# The Frozen Hypothetical - What is your schedule? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 23, 2024, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245 "2024-03-23T12:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/21 "2024-03-24T11:34:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Does rain fall? Do birds fly and sing? Waves crash and break? No, no, and no. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > What if the frozen people are driving a car or sit on a moving train or plane? Would the car keep going straight into the next obstacle? No, it would freeze. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Would the dead man switch stop the train, but not the plane? No need for the switch, both the train and plane freeze. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > If the frozen person happened to be walking when freezing and had one foot in the air just then, would they topple over? No, they would freeze mid-step. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > what happens to the momentum they had, does it continue seamlessly when they unfreeze, or will they stumble then? Continues. No stumbling. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > If a frozen person is about to sip from a freshly brewed espresso cup, will the espresso be cold when he unfreezes? Ok, I had not thought of this. Let’s say the beverage remains hot. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Does radioactivity continue, in particular in nuclear reactors, specially in nuclear reactors on submarines and aircraft carrieres? Nope, freezes. > [@Shalmanese](#): > > Can my choice be “decide whether to rob a bank this week” or “decide between robbing a bank or reading a book”? No. You are committed to your Wednesday (for example) activity for 52 Wednesdays, until you re-up. I guess the bottom line is this: Nobody who has been frozen (which is actually everybody except you) will know that the world has stopped for an hour. Everything goes on as before (this is what guided my hot or cold espresso answer). Unless, of course, you do something to change that. So, if you decide to play a prank on someone every Friday at 7 am, Louise may come out of her frozen state to find her shoes are on the wrong feet, but she will have no idea how that happened. She certainly will not know that time had stopped for an hour. mmm ETA: OK, now I’m considering changing one of my days to Play a Harmless Prank day. I’d love to see the look on Louise’s face when she starts feeling her toes pinching. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/22 "2024-03-24T11:43:44Z")
Monday - Snoop on Capital Hill\* Tuesday - Leave notes for politicians\*\* Wednesday - Online learning Thursday - “Shopping” in New York\*\*\* Friday - “Shopping” in New York\*\*\* Saturday - Check on \_\_\_\_\_ and do something kind for her.\*\*\*\* Sunday - Check on \_\_\_\_\_ and do something mean to him.\*\*\*\* .\* It’s actually not a whole lot of time to do this. But I do think there may be some things I want to find out before my next day’s activities. \*\*The politicians whose behavior I’d most like to modify tend to be quite superstitious people. I think suddenly finding a well-written note in his/her hand might move the needle here and there and affect a few important tipping points. \*\*\*I figure I need a really big city, far from where I live but easy to get to. A place where the pain would be well spread out if I get an item here and there, but I can still go home with everything that I might need. \*\*\*\*Trust me, they have both earned it. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/23 "2024-03-24T11:50:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’d love to see the look on Louise’s face when she starts feeling her toes pinching. Ah, but if you’re smart you’ll never be there to see the outcome. That’s the rub. I think I want to change one of my “shopping” days to “Rob a drug dealer” day. I’ll want some actual cash. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/24 "2024-03-24T12:16:50Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > “Rob a drug dealer” day This is absolutely brilliant. I’m glad you clued me into it before New Year’s Eve! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/25 "2024-03-24T12:20:20Z")
That is a mighty djinn that can stop radiation and suspend the momentum of masses! I am not sure I would like to mess with it, but am still tempted to ask: suppose I choose reading for mondays, so come the scheduled time, I take a book and… don’t read. I just stare at the page number, or count the number of vowels starting at the bottom. What will the djinn do? Same if I choose “taking a walk” but just stay at home for the hour, looking out the window. Another thing: Objects freeze, then resume their movement after an hour. Granting that the air around us is an object but lets me through nonetheless as I could not breathe otherwise: what happens when it rains? If the raindrops freeze mid-air, can I walk through them or will I get pierced? If I walk through them: will there be a “tunnel” in the floating rain with my silhouette as boundary? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/26 "2024-03-24T12:31:35Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > [@Mangetout](#): > > > > Does rain fall? Do birds fly and sing? Waves crash and break? > > No, no, and no. 😢 This hypothetical just got a low less interesting to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/27 "2024-03-24T12:32:15Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > No, no, and no. Hmm. OK. I guess I’m going to spend the time reading ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/28 "2024-03-24T12:46:14Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > suppose I choose reading for mondays, so come the scheduled time, I take a book and… don’t read. I guess we should say you can perform your chosen activity or do nothing at all - sit quietly, perhaps daydream or meditate if you like. But no picking up a book on Prank Day; no learning French on Practicing Horseshoes Day. If you break this rule you get a Mod Note. Break it a second time, that’s a warning. Third time means you lose your hour until December 31, at which point you get a clean slate. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Objects freeze, then resume their movement after an hour. Granting that the air around us is an object but lets me through nonetheless as I could not breathe otherwise: what happens when it rains? If the raindrops freeze mid-air, can I walk through them or will I get pierced? If I walk through them: will there be a “tunnel” in the floating rain with my silhouette as boundary? I think you would brush away the frozen raindrops as you walk through them and there would be a tunnel of space - minus rain drops - where you walked. This would be consistent with the idea that anything you disturb remains disturbed. Oh yeah, sorry about the birds not chirping. They’ll be back in less than an hour. mmm ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/29 "2024-03-24T13:32:37Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > ETA: Oh wait, I think I get it now. When I read “the money vanishes”, I interpreted that as the money vanishes from the bank because you now have it. Not that it vanishes into thin air. Exactly. I didn’t phrase it quite clearly enough. I’m still confused about the rules though. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > You must pre-select how you will spend each of the seven hours of your week How much wiggle room is there? For example, you said you don’t have to play the same thing every time on the piano, so obviously there is _some_. But suppose on piano day you say: I don’t feel like playing today, I think I’ll rob a bank instead? To whom do you have to report your selection? And who enforces it? Is there some sort of meta-temporal supercop in charge of this? And now that opens the can of questions: why is this happening? Is it the result of - a supernatural entity? - backwash from the quantum drive of an alien spaceship passing by? or - we are actually in a simulation and there is a bug in the code? - or…? I’m one of those irritating people who want my fantasy & SF to be at least logically consistent… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/30 "2024-03-24T13:43:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I get nothing from napping. After an hour nap, I’d wake up irritable, confused, and tired. The same. I hate naps. I’d probably make myself learn guitar. I keep having false starts on that and have to start over from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/31 "2024-03-24T14:22:11Z")
OK, fine, if I don’t have to do it, but can daydream the hour away, I would schedule it like this: Monday, 17:00 - 18:00: murder Tuesday, 17:00 - 18:00: nosing around forbidden places (archives, firms, the Chancellery…) with a camera Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 17:00 - 18:00: shop lifting & stealing Saturday 17:00 - 18:00: pranks and dadaistic happenings Sunday: 17:00 - 18:00: graffiti, including in the most well secured venues. I would drive to the place in question and park the car any way I want very close by at 16:59:55, open the trunk, and go about my business. Come back at 17:59:00 at the latest, close the trunk and drive away insconspicuously at the strike of 18:00. Of course I would need a reliable watch that does not freeze. I still believe the premises are not thought through, as some objects, like the air, are treated differently from others, like the rain in the air. But I can live with that. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/32 "2024-03-24T14:36:02Z")
Monday: Craft/art/making things Tuesday: Reading Wednesday: Household maintenance (cleaning, filing, bill paying, etc.) Thursday: Language study Friday: Reading Saturday: Reading Sunday: Music Chosen time: 8 pm While it’s fun to fantasize using my hour for mischief or superhero-type antics I know I’m not that person. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/33 "2024-03-24T15:21:05Z")
I’m a little worried about a “Monkey’s Paw” effect, where my seemingly innocent desires/activities invariably lead to a bad outcome, so I’d probably use 3-1/2 hours to read and 3-1/2 hours on musical instrument learning. However, I’d be strongly tempted to devote a day each week to messing with Trump. Assuming the Magic Genie running this operation requires greater specificity, I guess I’d say “make it appear that someone who works for Trump has screwed up royally” so that his circle of flunkies dwindled to zero as he fired each one during the inevitable temper tantrums he would have. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/34 "2024-03-24T15:28:04Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > But suppose on piano day you say: I don’t feel like playing today, I think I’ll rob a bank instead? Don’t even try that, buster; it’ll get you, at the very least, a mod note. > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > To whom do you have to report your selection? You first post your choices in this thread. Then, on New Year’s Eve, you write them down on a Post-It note, fold it in two, and wear it in your underwear for one week. > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Is there some sort of meta-temporal supercop in charge of this? This part will remain a mystery to us all. > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > - a supernatural entity? > - backwash from the quantum drive of an alien spaceship passing by? or > - we are actually in a simulation and there is a bug in the code? A bug in the code. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/35 "2024-03-24T15:30:16Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > However, I’d be strongly tempted to devote a day each week to messing with Trump. Could you please do something with his hair? mmm ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/36 "2024-03-24T15:54:27Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > A bug in the code. I thought as much. OK, as a systems programmer: - monday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox - tuesday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox - wednesday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox - thursday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox - friday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox - saturday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox - sunday: work on finding a way to get root access and break out of the sandbox Repeat until successful. And then: ‘rm -f /bin/metatemporal/supercop’. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/37 "2024-03-24T16:27:24Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > And then: ‘rm -f /bin/metatemporal/supercop’. Oops, I’m forgetting my unix-fu. I also have to do a ‘kill -9’ on the running process. Just unlinking the program file doesn’t stop the process… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/38 "2024-03-24T16:42:05Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Could you please do something with his hair? A really botched, uneven but overall very short, cut sounds good to me. I’ll bring scissors! ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/39 "2024-03-24T17:23:37Z")
I was going to suggest that you shave him bald, but upon further thought I’ve decided that that would actually be a significant improvement. Penn Jillette, who worked with Trump on Celebrity Apprentice, describes his hair as “piss-colored cotton candy”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245/40 "2024-03-24T17:25:36Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I was going to suggest that you shave him bald, Are we sure he isn’t, under the wig? It IS fake, isn’t it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-frozen-hypothetical-what-is-your-schedule/999245.md?page=3)