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eBay in sensational Back to the Future coupon deal

Time travellers click here for free cash

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We're delighted to announce today that the world's favourite tat bazaar is offering members of its eBay Extra programme free cash to spend on purchases in the form of a "coupon", although the offer is evidently open to those in possession of a fully functioning time machine or lucky enough to live near a time-shifting wormhole:

eBay's coupon T&Cs showing expiry date of 1 Jan 1970

Sadly, of course, once you get back to 1970 to redeem your coupon, you'll find that eBay has not yet come into existence, which in itself suggests the coupon cannot exist or, more alarmingly, that eBay will in the future master time travel and nip back and actually create itself on 1 January 1970, meaning that at some unspecified time humanity will suddenly become aware that eBay has been around for more than 30 years and that the racing bike you got for your eleventh birthday was not actually bought in the local High Street, but rather from a bloke in Huddersfield using an eBay Extra coupon. ®

Bootnote

Thanks to Shaun Burnett for the tip.

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Latest Comments

@Steven Knox

and then David Gerrold took the concept to the logical conclusion in "The Man Who Folded Himself", considered by many to be the quintessential time travel tale.

The same David Gerrold, by the way, who took Heinlein's Martian Flat Cats and turned them into the Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".

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@Ben Cross

Thanks for that, but I missed you posting - what time does it say *now*?

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Hollywood's version

I think it's funny how Hollywood's version of a "Time Machine" does not involve any real thought. Let's all for a moment ignore the fact that time and space are indeed connected and that you can't make a time machine out of ordinary household goods (minus the radioactive bits stolen from the commies). Let's say I jump in my shinny new time machine and go back 50 years. Hollywood's version of a Time Machine is convenient in that they not only control time, but can move me through vast distances too! 50 years ago, the Universe, Galaxy, Solar System, Planet, Continent, and soil have all moved from there present locations... we are in a constant state of motion! If I jumped back 50 years... I most likely would be in a void of space FAR from where I started... so much for that. I would spend all of my time trying to figure out where the hell I am, the crazy thing is... that is the easiest problem to overcome. It makes for nice Sci-Fi though.

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