Time travellers shun party

We've seen the films, in which intrepid cool cats get to time travel. The films are usually fun filled and full of, well, nonsense. Where would you go if you could time travel? What would you do? Many would visit fascinating eras they have read about, or some would think of financial gain, revisiting the past to play the lotto. How about visiting to a memorial service?

Organisers of Prof Stephen Hawking's memorial service have seemingly left the door open for time travellers to attend. Those wishing to honour the late theoretical physicist, who died in March aged 76, can apply via public ballot. Applicants wishing to apply are required to give their date of birth - which can be any day up to 31 December 2038. Prof Hawking's foundation said the possibility of time travel had not been disproven and could not be excluded.

It was a London travel blogger chap who noticed that those born from 2019 to 2038 were theoretically permitted to attend the service at Westminster Abbey. He said: "Professor Hawking once threw a party for time travellers, to see if any would turn up if he posted the invite after the party. None did, but it seems perfect that the memorial website allows people born in the future to attend the service." (Yeah, don't hold your breath).

After the surprising failure of the "the traveller party," held in June 2009, Prof Hawking angrily remarked that the fact that no-one turned up was "experimental evidence that time travel is not possible." He's probably right, however, if time travelling is indeed possible - why would exponents of it waste their time machine (or DeLorean) to go to a geeky party - or memorial service. If that's what they are using time machines for - then frankly they don't deserve the privilege. Perhaps Stevie Hawking's was in a huff because of the amount of money he had spent on party hats, sausage on sticks and scientific goody bags.

Within 24 hours of the opening of the ballot for the thanksgiving service, to be held on 15 June, about 12,000 people from more than 50 countries had applied for tickets. While all applicants appear to be from present day, a bespectacled spokesman for the Stephen Hawking Foundation said: "We cannot exclude the possibility of time travel as it has not been disproven to our satisfaction." He further added, grumpily: "All things are possible until proven otherwise!"

Perhaps he had helped arrange the earlier time travellers party.

Demola, TCC