Author Topic: EP Flash: Grandpa?  (Read 10251 times)

Heradel

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on: April 06, 2009, 05:49:34 PM
EP Flash: Grandpa?

By Edward M Lerner
Read by Ben Phillips

The lecture hall was pleasantly warm. Behind Prof. Thaddeus Fitch, busily writing on the chalkboard, pencils scratched earnestly in spiral notebooks, fluorescent lights hummed, feet shuffled. A Beach Boys tune wafted in through open windows from the quad. “And so,” he continued, “travel backwards in time would violate causality, and hence appears to be impossible.” He turned to face the class. “The problem is most commonly illustrated with the ‘Grandfather Paradox.’

Rated PG for paradoxical violence.

Be sure to check out Mr. Lerner’s new book, FOOL’S EXPERIENCE.

« Last Edit: September 15, 2009, 09:40:15 PM by Russell Nash »

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Listener

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Reply #1 on: April 07, 2009, 12:53:01 PM
I kind of expected Grandpa to shoot the guy on the third beat. But this ending was satisfying too. Good stuff.

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Boggled Coriander

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Reply #2 on: April 07, 2009, 01:57:36 PM
I liked it a lot, although I still think Futurama did the best variation on this particular theme.

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contra

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Reply #3 on: April 07, 2009, 10:37:37 PM
I liked it.   Simple.

Though since I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of going back in time just to test the grandfather paradox, I wonder what he does in the future...
Or does the invent of time travel cause unspoken horrors that deserve to get him killed....


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MacArthurBug

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Reply #4 on: April 08, 2009, 08:36:37 PM
Cute litle story, but I didn't love it as found it slightly predictable.

I'm going to side with one of my favorite authors on this topic:
Why Grandpa? If you're going to travel in time to kill a relitive why not Grandma, after all you've a better chance of not being wrong..
« Last Edit: April 08, 2009, 08:39:54 PM by MacArthurBug »

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birdless

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Reply #5 on: April 10, 2009, 02:43:26 AM
I enjoyed it! I liked the conciseness of it.



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Reply #6 on: April 10, 2009, 01:01:11 PM
So the question that I think we really should be asking is this:

Is Grandson1 the same person as Grandson3?  Or does he create a time loop in which there are now N+1 Grandsons testing the paradox?  Obviously there have to be alternate timelines.  Grandpa wouldn't decide not to have children without the visit from Grandson, so isn't that in itself disproving the theory?



RKG

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Reply #7 on: April 10, 2009, 01:27:15 PM
...or maybe grandma was one of the students who was traumatized by the shootings and sought comfort with the prof? 

C'mon, my ending has the dual advantages of being ironic AND cliched. :-)


rkg  101010


Yargling

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Reply #8 on: April 10, 2009, 08:30:06 PM
I liked it.   Simple.

Though since I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of going back in time just to test the grandfather paradox, I wonder what he does in the future...
Or does the invent of time travel cause unspoken horrors that deserve to get him killed....



Or, was he writing a paper on time-travel paradoxes and wanted to make a point ;)



Arion

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Reply #9 on: April 13, 2009, 06:43:36 AM
I liked it a lot, although I still think Futurama did the best variation on this particular theme.

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I did the nasty in the pastee



Loz

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Reply #10 on: April 22, 2009, 10:22:54 AM
A fun little story, but can Grandpa escape the paradox of not having children in order to have grandchildren that would travel back in time to try and kill him? Are they trying to kill him because they found out he tried to stop them existing?  ;D



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Reply #11 on: April 22, 2009, 03:17:38 PM
A fun little story, but can Grandpa escape the paradox of not having children in order to have grandchildren that would travel back in time to try and kill him? Are they trying to kill him because they found out he tried to stop them existing?  ;D

Win!


Kevin David Anderson

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Reply #12 on: April 24, 2009, 05:56:47 AM
Well done.  Best flash peice in a while. 


600south

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Reply #13 on: April 24, 2009, 11:13:51 AM
I'm going to side with one of my favorite authors on this topic:
Why Grandpa? If you're going to travel in time to kill a relitive why not Grandma, after all you've a better chance of not being wrong..

And she'd put up less of a fight.

Cute story. A bit disposable but then, it was a flash piece.



Loz

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Reply #14 on: April 24, 2009, 02:32:23 PM
I'm going to side with one of my favorite authors on this topic:
Why Grandpa? If you're going to travel in time to kill a relitive why not Grandma, after all you've a better chance of not being wrong..

And she'd put up less of a fight.

You never met my Nan...



DKT

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Reply #15 on: April 24, 2009, 04:15:56 PM
I'm going to side with one of my favorite authors on this topic:
Why Grandpa? If you're going to travel in time to kill a relitive why not Grandma, after all you've a better chance of not being wrong..

And she'd put up less of a fight.

You never met my Nan...

That's what I was thinking...


Unblinking

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Reply #16 on: February 01, 2010, 05:38:54 PM
Fun time travel story, but if I take the ending at face value, inconsistent.  Every attempt on his life before was prevented "magically" by intervention of some invisible force to prevent a paradox.  So, there's some time daemon watching over and ensuring the sanctity of the timeline, I guess?  Wouldn't that also mean that if he did manage to not have children, he would be causing a paradox.  So the same time daemon's going to jump in and prevent that change as well--how is not exactly clear, maybe artificial insemination?  Or love potion?  Either that or his decision means nothing, and he ends up procreating anyway.

Either way, there will be more attempts on his life, despite his decision.