08/02/2018

Orange Time Capsule

I decided to create a time capsule just for fun. An easy, kindergarten level but pending little project I had in mind for so long. However it quickly became a huge and complex task when I went in deep. Fascinating anyways.

DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2017

A lot of questions appeared, most of them of high relevance:

What’s the main goal of a time capsule?
Where and how should it be stored?
How many years? 10, 50, 100, 10000 years? 
How to know if someone has acceded to the capsule?
How to prevent someone to open the box early?
Is a ritual required?
Should the capsule be announced in public? Or maybe is it a secret?
Who will be named a guardians?
Should I create a treasure map?
And, of course, what to include inside?

Each questions opens the door to hours of thinking. I will write about some ideas behind each one.

What’s the main goal of a time capsule?  
I reached the conclusion the most important use of a time capsule is to establish a communication with the future, probably with someone who hasn’t been born today. This is a superpower! Other tasks are the possibility to transcend or a way to keep some of the creations in time. Everything will be dust at the end, but before the end hopefully something remains. There is the risk some person found the capsule and it’s not interesting to his eyes so he could discard it. What a lost. Due to this reason it’s necessary to create a cute, full of quality and valuable box in order the future owner to fall in love with it. An award inside for him also will help.

Where and how should it be stored?
Since there is not a 100% safe place maybe the optimum place to locate the capsule could be in the space, orbiting for ever and ever. This option could be really complex to develop so I discarded it (by now). Underground is the most typical way to store a treasure since it’s safe from fire and the location is almost impossible to find due to the huge quantity of ground in the planet. However it’s exposed to rain which destroys everything unless a proper structure is built. Keeping it inside a house is other option. I will not say which one to avoid the vulnerability this information brings.

How many years? 10, 50, 100, 10000 years?
Let’s fix the date in 200 years ahead: 2217. Number or years drives the materials chosen for the capsule. Wood will not last too much. Plastic could keep water away but it will degrade with time. Metal will face corrosion problems sooner or later. Maybe glass is the best solution.

How to know if someone has accessed the capsule?
Setting a trap inside the box will alert is the capsule has been opened. But how to know it even without checking the box? I found a solution, at least while there is someone alive to do the check.

How to prevent someone from opening the box early?
Informing there is an award inside available only if the capsule is opened at the right time. Otherwise, if capsule is opened early a spell will attack that person for, let’s say, 5 years of bad luck. This scares a lot and definitely it works.

Is a ritual required?

Oh, definitely!

Should the capsule be announced in public? Or maybe is it a secret?

I think it will be a pity if the capsule survives for years but nobody notices it. So when announcing the capsule has been created at least some people will know it exists and it’s somewhere.

Should a guardians be named?

Yes, and they will have the responsibility to know the capsule exists. They will be notified by email. If you are reading this, you are also a guardian of my little capsule.

Should I create a treasure map?

A treasure map is as important as the capsule itself, unless the map points to a place which is not accesible. A treasure map map is also good as a backup.

And, of course, what to include inside?

Be sure it includes surprises.

Even it the capsule never become real, which is not the case now, the theoretical exercise to think about these questions is worth. I enjoyed the process a lot.

One more question: Who knows where my little orange time capsule will end from now on?

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