John Titor - Man from the future?

[mgdwcb]

I caught a few minutes on a radio programme here in the UK about this man who supposedly came back in a `time machine?' from the year 2036, and was born just a few years ago (so he'd be about 6 years old by now!). He warned of a World war (of course) and a civil war in the USA. But now he's apparently gone back `home'.

Has anyone done any research on him? Has anayone owned up to starting the hoax?

Sounds like the script of `The Terminator' to me. I suppose kids with the surname `Titor' in the US will be looking over their shoulders for a robot!

[AnotherSillyAlias]

I don't know anything about him but you could begin your quest here:

http://www.answers.com/topic/john-titor

[JLam]

He claimed Y2K was going to be a disaster, then, when it wasn't, he said that he intervened and saved the world.

Yep.

He Saved. The World.

And he said that he visited his infant self, which as Doc Brown will tell you, is a recipe for disaster. Didn't anyone teach him how to use his Flux Capacitor?

Just another ignorant jackass. Move along folks, nothing to see here.

[The Don]

Titor ye not

[Azrael 5]

Titor ye not

Oooh..missus!! :D

[JJEagan]

I love this picture.

[Morris Cod]

Ooooooooooo......Nay, Nay and thrice Nay!

[teacher]

What is it? A fishing rod or dowsing rod? It's too dark or blured to see anything. You didn't explain it.

[AnotherSillyAlias]

What is it? A fishing rod or dowsing rod? It's too dark or blured to see anything. You didn't explain it.

It's a picture from inside his time machine showing a laser beam eing bent by the super heavy gravity outside the window.


Anyone want to buy a bridge?

[The Don]

It's a picture from inside his time machine showing a laser beam eing bent by the super heavy gravity outside the window.
You'd imagine that anyone subjected to those kinds of forces would end up squished.

[force_redo]

What is it? A fishing rod or dowsing rod?

A fake, I'd say.
1.) There seems to be a cable running over the back of his left hand
2.) If it was a red laser in fog/mist/smoke, there wouldn't be grey (non-red) parts of the beam. Where you can see the beam it would be red, where you can't, you can't. This "beam" is partly grey.
3.) Less interesting, but still: Who took this picture? Where there two of them travelling?
It's either one of these:
http://www.pomerin.de/images/medium/licht-lichtschlange.jpg
Or a very dodgy photoshop work...

FR

[Morrison's Lament]

I spent many hours talking to people about this, I find it amazing how many otherwise skeptical people are willing to believe in that outrageous hoax, but I suppose parts of it are written in a compelling (if inaccurate) manner that drives the narratives and makes you curious for more. At some point while reading people forget it's fiction, perhaps?

Anyway, a fun distraction for a while was to revisit old threads on boards where I used to post to check up on the Titor believers. No matter what the latest major event that hadn't materialized (such as the election dispute and subsequent civil war business) - they always had excuses.

By far my favorite prediction is the "Waco-type events" that will happen approximately once a month after the post-election fecal matter hit the fan. Whenever something strange happens and I spot a Titor fan in the thread I can't help but going: "Yet another Waco-type event!"

--- G.

p.s. suffice to say the Waco-style event was originally interpreted as a series of religious cult siege situations, but has since become a catch-all term for any major media event, hence the mockery.

p.p.s. oh, and thanks for not mentioning anything about 9-11, John, while going into great detail about future shotgun militias battling liberal commies in the Midwest

[Marc L]

I actually first heard about Titor from this site. I've been doing a little reading on him (this sort of thing fascinates me) in the last couple of days and came up with this site:

http://www.revelation13.net/KingJames14a.html

which supposedly uses the "Bible code" to tell if John's really from the future. They go through the Old Testament, and there's some nice areas where they seem to say that he is in fact from the future. Then they get this:



The next Old Testament matrix, with Row Splitting off, is at 2 Kings 5:10 - 1 Chronicles 16:40, and it contains:
-- JTITOR (ELS = 12737)

Ready for this? The result is:

CONMAN

Oh yeah. I'm convinced.

Marc

[Morrison's Lament]

Didn't someone track down the folks that wrote all that crap through the money trail from the books and find out that they were connected to a forum where a lot of the stuff was posted and then as a clincher that Titor's supposed mother was an associate of theirs?

I remember seeing a site with such a claim and lots of evidence but I can't for the life of me re-google it :(

--- G.

[Libertarian]

Good lord. All those predictions about wars, riots, etc. If he was really trying to prove his authenticity, all he had to do was simply tell us any one of a hundred different specific things. For example, what will the Dow Jones close at on, say, January 1, 2003?

[TobiasTheViking]

Good lord. All those predictions about wars, riots, etc. If he was really trying to prove his authenticity, all he had to do was simply tell us any one of a hundred different specific things. For example, what will the Dow Jones close at on, say, January 1, 2003?
He couldn't do that, because, you see, this reality isn't 100% like his reality, for instance, from the timeline he came y2k happened.

*gah*

Well, that is his excuse anyways.

[FramerDave]

They built a time machine from a Corvette?

Um, yeah, if the force of gravity was enough to bend light, then wouldn't anyone nearby be subject to enough force that they would be squished flat? Or at the very least, not be able to hold their arm up like that?

[AnotherSillyAlias]

They built a time machine from a Corvette?

Um, yeah, if the force of gravity was enough to bend light, then wouldn't anyone nearby be subject to enough force that they would be squished flat? Or at the very least, not be able to hold their arm up like that?

Obviously you don't know much about time machines. They replace the glass with special stuff that negates any excessive gravity.

[Tony]

They built a time machine from a Corvette?


"If you're goint to built a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style?"

[Starthinker]

I have a comment after reading all this...So you have the technology to build a time machine, you can traverse time itself, you can meet Jesus or see the pyramids being built, but you can't emulate some code from an old computer and then of all the wonderous things you can do the thing you chose to do is go back to retrieve an old computer? If computers are so out of whack in the future that you have to go back in time to fix it, how did you build the time machine? None of these computers survived in someone's attic?

Apart from the rediculesness of the whole story, the whole reason for the trip back in time is loony to start with.

[Nucular]

Clever hoax though. Takes a bit more thought than “I can read minds, pick a card” anyway.

It’s fun, because it’s science fiction, with the added edge that some souls, however lamentably, actually believe it – that’s the attraction, to me, of Velikovsky, von Däniken, Hoagland, et al. It helps you suspend your disbelief.

I seem to a remember a Fortean Times a couple of years ago that included an article on a guy who was claiming the opposite – that he was a seventeenth century French scientist who had been following a semi-mystical formula for time-travel, and it had worked, and he had ended up disoriented in modern France. His main trick seemed to be walking around in period costume, but the premise, if not the execution, was almost Verne-worthy.

[Morrison's Lament]

It's always fun to stop shaving for a couple of days, put on futuristic overalls, mess up your hair and head downtown with a crazed look in your eyes asking passers-by what year it is. Star Trek toys clipped to a simple belt complete the effect, or just carry some weird electronics and pretend to scan.

Oh, and if someone tells you the correct date, always respond with the following: "NO! No, that CAN'T BE!! Who is Emperor?!"

--- G.

[Euromutt]

"If you're goint to built a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style?"I repeat FramerDave's question, albeit it possibly with different emphasis: "They built a time machine from a Corvette?"

[Marc L]

Clever hoax though. Takes a bit more thought than “I can read minds, pick a card” anyway.

I seem to a remember a Fortean Times a couple of years ago that included an article on a guy who was claiming the opposite – that he was a seventeenth century French scientist who had been following a semi-mystical formula for time-travel, and it had worked, and he had ended up disoriented in modern France. His main trick seemed to be walking around in period costume, but the premise, if not the execution, was almost Verne-worthy.

This is the perfect time to reveal that I too, am a time traveller from the past-specifically the year 1974. I have proof and everything.

Marc

[Starthinker]

I love this picture.

Just two of my observations. Nothing in that picture is the interior of a 70's Corvette and it looks like he's holding a cigar in one hand.

[force_redo]

and it looks like he's holding a cigar in one hand.

Otherwise you wouldn't see that "laser beam", would you?

FR

[Starrman]

Obviously you don't know much about time machines. They replace the glass with special stuff that negates any excessive gravity.

It negates the gravity for everything except friggin' laaasers.

[Starthinker]

Otherwise you wouldn't see that "laser beam", would you?

FR

Okay, so he blows smoke to show the laser inside the car, but he rolled down the window to blow smoke outside so that the laser would show up outside then wouldn't the extreme gravity pull it down faster than the light? If he rolled down the window at all wouldn't his face get sucked off?

By the way, I'm not trying to prove anything, I'm making fun of an already funny situation. You really can't take this story seriously.

[Nucular]

This is the perfect time to reveal that I too, am a time traveller from the past-specifically the year 1974. I have proof and everything.

Sir, your apparent disorientation and the likelihood that you arrived at this thread via a search on "'70s Corvette" are proof enough for me.

Welcome to our brave new world.

There have been many wonderful changes since your day. Computers are now so big they are housed in 'towers'. Uri Geller, famous in your world, is now an unemployed soccer coach. The clothes you wore in the 70s went out of fashion, but have now come back in on the proviso that you wear them "ironically" (which I assume you did back then anyway).

That is all.

[JPK]

Good morning.

I also have the ability to travel time. I have been doing so since 1966. I tend to move at a rate of 1 hour per hour. (Give or take a little) Your milage may vary.
JPK

[force_redo]

Okay, so he blows smoke to show the laser inside the car, but he rolled down the window to blow smoke outside so that the laser would show up outside then wouldn't the extreme gravity pull it down faster than the light?

Good point. Maybe the window isn't rolled down and it's just very smokey outside because of the... because of... errm... gravity?! Yes, that's it. Gravitational mist! It's all the dust from outer space being sucked down... :boggled:

If he rolled down the window at all wouldn't his face get sucked off?

There's very little evidence in the picture that his face has not been sucked off yet. ;)

By the way, I'm not trying to prove anything, I'm making fun of an already funny situation. You really can't take this story seriously.
Nothing wrong with some skeptical sparring...

However, I sort of admire the attention for detail this guy shows. I mean, obviously you can't get such a story waterproof, but I think I wouldn't have thought to put a cigar in there. And from what I gather, his science explainations are quite good, too. (Albeit wrong)

I found myself often reasoning about how to make up the ultimate paranormal internet hoax, but I'm just not creative enough. I think this guy came quite close. I think one of the guidlines I would adhere though is: Never show a picture.

FR

[AnotherSillyAlias]

I think one of the guidlines I would adhere though is: Never show a picture.

FR

Not unless you were extremely good with photoshop, at least.

[Starthinker]

Okay, having worked with cameras my whole life I was doing a thought experiment. If the gravity outside was so heavy that it bends the light from the laser it would also bend the light as it came back in. The red line is the laser light bouncing off SOMETHING, then it makes a return trip back into "normal" gravity inside the, ahem, car. Again, I can picture this clearly in my head but it's hard to explain. It wouldn't look like a "bent" beam of light, it would angle due to the return path, sort of like placing a pencil in a glass of water and it looks like it's cut in half. Hence, the light goes outside, bends, bounces off something, bends on the return, then is straight again inside the car. Maybe some physisistss can explain this better. I may not be explaining it right but I can sure picture the path of the light in my head.

[money]

I keep waiting for Rodney to show up and champion this Titor guy... no luck yet...

[AnotherSillyAlias]

I keep waiting for Rodney to show up and champion this Titor guy... no luck yet...

He's still trying to work out how they did it with kites.

[AnotherSillyAlias]

You know, I was just thinking, it's a pity kilik is not around any more. I'm sure he's have a theory that this Titor guy was an Atlantean. Wait, not as silly as it sounds. You see, the Atlanteans had time machines and, when their island sank below the waves, they all transported themselves into the future. I haven't figured out how the Qi energy was used yet, but I'm working on it.

[Morrison's Lament]

Don't be ridiculous. Time travel doesn't drain Qi, it just realigns it's energy matrix.

--- G.

[Marc L]

Sir, your apparent disorientation and the likelihood that you arrived at this thread via a search on "'70s Corvette" are proof enough for me.

Welcome to our brave new world.

There have been many wonderful changes since your day. Computers are now so big they are housed in 'towers'. Uri Geller, famous in your world, is now an unemployed soccer coach. The clothes you wore in the 70s went out of fashion, but have now come back in on the proviso that you wear them "ironically" (which I assume you did back then anyway).

That is all.

LOL! Actually I was referring to the time travel method of 1 hr per 1hr as someone else mentioned. My proof is my birth certificate, and testimony from my mother, who claims she was there at the time...

Marc

[Nucular]

LOL! Actually I was referring to the time travel method of 1 hr per 1hr as someone else mentioned. My proof is my birth certificate, and testimony from my mother, who claims she was there at the time...

Marc
Ah, I see - well in that case you probably shouldn't wear your clothes from that time, ironically or otherwise, other than in certain fetish bars.

[Kell]

It’s fun, because it’s science fiction, with the added edge that some souls, however lamentably, actually believe it

That's what I thought. Browsing the guy's webpage and reading some of the information about the 'future', the whole thing strikes me as being a sort of interactive cyberpunk novel. Like an ad hoc RPG where Titor is the GM and all the believers are playing the game.

"They built a time machine from a Corvette?"

Presumably Deloreans are harder to come by in 2036...

[luchog]

Presumably Deloreans are harder to come by in 2036...
They're hard enough to come by now. And I'm sure as h3ll not building a time machine in my beat-up Aerostar. I doubt that thing could even get up to 88mph.