You unexpectedly time travel to 1985 with no way back. What do you do?

Cosmo

Cosmo

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Key word here is unexpectedly - You did not prepare for this, so you have no winning lottery numbers or sports almanac. Using only your memory, knowledge and skills, how would you survive and/or benefit?

The rules:

  1. If you were born on or before 1985, your past self still exists.
     
     
     
  2. Your clothing and any items on your person came back with you.
     
     
     
  3. There's no way back, ever. You cannot time travel again.
     
     
     
  4. When 2015 rolls back around, you don't time travel back to 1985; there's no time loops happening here.
     
     
     





 
I'll be rich. Buy some Microsoft stock. The Iraqi dinar soon will go for pennies on the dollar. And then mushrooms in price. That's just off the top of my head. With my knowledge of electronics, I could successfully start up an integrated circuit manufacturing plant. I'll be living in Silicon Valley.

 
As far as making money I would buy up a lot of these toys that are now worth a fortune. I realize that is a "long term" investment so I think I would possibly try my hand at psychic predictions. Even if I can't make money that way it'll be a great way to freak out any friends I may meet there. Otherwise, I think I would just take things a day at a time and enjoy all the little things I was too young to appreciate the first time I lived in 1985. Oops, I forgot to mention I would be a trendsetter. I'd wear all the popular clothes and such just one week before anyone else.

 
Key word here is unexpectedly - You did not prepare for this, so you have no winning lottery numbers or sports almanac. Using only your memory, knowledge and skills, how would you survive and/or benefit?The rules:

  1. If you were born on or before 1985, your past self still exists.
     
     
     
  2. Your clothing and any items on your person came back with you.
     
     
     
  3. There's no way back, ever. You cannot time travel again.
     
     
     
  4. When 2015 rolls back around, you don't time travel back to 1985; there's no time loops happening here.
     
     
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Invest in Microsoft.

 
As I wait in line at a Duran Duran concert, I would describe the iPhone to people and watch them think I'm absolutely crazy. LOL. Don' worry. I wouldn't tell them what it was called. They would already think I'm nuts because of these denim shorts that go all the way to my knees.

 
1985 Piece of cake.

I know exactly where I was in 1985 so:

With my present memory, knowledge, and skill set, I would know how, where, maybe even why, I traveled back to 1985. With that knowledge I would;

go to my home,

knock on the door,

announce to myself who I am,

offer evidence only I could corroborate,

tell myself the situation that resulted in my being in 1985,

and allow my past self to decide if I want to avoid the situation or make the trip and allow him/me go on with life with no further interference from me.

Then, since I am stuck in 1985, why not make the best of the situation.

My parents and grandparents are still alive so I would definitely want to see them again. Since I am close to the age my father was then, now, I would be able to go with him again as he is just retiring and his retirement was traveling and camping and fishing in a circuit that brought him around to visit his children and other retired friends over the course of the year.

Imagine, father and son, retired and fishing together whenever we want.

Funny, with this I remembered, our last family reunion was 1987.

As for money, no problem, ask myself for a short loan, buy and sell a few stocks, easy money. I'd ask myself if I wanted some financial advice, but if I know me, and I do, I'd say "No thanks. I got this." I've never wanted a bunch of money. It's more trouble than it's worth.

 
I remember all the cool trends from the 80s. I didn't get to wear any of them, but my sisters wore them all. I also remember all the big news from the mid to late 80's. we had to discuss everything in class. I honestly believe with those memories I could definitely pull off playing psychic and trend setter.

 
Wouldn't try to convince myself to do anything differently. Didn't listen to anyone else then, so probably wouldn't listen to my future self either.

I would be able to hang out with my friend's of the day, so no worries about food and shelter. Seeing those who have passed would be awesome. The music; attending some of the concerts of the musicians active during the mid-80's would be phenomenal. Roy Buchanan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. Too many musicians / bands to list. Chrissy Amphlett would be coming in the 90's. \m/

Lived in Bullhead City, Az, near the Colorado River, maybe would stay there for the duration IF I traveled back to 1985.

 
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Yes, Microsoft AND Apple even back then.

While the then-year me was just one year from graduating in aerospace engineering at Cal Poly, Pomona, I would take the time to write ALL of the songs to U2's Joshua Tree, two years before they released it. Still let U2 record it, but just to get my name on the album credits. ;)

RMT

 
1985? One year before I was born, perfect. It would be hard to find some place to sleep and a source of income at first, but I think I would manage. After settling in somewhere, all I can think of doing is going to meet and learn with today's legends of Jiu-Jitsu. Back in 1985 they weren't this famous and were just easier to access.

Dang! Just to think of this possibility it makes me wanna quit my work and go to the gym right now.

There you go! I would find shelter in a Gracie academy somewhere nearby and live there. Cleaning the gym, learning with the best, living the dream.

 
I think I'd have to go to an 80's arcade and play centipede as well.
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Oh man, I'd love this. I was born in 83, but there were still proper arcades around in the early 90s and I loved hanging out there.There was one I went to a lot in high school out in Portland, Oregon. We're visiting there soon, I'm going to go find out what happened to it!

 
Oh man, I'd love this. I was born in 83, but there were still proper arcades around in the early 90s and I loved hanging out there.There was one I went to a lot in high school out in Portland, Oregon. We're visiting there soon, I'm going to go find out what happened to it!
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The very few "arcades" that exist now have a lot of those money stealers, where you try to grab a toy. There are way too many of those. Also, the only games that seem to remain are driving games and maybe, if you're a lucky, a classic here and there, but nothing like the old days!

 
I think after first losing my mind because of what had just happened to me, I'd quickly assess what I -could- do. I was born in June of 1985, so if I was transported to sometime earlier in the year. I suppose I could do several different things once I was assured there was no way I'd be ever returning to 2015. First, I'd probably make my way to my home city and see if I can get into contact with my family, mostly because at this point I'd be more about survival than about preserving any sort of timeline. Once I've managed to convince my younger parents (who are younger than me at this point...) that I'm really their son from the future with future knowledge and everything, I can at least try to live a semi-normal life.

Firstly by doing what everyone else is doing. Capitalizing on my knowledge of future events for financial gain. I'd use my skills I have now to somehow create a small base of income and start up and invest it in Microsoft, Apple, and early internet companies (such as google) as well as being on the ball on early developed tehcnologies coming out such as the internet and even home media like video games.

From there? I don't know. I guess just experience everything again but from an older perspective and just try to live with the knowledge I have as well as seeing my younger self make all the same mistakes I made when I was a kid.

 
Well for starters, I'd be kind of screwed. How would I get a job? How would I find work? My social security number doesn't even exist yet. I wouldn't know anybody either. I don't really know of any ways a person dislocated in time could get into the system.

That said, if somehow those issues were resolved, I would most likely become a minister of some kind. Right now I'm looking to have a career as a web developer or software engineer. But the kind of stuff I know today isn't going to exist for a couple decades. So I'd be better off doing basic work to help me support myself, then when I've saved up the cash, go to seminary for my other life passion. Then, given my existing knowledge of web development and coding, I could start doing that work when I'm not busy with church-related business.

 
Yeah, a person would definitely need to find a place to live and work. Finding and convincing a relative could be the best bet. If they have no money on them, they can't even stay in a hotel!!!

My Soc. Sec. # would exist. I'd be a teenager at the time.

 
Yeah, a person would definitely need to find a place to live and work. Finding and convincing a relative could be the best bet. If they have no money on them, they can't even stay in a hotel!!!My Soc. Sec. # would exist. I'd be a teenager at the time.
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Mine wouldn't. 1985 is a few years before my time. In fact, my parents were still teenagers at that point.

 
I would invest in the stock market, become the next youtube sensation and make friends with make friends with Mr. Zuckerberg. I would also tell my parents not to feed the "little me" too much cereals and candies. Oh I guess I need to make a living for myself first? Hmmmm I like the idea of living with the legends working at the gym and finding some shelter there as mentioned above. I'll be Manny Pacquio's best buddy and training partner! I'd be careful tho about altering the course of history.

 
become the next youtube sensation
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I was toying with the idea of how I would have created Netflix with something like RealPlayer in the mid 90s... There's all these services that we take for granted now; it's not JUST hardware like cell phones or faster processors.Going back with the consumer mindset we have now, you'd be a force to be reckoned with based on forward thinking ideas alone.

 
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