday, buy a ticket, then bring it back to collect a few million.

[Cheryl]

What great ideas everyone has. Lemme see if I can come up with something a little different. How about the correspondence of Emily Dickinson, that her sister burned after her death. I could spirit them away during the funeral, maybe....

[Andy]

So many great answers so far.

Just to be different I am going to say I would take a camera back with me and take pictures of the past. I could always sell them in the future as legitimate artwork of "Lost Eras". That way no matter where the portal sends you you are sure to find something interesting to take a picture of.

[Jeff]

I would not want to take anything that is missed. And I agree that anything you take, if somebody where to 'age' it they would say it's a fake because it's only 2 years old instead of 200 years old.

I do think something that would make like easier in the present might be nice. Investments of some kind or something I hide and find and sell.

But I don't want to take something insignificant and come back and find that the dinosaurs are still around!

[Larry]

Taking something from the past and bringing it back to the present wouldn't be a problem. It simply wouldn't exist in the intervening time. Taking something from the future and bringing it back to the present would be an all together different problem. If it was used in the present to change the future, then who is to say that wasn't the design all along? It's a real conundrum, isn't it?Stowaway on Titanic

[John, Moderator in Memory]

Just one more day to enter the drawing for this free book. Just post your answer to the question above to be entered. The winner will be announced tomorrow. Good luck to all.

[E.B.]

John wrote: "In this book, the hero takes objects from the past and auctions them in the present in order to become wealthy. If you could travel back in time and use that technology to become rich - how would you do it?"

Great hook! An auction is an interesting idea, I don't think I have seen that one before.

If I could travel back in time and use technology to get rich...hmmm. There is, of course, the way Biff in Back to the Future tried to do it. Bringing back a Sports Almanac would be like an endless supply of cash. However, I think I would bring back a winning Powerball ticket number. That would not arouse suspicion too much, and it is a huge chunk of change.

[E.B.]

Jessica wrote: This is a hard question for me as I would feel very wrong about doing something like that for my own gain.

Good point, Jessica. I think about that too, as well. If I ever did end up with a windfall of cash, I know I would take care of the people I love, and probably random strangers as well. As nice as it would be to be rich, money does not equal happiness.

When I was young I worked for a lady who was/is the heir to the Campbell's soup fortune. I was basically her personal assistant, taking care of her kids and her horses. She was the saddest, most unhappy person I ever knew. She could never truly trust anyone, as she thought everyone was after her money. What an awful way to live your life.

But it would be amazing to pay off the bills of the people I love, and to be able to help random strangers in need.

(Ahh, yeah, I'm feeling like a bleeding heart today, lol!!)

[Lydalyn]

Some very thoughtful ideas are given. The aspect of time travel is so intriguing, as I would not want to take something that is not the only one of something still needed in its own time, I the whole paradox of messing with time. i would ask Socrates to write something for me and take it into the future. Mentions written here which are worth agreeing: very tempting such as postage stamps, rare coins, chapters from the Bible, works from Lincoln make all very good choices too.

[John, Moderator in Memory]

Okay, it's time to announce the winner of this month's book giveaway. A big thank you to Joe for letting us feature his book this month. So without further ado... after randomly drawing a name from all those who posted a comment to our question on the month... the winner is...

(dramatic pause)...

Darin!!!

Congratulations, Darin. I will send Joe a message and ask him to get in contact with you to arrange for delivery of your book. Please remember to take a moment and write an honest and thoughtful review once you get a chance to read it.

Thank you to everyone who entered this month's giveaway. Our next scheduled giveaway will feature The Photo Traveler by Arthur J. Gonzalez. If there are any authors in our group who would like to have their book be featured in our monthly giveaways, please contact me.

[NumberLord]

John wrote: "the winner is...

(dramatic pause)...

Darin!!!"

If I could go back in time, I would remove Darin's name from the pile, thereby increasing my odds slightly.

[Howard]

Darin, way to go.

Be sure to give us a review.

[Larry]

My character Tegan O'Malley has the "gift" to open time portals by touching something historic. She can go all the way back to the "origin" time of the historic object or she can stop anywhere along the way, if she has something else that determines that "midway" time. She also has to have something from the present with her to get her back to her own time. In the first book in the series, she used sales receipts. Just for fun, I had her drop some coins from her time in the past. I was hoping people would debate with me if this could be possible. So far no one has taken up the challenge. The Traveler in Time

[Tej]

Congratulations Darin, hope you enjoy the book.


I cant believe I completely missed this competition...sorry John, I'll be in there next time, no doubt to lose yet again!

[Art]

I'd go and buy the patents for a few products, and put them in the hands of a smart lawyer I know from the era, whose family firm is still going. They would all be simple products, ones that still are used today, all over the world. Even at one cent royalty per unit, it would really add up, over the years.

They would include:
Velcro - George de Mestral 1955, Patent No. 2,717,437
TV remote control - Eugene Polley 1955, Patent No. US2903575
hand operated can opener -Maximilian C. Frins 1955 Patent No. 2718055
potato chip manufacture -Anthony Salvo 1955 Patent No. 2715869
(I'd also get an option on Salvo's ideas, since he also invented vinyl siding, better shingles and an improved hot water tank later) Maybe find some way of cashing in on his inventions)