But in case you’re a newbie,  or maybe a veteran who could use a refresher course, this year an enthusiastic person who identifies himself only as “Ben Mag” enumerates the completely complete, totally total, and extremely complicated [...]]]> Okay kids,  since today is the 3rd annual PYATT Day, most of you already know the drill…

But in case you’re a newbie,  or maybe a veteran who could use a refresher course, this year an enthusiastic person who identifies himself only as “Ben Mag” enumerates the completely complete, totally total, and extremely complicated official instructions for how to observe Pretend You’re A Time Traveler Day :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutWmwMIHTk

If you find that you need to go back to the beginning and can’t fly around the earth fast enough to reverse time a la Superman,  here is Dresden Codak’s original post. 

Have fun, and as always let’s be careful out there.  

~

As you celebrate ,  be sure to remember the intricate rules for observing PYATT Day:

You must spend the entire day in costume and character. The only rule is that you cannot actually [...]]]> Whoah!  Time flies!!  Welcome back from one year ago, PYATTers.  The 2nd annual international Pretend You’re a Time Traveler Day has arrived!

As you celebrate ,  be sure to remember the intricate rules for observing PYATT Day:

You must spend the entire day in costume and character. The only rule is that you cannot actually tell anyone that you are a time traveler. Other than that, anything’s game.

There are three possible options:

Hello Computer!

1) Utopian/cliche Future – “If the Future did a documentary of the last fifty years, this is how badly the reenactors would dress.” Think Star Trek: TNG or the Time Travelers from Hob. Ever see how the society in Futurama sees the 20th century? Run with it. Your job is to dress with moderately anachronistic clothing and speak in slang from varying decades. Here are some good starters:

- Greet people by referring to things that don’t yet exist or haven’t existed for a long time. Example: “Have you penetrated the atmosphere lately?” “What spectrum will today’s broadcast be in?” and “Your king must be a kindly soul!”

- Show extreme ignorance in operating regular technology. Pay phones should be a complete mystery (try placing the receiver in odd places). Chuckle knowingly at cell phones.

~~~

Welcome to Costco I love you.

2) Dystopian Future - This one offers a little more flexibility. It can be any kind of future from Terminator to Freejack. The important thing to remember is dress like a crazy person with armor. Black spray painted football pads, high tech visors, torn up trenchcoats and maybe even some dirt here or there. Remember, dystopian future travelers are very startled that they’ve gone back in time. Some starters:

- If you go the “prisoner who’s escaped the future” try shaving your head and putting a barcode on the back of your neck. Then stagger around and stare at the sky, as if you’ve never seen it before.

- Walk up to random people and say “WHAT YEAR IS THIS?” and when they tell you, get quiet and then say “Then there’s still time!” and run off.

- Stand in front of a statue (any statue, really), fall to your knees, and yell “NOOOOOOOOO”

- Stare at newspaper headlines and look astonished.

- Take some trinket with you (it can be anything really), hand it to some stranger, along with a phone number and say “In thirty years dial this number. You’ll know what to do after that.” Then slip away.

~~~

Go to McDonald’s, order fries, and after eating one say to everyone around you:  “Pommes frites!  Fries are pommes frites!”

3) The Past – This one is more for beginners. Basically dress in period clothing (preferably Victorian era) and stagger around amazed at everything. Since the culture’s set in place already, you have more of a template to work off of. Some pointers:

- Airplanes are terrifying. Also, carry on conversations with televisions for a while.

- Discover and become obsessed with one trivial aspect of technology, like automatic grocery doors. Stay there for hours playing with it.

- Be generally terrified of people who are dressed immodestly compared to your era. Tattoos and shorts on women are especially scary.

Once again, all praise to PYATT Day founder Dresden Codak.

~~~

Have fun, everybody.  Me? I don’t observe PYATT day.  It is December 8th, after all, and as you may know, for me that can only mean one thing.

~

OK, now do it again to get to 2009!

3rd Annual Pretend You’re a Time Traveler Day

~~~~

Hey, forget that lame, tired-ass TLAP crap. It’s so 48 hours ago! Are [...]]]> Calling all PYATTers!  Jump forward exactly one year from this post to join us for  the 2nd Annual Pretend You’re A Time Traveler Day!    

OK, now do it again to get to 2009!

3rd Annual Pretend You’re a Time Traveler Day

~~~~

Hey, forget that lame, tired-ass TLAP crap. It’s so 48 hours ago! Are you ready for Pretend You’re a Time Traveler Day??

These are apparently the official rules, (via Koala Wallop):

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

You must spend the entire day in costume and character. The only rule is that you cannot actually tell anyone that you are a time traveler. Other than that, anything’s game.

There are three possible options:

1) Utopian/cliche Future – “If the Future did a documentary of the last fifty years, this is how badly the reenactors would dress.” Think Star Trek: TNG or the Time Travelers from Hob. Ever see how the society in Futurama sees the 20th century? Run with it. Your job is to dress with moderately anachronistic clothing and speak in slang from varying decades. Here are some good starters:

- Greet people by referring to things that don’t yet exist or haven’t existed for a long time. Example: “Have you penetrated the atmosphere lately?” “What spectrum will today’s broadcast be in?” and “Your king must be a kindly soul!”

- Show extreme ignorance in operating regular technology. Pay phones should be a complete mystery (try placing the receiver in odd places). Chuckle knowingly at cell phones.

2) Dystopian Future – This one offers a little more flexibility. It can be any kind of future from Terminator to Freejack. The important thing to remember is dress like a crazy person with armor. Black spray painted football pads, high tech visors, torn up trenchcoats and maybe even some dirt here or there. Remember, dystopian future travelers are very startled that they’ve gone back in time. Some starters:

- If you go the “prisoner who’s escaped the future” try shaving your head and putting a barcode on the back of your neck. Then stagger around and stare at the sky, as if you’ve never seen it before.

- Walk up to random people and say “WHAT YEAR IS THIS?” and when they tell you, get quiet and then say “Then there’s still time!” and run off.

- Stand in front of a statue (any statue, really), fall to your knees, and yell “NOOOOOOOOO”

- Stare at newspaper headlines and look astonished.

- Take some trinket with you (it can be anything really), hand it to some stranger, along with a phone number and say “In thirty years dial this number. You’ll know what to do after that.” Then slip away.

3) The Past – This one is more for beginners. Basically dress in period clothing (preferably Victorian era) and stagger around amazed at everything. Since the culture’s set in place already, you have more of a template to work off of. Some pointers:

- Airplanes are terrifying. Also, carry on conversations with televisions for a while.

- Discover and become obsessed with one trivial aspect of technology, like automatic grocery doors. Stay there for hours playing with it.

- Be generally terrified of people who are dressed immodestly compared to your era. Tattoos and shorts on women are especially scary.

And that’s it. Remember, the only real rule is staying in character and try to fit in. Never directly admit you’re a time traveler, and make really, really bad attempts at keeping a low profile. Naturally, the dystopian future has a little more leeway. And for the record, I’ve already tried out all of these in real life, in costume. It is so much fun you want to pee yourself.

I’ve set the tentative date for December 8th. Who’s in?

– Dresden Codak at Koala Wallop

(Yeah, I finally found the name of the guy who came up with this idea)

~~~

December 8th? But that’s always Curtiss A John Lennon Tribute Day. Can’t you reschedule? Can’t we get Superman to fly around the earth real fast or sumpthin? Where’s my Delorean? I mean, the one with the flux capacitor? Come on, people, think!

~

UPDATE:  Welcome, Stumble Upon visitors!  Wow, what a lot of traffic for one silly little post.  I have to apologize for the non-working link above (initially when you clicked on the “Time Masheen” picture, it launched a YouTube video snippet from the great, rapidly becoming a cult film IDIOCRACY.  Then the videos were yanked from YouTube — by the studio, probably — and the link doesn’t work anymore.)  Sorry. Just go rent it; you will NOT be sorry.

~