Before the Flood

In 1941, esteemed science fiction author Robert Heinlein published a short story titled “By His Bootstraps”. In it, a scholar Mr. Wilson writing a thesis on metaphysics and time travel, is met by individuals claiming to be from the future. After a series of argumentative and even physical confrontations, Wilson is brought to the future and becomes a man of great power, and realizes after some period that he must inherently become one of those individuals venturing back to meet his former self, and […]

Comparing Timepieces: Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

So, what’s your ideal job? No, not that one. You know, the one you could have if nothing were impossible. Of course…Timelord, naturally. Is it any wonder that a comedic romp through the dangers, pitfalls and ripple-effect repercussions of time travel would be written about a group of science fiction geeks, in a film for science fiction geeks, and penned by a science fiction geek (who just also happens to be a current writer for Doctor Who)? It’s as if […]

Comparing Timepieces: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

There are pivotal moments, singularities if you will, that not only define who we are in the annals of history, but within our own identities. We learn that we are part of a greater purpose, and that our actions — however seemingly trivial — are the beat of a butterfly’s wings that eventually cause the rise of a hurricane. The realization of our interconnectedness, the holistic relevance of all things we say and do, opens our eyes and awareness to a […]

Comparing Timepieces: Back to the Future

Exactly 30 years ago, the world was introduced to the McFly family, and the amazing (albeit scattered) mind of Doctor Emmett Brown. From that day forward, the notion of time travel in the American mind would never be the same. But after three decades and as many films in the franchise, how does the story line up with the way we theorize about theoretical time travel today? This week, we discuss the Back to the Future trilogy and the way it portrays both the […]