# What would you do if you could stop time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334 "2009-06-10T15:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/61 "2009-06-12T14:15:36Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > With the power to stop time, what the emphasis on gambling winnings? Why not just take what you need? Cheating at gambling is just as much stealing as lifting some really nice delmonicos from the butcher shop. True. But it _feels_ worse to rip off your friendly neighborhood butcher than some faceless casino. Plus, you only have to do one really big robbery vs. stealing over and over and over each time you get hungry. So…my casino plan won’t work. How about a race track? They must have a bunch’o’cash just before post time of some big race. Or… Hmm.who else has a lot of cash lying around, in today’s credit and debit card world? 'Cause I insist on cash. Diamonds and gold coins are too awkward to cash in. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/62 "2009-06-12T14:22:02Z")
Along the non-monetary line, something else I’d use it for is art museums and such. I wouldn’t steal the art, but wouldn’t it be nice to freeze time so you could get up a good long closeup look at whatever you wanted? And special exhibits like that traveling Monet show – no more long waits in line and being sort of herded along (at least by social pressure) before you’d gotten your fill. BTW, I don’t at all understand the idea that you would live longer/stay young by using time freeze. It seems to me that your body will continue to age at the normal rate because you’re still breathing/heart beating/entropy happening all over your body. In fact, from the outside point of you will age faster because you will not only live through the same amount of time as everyone else but have the added elapsed time while everyone else is frozen. Spend a cumulative five years in stop-time over a decade of ‘normal’ time and you will be physically 15 years older. ---
**Author:** ![hroark2112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hroark2112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hroark2112)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/63 "2009-06-12T14:55:12Z")
Eventually, you have to pants yourself, just to throw them off the trail. I’d wear Scooby-Doo boxers that day. Just for some comic relief. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/64 "2009-06-12T15:23:10Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > With the power to stop time, what the emphasis on gambling winnings? Why not just take what you need? Cheating at gambling is just as much stealing as lifting some really nice delmonicos from the butcher shop. Well, it is and it isn’t. 1.) Casinos are designed to massively favor the house, so they’re “cheating” already. 2.) The delmonicos are goods that the butcher will sell in exchange for money. The money you steal from a casino isn’t “goods,” it’s currency. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/65 "2009-06-12T15:25:23Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > BTW, I don’t at all understand the idea that you would live longer/stay young by using time freeze. It’s just part of the premise. If you were really stopping time, you’d be frozen in place by the air molecules all around you, unable to move or even breathe. Not to mention, doesn’t “zero movement” equal “absolute zero”? Although there can’t be any heat transfer since the molecules adjascent to your skin can’t be excited because they’re completely stationary… Hrrrrmmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/66 "2009-06-12T16:54:17Z")
The Whiteboard is exploring the effects of severe time slowing. The slowing starts [here](http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1070.html). The foreshadowing starts [here](http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1059.html). My favorite one is [this one](http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1076.html). As to what I’d do, personally. It would start with napping, reading, and possible dancing to tunes in odd places. Could my dog come, too? I feel guilty about not walking her enough, but there have been loose dogs in the neighborhood. Stacking things would be fun. Stack up a line or a pyramid of balloons in a park. Take a picture and then let them go. No pantsing. Well, maybe one. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/67 "2009-06-12T17:12:12Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > My favorite one is [this one](http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1076.html). I believe you mean “the ST:TNG references start here.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/68 "2009-06-12T17:29:31Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Or… Hmm.who else has a lot of cash lying around, in today’s credit and debit card world? > > 'Cause I insist on cash. Diamonds and gold coins are too awkward to cash in. Criminals. Think of all those scenes where the drug seller opens up his suitcase of drugs, and the buyer opens his suitcase of cash. Now imagine that scene, but when the buyer opens his suitcase of cash it’s just filled with old newspapers ( for weight ), and a note saying “_ **BEWARE THE SHADOW** _”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/69 "2009-06-12T22:11:30Z")
Hey, how about becoming the World’s Greatest Magician? Man, the disappearances you could pull off. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334/70 "2009-06-12T23:47:50Z")
I would try to solve the mysteries of the universe during stopped time. First I would need to learn a whole bunch of science and mathematics; I need to steal Einstein’s corpse for inspirational purposes; then I will lock myself in a super-duper Library (Because not locking the door would be significantly less dramatic) and ponder. Ah, the fun. Also, I could write novels at my leisure. ~S.P.I.~ (EDIT: I apologise but it seems I inadvertently logged on to my friend’s account for this post. My account is Other Dreams. I don’t know how to delete this message. I suck.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-could-stop-time/499334.md?page=3)