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This cute little article about time reminds me of a very bad joke.
Put on your imagination cap.
A man named Stein robbed a bank of $1,000,000 in 1985. He placed the money in US Treasuries at 16% per year and then stepped into a time machine that he had borrowed from an elf. (The elf is not really part of the story, but I had to have a source for the time machine and I am fond of elves.) Stein came out of the time machine in 1992, sold the treasuries for approximately $4,000,000 gave the bank $2 million for their original loss + interest, and turned himself in. At the trial he claimed that he could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had run out.
The judge agreed in a one line decision: "an itch in time saves Stein".
I apologize.
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Tuesday, July 19, 2011
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Yes, an apology is appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI think this is the 1st example I have seen with time (statute of limitations) being the subject of time travel. Something of a nested anomaly and a welcome change from the "I killed my father before I was born scenario". I know this is a joke, but we can still have some fun with it.
The judge clearly ruled on the time elapsed for the non-time travelers. I would argue that the time elapsed for the time traveler (which could be minutes) is an equally valid measure of time for purposes of establishing the statue of limitations and that the judge’s ruling would result in an unjust enrichment.
For establishing the statue of limitations I see the interest issue as a canard. However, who the interest belongs to, regardless of which way the judge rules, is a very interesting question.