hopelessly devoted to deconstructing popular culture and conventional wisdom, one blog at a time

Published Thursday, May 05, 2005 by seanlmccarthy | E-mail this post

PARTYING LIKE IT'S 2999: If you're reading this from the future, and want to have a blast in the past, then circle Saturday (that's May 7, 2005) on your calendar.
Amal K. Dorai is throwing a party for you.
He'll host the first and only Time Traveler Convention - you don't need more than one - from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday in the East Campus Courtyard of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
For readers from a future without street signs, head for these coordinates: 42:21:36.025 degrees North, 71:05:16.332 degrees West.
Dorai, wrapping up a combined bachelor's-master's program in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, didn't think his convention would attract much interest. ``I was thinking we were going to get five or 10 people from the Boston area who are interested in time travel to come to our dorm and hang out with us,'' he said.
Instead, Internet linking by heavily viewed sites such as Slashdot and BoingBoing has prompted hundreds of e-mails his way.
"I think it's a paradoxtastic plan!'' wrote BoingBoing's David Pescovitz.
Dorai admits that all his partiers are likely to come from the present day. "They shouldn't expect a time traveler, because the chances of that are very small,'' he said. "But I don't think it's zero.''
All it would take is one initial visitor from, say 2525. Then, he or she could spread the word and soon the time machine would be packed with folks who want a look at Cambridge, circa 2005. Dorai hopes any time travelers bring proof - "things like a cure for AIDS or cancer, a solution for global poverty would be particularly convincing as well as greatly appreciated.''
Events include lectures and bands whose repertoire includes time-related songs (The Hong Kong Regulars, Offwhite Noise, Quick Like Fox).
Still, what if this convention turns out to be a waste of time?
"It's just one day,'' Dorai said.
Only that's time you can't get back. Or can you?

My story: Time travelers ready to party: That was fun this Saturday (Boston Herald)
Time Travelers Convention: Dorai's home page.