2976: Time Traveler Causes of Death - Revision history

82.132.244.251: Undo revision 383236 by Jkshapiro (talk) The title text talks about having "Googled" (definitive hyponym, not "googled" as a hypernym). Anyway Lycos/AskJeeves/etc preceded only by a year or five.

2025-08-04T22:51:50Z

Undo revision 383236 by Jkshapiro (talk) The title text talks about having "Googled" (definitive hyponym, not "googled" as a hypernym). Anyway Lycos/AskJeeves/etc preceded only by a year or five.

Jkshapiro: /* Table of death causes */ Not sure what "{{fact}}" was meant to do but it isn't doing it

2025-08-04T21:14:33Z

‎Table of death causes: Not sure what "{{fact}}" was meant to do but it isn't doing it

Jkshapiro: /* Explanation */ There were other searches before Google. But it doesn't make the explanation any better anyway.

2025-08-04T21:10:31Z

‎Explanation: There were other searches before Google. But it doesn't make the explanation any better anyway.

162.158.146.106: /* Table of death causes */

2025-02-21T12:24:43Z

‎Table of death causes

162.158.137.162: the main idea may actually have been the door getting stuck with the traveler outside the time machine...

2024-09-20T23:00:45Z

the main idea may actually have been the door getting stuck with the traveler outside the time machine...

172.69.94.66: /* Explanation */

2024-08-30T15:54:15Z

‎Explanation

172.70.86.38: /* Explanation */ Grammar re-fix. (Looks like the last one unfixed a fairly acceptable version, introduced definitely bad structure.)

2024-08-28T17:15:50Z

‎Explanation: Grammar re-fix. (Looks like the last one unfixed a fairly acceptable version, introduced definitely bad structure.)

Nutster: /* Table of death causes */ Grammar fix.

2024-08-28T15:08:35Z

‎Table of death causes: Grammar fix.

172.70.91.77: /* Table of death causes */

2024-08-27T08:27:27Z

‎Table of death causes

162.158.134.225: Changed one instance of 'where' to 'were'

2024-08-27T05:48:00Z

Changed one instance of 'where' to 'were'

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 This comic takes the latter situation to the extreme, observing different causes of death for potential time travelers through the ages based on the geologic evolution of Earth from its formation over 4 billion years ago to the present; see detailed explanation in the [[#Table of death causes|table]]. The chart shows only the most likely cause for a given period of time, although the title text reveals that there may always be others possible.
-The title text suggests that an alternative fate within the "eaten by fish" era is the exact opposite - eating something hazardous. A time traveler, having fortuitously avoided the primary "Starving" fate of the prior era, may try eating a {{w|trilobite}}, a kind of shellfish. They may find that either some existing allergy is triggered by this prehistoric shellfish, or that the creatures of that age spark a new allergic condition that (as a modern human) they were not previously aware they could develop a reaction against. A person with a known allergy might check for the possible presence of a problematic ingredient in a potential snack by referencing online resources - a facility that is not available here, with the smartphone stuck in the past, long before any network is available to connect to. Alternatively, suspecting the food they've eaten has not agreed with them, they could find they are denied easy access to the best online information on how to properly treat their symptoms.
+The title text suggests that an alternative fate within the "eaten by fish" era is the exact opposite - eating something hazardous. A time traveler, having fortuitously avoided the primary "Starving" fate of the prior era, may try eating a {{w|trilobite}}, a kind of shellfish. They may find that either some existing allergy is triggered by this prehistoric shellfish, or that the creatures of that age spark a new allergic condition that (as a modern human) they were not previously aware they could develop a reaction against. A person with a known allergy might check for the possible presence of a problematic ingredient in a potential snack by referencing online resources - a facility that is not available here, with the smartphone stuck in the past, long before any network is available to connect to (notwithstanding that Google Search has not existed historically for more than three decades<!-- specifically 1996+, by one measure, but futureproofing the explanation a little-->). Alternatively, suspecting the food they've eaten has not agreed with them, they could find they are denied easy access to the best online information on how to properly treat their symptoms.
 ===Table of death causes===

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ! scope="col" | Explanation
 |-
-| Lava || Earth Forms || During the formation of the Earth, the surface was a hellish landscape of lava.{{fact}}
+| Lava || Earth Forms || During the formation of the Earth, the surface was a hellish landscape of lava.
 |-
 | Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide, without the significant amount of oxygen that humans need to breathe.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 This comic takes the latter situation to the extreme, observing different causes of death for potential time travelers through the ages based on the geologic evolution of Earth from its formation over 4 billion years ago to the present; see detailed explanation in the [[#Table of death causes|table]]. The chart shows only the most likely cause for a given period of time, although the title text reveals that there may always be others possible.
-The title text suggests that an alternative fate within the "eaten by fish" era is the exact opposite - eating something hazardous. A time traveler, having fortuitously avoided the primary "Starving" fate of the prior era, may try eating a {{w|trilobite}}, a kind of shellfish. They may find that either some existing allergy is triggered by this prehistoric shellfish, or that the creatures of that age spark a new allergic condition that (as a modern human) they were not previously aware they could develop a reaction against. A person with a known allergy might check for the possible presence of a problematic ingredient in a potential snack by referencing online resources - a facility that is not available here, with the smartphone stuck in the past, long before any network is available to connect to (notwithstanding that Google Search has not existed historically for more than three decades<!-- specifically 1996+, by one measure, but futureproofing the explanation a little-->). Alternatively, suspecting the food they've eaten has not agreed with them, they could find they are denied easy access to the best online information on how to properly treat their symptoms.
+The title text suggests that an alternative fate within the "eaten by fish" era is the exact opposite - eating something hazardous. A time traveler, having fortuitously avoided the primary "Starving" fate of the prior era, may try eating a {{w|trilobite}}, a kind of shellfish. They may find that either some existing allergy is triggered by this prehistoric shellfish, or that the creatures of that age spark a new allergic condition that (as a modern human) they were not previously aware they could develop a reaction against. A person with a known allergy might check for the possible presence of a problematic ingredient in a potential snack by referencing online resources - a facility that is not available here, with the smartphone stuck in the past, long before any network is available to connect to. Alternatively, suspecting the food they've eaten has not agreed with them, they could find they are denied easy access to the best online information on how to properly treat their symptoms.
 ===Table of death causes===

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 | Eaten by mammals || 66 million years ago to sometime before now || The {{w|Cenozoic Era}}, which began 66 million years ago, is often referred to as the "Age of Mammals". Though some eras have more likely causes of death (such as wars, but that would basically be during the "Now" period in the table), overall being eaten by large mammals is probably the biggest risk.
 |-
-| Time machine door gets stuck || Roughly present day || As the timeline approaches the present day, the conditions on Earth become more than suitable enough for a human time traveler to survive extended periods of time &mdash; as evidenced by the fact hominids and early humans begin to emerge. As such there's nothing else more likely to kill them than getting stuck in the time machine and dying of thirst or starvation (or, if the time machine is air-tight, asphyxiating). This assumes the time machine is also a {{w|Faraday Cage}} (that can block the signal of an emergency call) or the traveler doesn't take their phone with them, although the title text indicates they will. Or that the "Now" period extends back before cell phones and compatible cellular networks, maybe covering the entire period of human civilization. It could also be that time travel is deadly if the machine door does not close all the way -- or that time travel to the past (for a distance longer than one human lifetime) is deadly from a present-day point of view, if the time machine door gets stuck *with the time traveler outside the machine*! But mostly it is a punchline comparing severely dangerous situations to severely harmless ones.
+| Time machine door gets stuck || Roughly present day || As the timeline approaches the present day, the conditions on Earth become more than suitable enough for a human time traveler to survive extended periods of time &mdash; as evidenced by the fact hominids and early humans begin to emerge. As such, when it comes to hazards that can kill the time traveler before they can do anything at their destination, there's nothing else more likely to kill them than a problem with the time machine itself; the example given is being unable to open the door of the time machine (whether because the door is broken or the time machine is parked right up against an obstacle) and dying of thirst or starvation (or, if the time machine is air-tight, asphyxiating). This assumes the time machine is also a {{w|Faraday Cage}} (that can block the signal of an emergency call) or the traveler doesn't take their phone with them, although the title text indicates they will. Or that the "Now" period extends back before cell phones and compatible cellular networks, maybe covering the entire period of human civilization. But mostly it is a punchline comparing severely dangerous situations to severely harmless ones.
 |-
 |}

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 | Eaten by mammals || 66 million years ago to sometime before now || The {{w|Cenozoic Era}}, which began 66 million years ago, is often referred to as the "Age of Mammals". Though some eras have more likely causes of death (such as wars, but that would basically be during the "Now" period in the table), overall being eaten by large mammals is probably the biggest risk.
 |-
-| Time machine door gets stuck || Roughly present day || As the timeline approaches the present day, the conditions on Earth become more than suitable enough for a human time traveler to survive extended periods of time &mdash; as evidenced by the fact hominids and early humans begin to emerge. As such there's nothing else more likely to kill them than getting stuck in the time machine and dying of thirst or starvation (or, if the time machine is air-tight, asphyxiating). This assumes the time machine is also a {{w|Faraday Cage}} (that can block the signal of an emergency call) or the traveler doesn't take their phone with them, although the title text indicates they will. Or that the "Now" period extends back before cell phones and compatible cellular networks, maybe covering the entire period of human civilization. It could also be that time travel is deadly if the machine door does not close all the way. But mostly it is a punchline comparing severely dangerous situations to severely harmless ones.
+| Time machine door gets stuck || Roughly present day || As the timeline approaches the present day, the conditions on Earth become more than suitable enough for a human time traveler to survive extended periods of time &mdash; as evidenced by the fact hominids and early humans begin to emerge. As such there's nothing else more likely to kill them than getting stuck in the time machine and dying of thirst or starvation (or, if the time machine is air-tight, asphyxiating). This assumes the time machine is also a {{w|Faraday Cage}} (that can block the signal of an emergency call) or the traveler doesn't take their phone with them, although the title text indicates they will. Or that the "Now" period extends back before cell phones and compatible cellular networks, maybe covering the entire period of human civilization. It could also be that time travel is deadly if the machine door does not close all the way -- or that time travel to the past (for a distance longer than one human lifetime) is deadly from a present-day point of view, if the time machine door gets stuck *with the time traveler outside the machine*! But mostly it is a punchline comparing severely dangerous situations to severely harmless ones.
 |-
 |}

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:54, 30 August 2024
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Created by a TIME TRAVELLING BOT WITH NO CELL SERVICE IN THE PROTOZOIC ERA- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
	Time travel is a common sci-fi/fantasy plot, in which someone from one era is sent forward or backward in time to another era. Normally, the travel itself goes off without a hitch, with the usual threats to the time traveler being what happens at some point ''after'' they arrive at their destination. More rarely, a time traveler might immediately encounter some hazard because of where their time travel method has deposited them.		Time travel is a common sci-fi/fantasy plot, in which someone from one era is sent forward or backward in time to another era. Normally, the travel itself goes off without a hitch, with the usual threats to the time traveler being what happens at some point ''after'' they arrive at their destination. More rarely, a time traveler might immediately encounter some hazard because of where their time travel method has deposited them.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 | Lava || Earth Forms || During the formation of the Earth, the surface was a hellish landscape of lava.{{fact}}
 |-
-| Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide, without significant oxygen humans need to breathe.
+| Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide, without the significant amount of oxygen that humans need to breathe.
 |-
 | Meteors || 3.9 billion years ago || During the hypothesized {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}}, the Earth's surface was subjected to a large number of asteroid and comet impacts, destroying much of Earth's early crust. According to the table, the heavy bombardment was so severe that this was the most likely cause of death during a period when there was still no oxygen. Even when these meteors came at an alarming rate, however, the chance of being hit by one of these before asphyxiation due to an atmosphere without any oxygen seems remote. Of course, if the time machine had some oxygen along with it and the reason people died from lack of oxygen was that they stayed there for a long time, the chance of death-by-meteor would increase.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 | Lava || Earth Forms || During the formation of the Earth, the surface was a hellish landscape of lava.{{fact}}
 |-
-| Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide. Humans need oxygen to breathe.{{citation needed}}
+| Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide. Humans need oxygen to breathe.
 |-
-| Meteors || 3.9 billion years ago || During the hypothesized {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}}, the Earth's surface was subjected to a large number of asteroid and comet impacts, destroying much of Earth's early crust. According to the table, the heavy bombardment was so severe that this was the most likely cause of death during a period when there were still no oxygen. Even when these meteors came at an alarming rate, however, the chance of being hit by one of these before asphyxiation in an atmosphere without any oxygen seems remote. Of course if the time machine had some oxygen along with it and the reason people died from lack of oxygen was that they stayed there for a long time, the chance of death-by-meteor would increase.
+| Meteors || 3.9 billion years ago || During the hypothesized {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}}, the Earth's surface was subjected to a large number of asteroid and comet impacts, destroying much of Earth's early crust. According to the table, the heavy bombardment was so severe that this was the most likely cause of death during a period when there was still no oxygen. Even when these meteors came at an alarming rate, however, the chance of being hit by one of these before asphyxiation due to an atmosphere without any oxygen seems remote. Of course, if the time machine had some oxygen along with it and the reason people died from lack of oxygen was that they stayed there for a long time, the chance of death-by-meteor would increase.
 |-
 | Asphyxiation || 3 billion years ago || See above.