Poll

6 votes (40%)
1 vote (6.66%)
2 votes (13.33%)
1 vote (6.66%)
1 vote (6.66%)
1 vote (6.66%)
1 vote (6.66%)
4 votes (26.66%)
No votes (0%)
6 votes (40%)

15 members have voted

Joeshlabotnik
Joeshlabotnik
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August 17th, 2016 at 9:21:34 AM permalink
Scenario: Because you're a history buff and will (apparently) write a book about American colonial times ten years in the future, a time traveler from that moment materializes in your living room and tells you that your book sucks/will suck and that because you're a good writer, you deserve the opportunity to do your research directly. He therefore offers to give you a ride to colonial Boston in 1750. You will have to stay there for five years, after which you will be returned to the present. You mull over whether living in that place and time would be fun, living hell, or anything in between. The question I'm asking is: what would be a deal-breaker? What modern convenience could you not live without for five years?

The above choices are only suggestions, of course--and if you think you could, in fact, live in flea-ridden 1750 Boston for that long (no lack of modern things would deter you), that's a possible answer.
Romes
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August 17th, 2016 at 9:48:13 AM permalink
In the context of your question, I think whomever traveled back would have their teeth fall out. The toohbrush wasn't wide spread in Europe until about 1780. Thus, your teeth would just slowly rot over 5 years I'd think.

Are we allowed to do some quick study before heading back, or is this a RIGHT NOW OR NEVER kind of offer? I'd look up some simple old remedies that would at least last enough to not have my teeth fall out as well as a few other necessities (not saying a tooth brush is a deal breaker, just tooth care would be a concern).

In the end, I would do it, no doubt. Just way too good of an opportunity to pass up to learn about our roots, culture, historical figures, etc. After all, this time travelers word that he'll bring me back is good, right? It might suck to not have any of those things from the list, but what I've found before when cutting some of them out (on trips, etc) is that you will always find something else to fill the time and before long not even notice those technologies/things you were once missing. On the plus side, I could prevent tragedies such as killing the kardashian blood line off early (if research is allowed to find out who lol).

...Guess my answer is NONE of them are a "complete" deal breaker in this scenario.
Playing it correctly means you've already won.
MrV
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August 17th, 2016 at 10:15:34 AM permalink
Toilet paper.
"What, me worry?"
Greasyjohn
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August 17th, 2016 at 11:21:03 AM permalink
Anesthesia.
odiousgambit
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August 17th, 2016 at 12:52:30 PM permalink
readily available ice year-round
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
RogerKint
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August 17th, 2016 at 1:17:05 PM permalink
My jack lalanne power juicer. I needs my daily dose of veggie jizz.
100% risk of ruin
gamerfreak
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August 17th, 2016 at 2:18:00 PM permalink
#1 - GPS
#2 - Cell Phone/Internet
#3 - Air Conditioning
Face
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Face
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August 17th, 2016 at 2:39:01 PM permalink
Teeth won't fall out in 5 years, unless you went with them already compromised. A cavity or two, maybe, but there was none of the carbonated, hyper sugar drinks of today. You'll be fine =)

Water. Clean, running, preferably heated. Having to get your own water and make it usable is a huge time sink, and the only thing about having nothing that I can say was wholly unpleasant.

Well, living in Boston proper would be suicide inducing, but...
The opinions of this moderator are for entertainment purposes only.
GWAE
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August 17th, 2016 at 2:43:30 PM permalink
Romes you are funny. You are worried about teeth. I would want to research to see what type of inventions I cold make that would be named after me. Hopefully figure out how to make a lifetime royalty that way when I get zapped back I will be rich.
Expect the worst and you will never be disappointed. I AM NOT PART OF GWAE RADIO SHOW
Face
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Face
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August 17th, 2016 at 3:09:30 PM permalink
Quote: GWAE

I would want to research to see what type of inventions I cold make that would be named after me. Hopefully figure out how to make a lifetime royalty that way when I get zapped back I will be rich.



Lol, I read that as "infections". Kind of a strange legacy, but whatever floats your boat XD

Sounds like too much work to me. I'd just buy up a thousand hectares of Virginia (now W. Virginia) for, like, a fiver. Just in time for the industrial revolution to make me a multi billionaire. Come back to now-time and barter it for PEI, start my own country, retire =p
The opinions of this moderator are for entertainment purposes only.
billryan
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August 17th, 2016 at 3:20:57 PM permalink
My AK 47. That and 10,000 rounds of ammo and today's school kids wouldn't be studying George Washington.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
rxwine
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August 17th, 2016 at 3:49:56 PM permalink
Quote: Joeshlabotnik

because you're a good writer, you deserve the opportunity to do your research directly..



I think I might miss something I hardly use. Some good pens and a ream of paper. Not to mention actually having a computer, or a simple voice recorder.

Been awhile since I tried writing with a quill and dipping ink.

I'm not sure how crowded colonial Boston would be, but another consideration is how dirty the air is from all the fire driven ovens and heating devices. And the stink. This might only be a problem later though if the population is still sparse.
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
AxelWolf
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August 17th, 2016 at 5:20:37 PM permalink
Quote: gamerfreak

#1 - GPS
#2 - Cell Phone/Internet
#3 - Air Conditioning

What the heck would you use GPS for you have no car.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
zippyboy
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August 17th, 2016 at 8:37:55 PM permalink
Why don't we leave these type threads to AskReddit?
"Poker sure is an easy game to beat if you have the roll to keep rebuying."
gamerfreak
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August 17th, 2016 at 8:41:26 PM permalink
Quote: AxelWolf

What the heck would you use GPS for you have no car.


Aint that modern
beachbumbabs
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August 17th, 2016 at 9:21:25 PM permalink
None of that list would be fine. Didn't have any of them except hot showers growing up. Potable water and anesthesia were good from the comments, though. Especially clean water.

Part of our issues now are sourced in the internet and its push info 24/7 anyway. A lot of it's wrong. A lot more of it is slanted. And it's presented without discrimination, so even if a factoid does get corrected, the correction doesn't reach everyone with the bad info, and garbage persists.

AC is a personal blessing. Another good comment.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
777
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August 17th, 2016 at 9:54:12 PM permalink
Gun.

AZD's confederate flag.

RonC's Hillary forwarded emails.
EricStoner
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August 18th, 2016 at 8:25:44 AM permalink
Toilet paper and deodorant are two that come to mind.

I would not miss my smartphone much, feels more like an electronic leash than a convenience to me most days.
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” - Emerson
onenickelmiracle
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August 18th, 2016 at 9:36:59 AM permalink
Running water or cheap food, being all food is cheap, but that probably is dependent on cheap oil.
I am a robot.
AxelWolf
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August 18th, 2016 at 10:33:43 AM permalink
Quote: gamerfreak

Aint that modern

You could probably walk faster than that thing. I would choose some type of transportation probably something like this. https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Fejp8FgCF.xMHrGx.JhG7w--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NjQwO3E9OTU7dz05NjA-/http://uncrate.com/p/2015/07/action-mobil-0.jpg Traveling to places where the weather was nice.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
RS
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August 18th, 2016 at 11:00:07 AM permalink
Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: gamerfreak

Aint that modern

You could probably walk faster than that thing. I would choose some type of transportation probably something like this. https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Fejp8FgCF.xMHrGx.JhG7w--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NjQwO3E9OTU7dz05NjA-/http://uncrate.com/p/2015/07/action-mobil-0.jpg Traveling to places where the weather was nice.



You're going backwards in time, not forwards in time into the zombie apocalypse.
MaxPen
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August 18th, 2016 at 11:51:44 AM permalink
Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: gamerfreak

Aint that modern

You could probably walk faster than that thing. I would choose some type of transportation probably something like this. https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Fejp8FgCF.xMHrGx.JhG7w--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NjQwO3E9OTU7dz05NjA-/http://uncrate.com/p/2015/07/action-mobil-0.jpg Traveling to places where the weather was nice.



You bringing your own gas station as well?
AxelWolf
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August 18th, 2016 at 11:55:01 AM permalink
Quote: MaxPen

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: gamerfreak

Aint that modern

You could probably walk faster than that thing. I would choose some type of transportation probably something like this. https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Fejp8FgCF.xMHrGx.JhG7w--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NjQwO3E9OTU7dz05NjA-/http://uncrate.com/p/2015/07/action-mobil-0.jpg Traveling to places where the weather was nice.



You bringing your own gas station as well?

just lots of gold, people can push.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
billryan
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August 18th, 2016 at 12:07:05 PM permalink
Bring a bicycle with you. Ben Franklin or Paul Revere could easily reverse engineer it and you'd both be rich.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
EvenBob
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August 18th, 2016 at 1:03:56 PM permalink
Electric. Know that feeling of utter helplessness
when the power goes out? Imagine that for 5
years, where you have zero power to do anything
with. And getting anywhere sucked. Most people
never traveled more than 30 miles from where
they were born because it was just a major hassle.

People stank because they didn't bathe often. If you
got sick, oh well, all doctors were quacks, they knew
squat. Chamber pots and outhouses. Food poisoning
was everywhere. Poverty in the streets was rampant.
Real poverty, people wearing rags and filthy small
children. When the sun went down, people went
to bed. Only the rich could afford oil lamps and even
candles were expensive. No thanks to any of it.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
RS
RS
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August 18th, 2016 at 1:13:03 PM permalink
+1 to EvenBob's post.

It would just be simply awful. It might be fun for a few days, sorta like camping. Anything longer than that -- no thanks!
Ayecarumba
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August 18th, 2016 at 2:20:55 PM permalink
Quote: RS

+1 to EvenBob's post.

It would just be simply awful. It might be fun for a few days, sorta like camping. Anything longer than that -- no thanks!



If you were into the rum or whale oil trades, I think you could do quite well for yourself. Living in a mid 18th century mansion, with lots of indentured servants to take care of the "necessities" wouldn't be so bad for five years. You could even have hot bath's every night, and pay Paul Revere to smith you a silver Crapper.

Winds of revolution would be blowing though...
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
bobbartop
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August 18th, 2016 at 4:02:41 PM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

If you were into the rum or whale oil trades, I think you could do quite well for yourself. Living in a mid 18th century mansion, with lots of indentured servants to take care of the "necessities" wouldn't be so bad for five years. You could even have hot bath's every night, and pay Paul Revere to smith you a silver Crapper.

Winds of revolution would be blowing though...



You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
gordonm888
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August 18th, 2016 at 6:06:36 PM permalink
I would say "Refrigeration" which includes air conditioning. And, BTW, refrigeration can be done manually -without electricity - by compressing air and then expanding it adiabatically.

1. Air conditioning changed the world. It made the South - and Nevada - liveable. Those areas emerged out of their historical poverty once air conditioning came into wide-spread use.
2. Refrigeration preserves food - so we don't have to shop for fresh food every day or two. And we can enjoy milk without cow poop all over our shoes.
3. Modern medicine would be impossible without refrigeration - no pharmaceutical drugs would exist and blood could not be stored for more than a few hours.
4. Did I mention ice cream?
5. And is strong air conditioning, female nipples become visible beneath the clothes that cover them.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
EvenBob
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August 18th, 2016 at 6:17:16 PM permalink
Quote: gordonm888



1. Air conditioning changed the world.



There's a school of thought that refrigeration
is the most important invention the world has
seen so far. In all it's forms, freezers, fridges,
air, it changed life for the better for every
person it touched, in a hundred different ways,
most of which we don't even see. In a sense,
it's controlling the weather. What people had
to wait to happen in nature, we can make
happen any time we want, in a controlled
environment.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
bobbartop
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August 18th, 2016 at 6:44:37 PM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

There's a school of thought that refrigeration
is the most important invention the world has
seen so far. In all it's forms, freezers, fridges,
air, it changed life for the better for every
person it touched, in a hundred different ways,
most of which we don't even see. In a sense,
it's controlling the weather. What people had
to wait to happen in nature, we can make
happen any time we want, in a controlled
environment.



I'm thinking of all the massive cold storages where they store produce after it is harvested.
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
EvenBob
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August 19th, 2016 at 12:36:08 AM permalink
Quote: bobbartop

I'm thinking of all the massive cold storages where they store produce after it is harvested.



Just think about blood. Mass storage of human
blood banks was impossible before refrigeration.

Look at Clarence Birdseye. He invented an entire
industry in the 1920's, with flash freezing. By freezing
fresh food almost instantly, it's nutritional value
was preserved indefinitely. He started Birds Eye
in 1925, and sold it to General Foods 4 years later
for 22 million. $250 million in today's money.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
Dalex64
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August 19th, 2016 at 4:43:52 AM permalink
They did have cooling available.

Ice houses to store ice during the warm months, icemen to deliver it to your house, and an icebox.
EvenBob
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August 19th, 2016 at 12:38:04 PM permalink
Quote: Dalex64

They did have cooling available.



And that's all it did. No freezer, no air conditioning.
How many aisles in a supermarket today are
totally devoted to flash freezing. Three double
sided aisles in my store, one of them is just desserts. In
the dinner and entree aisle, I can buy fish that was
frozen at sea, minutes after it was caught, by a
floating fish factory ship that employees hundreds
of people.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
Greasyjohn
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August 19th, 2016 at 2:36:54 PM permalink
In the 1750s most men and women were old by 30. The average life expectancy wasn't much past that I would think. Hard lives full of toil and often suffering. Most kids probably only wore shoes to church. I have never known hunger. Most people in the 1750s did.
bobbartop
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August 19th, 2016 at 2:54:35 PM permalink
Quote: Dalex64

They did have cooling available.

Ice houses to store ice during the warm months, icemen to deliver it to your house, and an icebox.



I seem to barely remember, when I was very young, that the railroads had cars that were loaded with ice through hatches on the top instead of like today's modern reefer units. Wow, we really have seen a lot of change in 50 years.
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
Ibeatyouraces
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August 19th, 2016 at 3:07:06 PM permalink
Advil.
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
bobbartop
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August 19th, 2016 at 3:46:27 PM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Advil.



Seriously, I've been reading that turmeric is a much better anti-inflammatory than even Advil. And no side effects, no risks. I tried brushing my gums with turmeric a few weeks ago when I thought I had a tooth ache. Pain's gone, totally gone. (knock on wood)

Apparently it also has properties that fend off cancer, colon cancer, prostrate cancer. Turmeric is good for a morning smoothie, mix a touch of black pepper with it to help the body absorb it. Anyway, that's what I've read. There's plenty on the internet about it. I no longer take Advil, and I DEFINITELY do not take Tylenol, that crap's poison.
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
Ibeatyouraces
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August 19th, 2016 at 3:49:31 PM permalink
It's only used for nagging headaches.
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
bobbartop
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August 19th, 2016 at 4:08:21 PM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

It's only used for nagging headaches.




Look it up sometime when y'got nothing to do. I've only fairly recently discovered it myself and it's pretty interesting. Supposed to be really good for you in many ways. It might even be good for headaches. Actually, I just googled turmeric and headaches and it does say it's very good for that.
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
AxelWolf
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August 19th, 2016 at 11:25:51 PM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Advil.

Ever notice the sweet innocent candy coating on Advil? Trust me that sweet candy coating is only skin deep. break one in half or chew it. It's like ingesting battery acid. Advil almost cost me my life and has caused permanent damage. AVOID ADVIL if and as much as possible.

Tylenol is better heath wise (different ingredients), unfortunately it's less effective than Advil for certain things.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
bobbartop
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August 19th, 2016 at 11:36:07 PM permalink
Quote: AxelWolf

Ever notice the sweet innocent candy coating on Advil? Trust me that sweet candy coating is only skin deep. break one in half or chew it. It's like ingesting battery acid. Advil almost cost me my life and has caused permanent damage. AVOID ADVIL if and as much as possible.

Tylenol is better heath wise (different ingredients), unfortunately it's less effective than Advil for certain things.




https://www.google.com/search?q=turmeric+compared+to+advil+and+tylenol
'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.
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