The Future is History
Projecting Information into the Distant Future
Launch:
October 18, 2001. 16:30 GMT
International Center, Iowa City (Latitude 41.66 & Longitude -91.53)
Calling all time-travelers.
By creating this document to be institutionally archived as well as passed on as personal heirlooms we are sending you a message. If time-travel is possible when you are reading this please visit us at the above time and location.
The three frames within the video represent the past, present, and future events surrounding the precise moment the traveler should appear. All times used in the document were synced with the U.S. Naval Observatory atomic clock.
You will need a site to visit in the past which you will not disrupt. We are expecting you and will not be hostile as others who are surprised might become. The video will enter into personal and perhaps institutional archives to be later viewed by persons capable of traveling into the past to the moment in which we created the original video recording.
The key component of this process would be the archiving and preservation of the video in order to keep it “readable” by future people. It will be the duty of future archivists and librarians to convert the video into suitable and relevant formats.
The original video was captured on miniDV tape and later converted into Quicktime and Windows Media files.
View the Quicktime version
Other Resources:
Bebe Williams
MIT Conference
Note that our event predates the MIT event by several years. This goes to show the University of Iowa is leading the way in cutting-edge research.
If a time-traveler does not appear, one of the following might be true:
1.Time-travel will never become possible.
2.Time-travel becomes possible. Their time travel capabilities are inadequate to visit us.
3.Time-travel becomes possible. They do not wish to visit us.
4.Our archiving and preservation techniques are inadequate. Our message does not reach the future.
5.Time travel becomes possible. They are willing and able to travel to the past. Our archiving and preservation techniques are adequate. The message has not been accessed in its future database.
6. Time travel becomes possible. They are willing and able to travel to the past. Our archiving and preservation techniques are adequate. We are not able to perceive or become aware of their visitation.