[AJames]

Some interesting replies.

While I do also fear temporal investigations might soon be tapping on my door - I think that changing the future here might not be the point. We can certainly learn from historical events - so in the future they don't happen again.
It is funny that both the programs that I highlight also have such paradoxes, main to add drama and the point that one should act appropriately if one goes backwards in time. If you stray out of the temporal flow, so to speak, what happen is more catastrophic. Ie. "Goodnight Sweetheart" finds Gary changing something so when he returns someone else is living in his future residence. This same show also has his young son in the past, then when he finds him 50-odd years later as a down and out living in squaller. This saddens Gary greatly, so he goes back in the past by using an obscure song sheet in the future - leaving the rights and residuals of the song to go into a fund for his sons future. We he returns his son is now transformed into a successful business man with his own family. In "Journeyman" he fixes up someone's life from their fatal error - and the wrongdoing disappears from the history books.
Furthermore science-fiction often uses this atypical premise, like say, "Heroes", who see the future as a devastation of New York, which the present day characters then try to avoid. This is also seen in the latest "Babylon 5" "Lost Tales" anthology (2007) release, where an error in the characters current path is pointed out and is shown the consequences of his decision.

Of course, this is all make-believe, but is shows a deep human desire of correcting regrets and choices of our past - and the wish that such decisions could be changed.

Yet my question here is more of things individuals might like to see - not necessarily to change but to even learn from.

If I had the chance, what I'd like to see would be;

- James Dunlop doing his southern double star and deep-sky observations and ask him about the perspectives on the double he's viewing. Then also seeing through his telescope to see the quality of the image.

- I would like to go back and look at the Australian megafauna 47 000 years ago, and see for myself creatures like the Marsupial lion, Diprotodon, etc.

- See in Sydney the famous dome of the International Exhibition Building of 1879 or Garden Palace in the Botanical Garden that was built in 1851, and preventing them from burning down in the fire. Ie. The Garden Palace that was destroyed it in September 1882.

- Meet Marco Polo in 1300 AD and ask how he actually knew of Australia existence.

- Walk through the gum tree forest that now been converted in the city centre of Sydney

- Prevent the separation of Victoria from New South Wales in 1851, to finally end the old Sydney-Melbourne Rivalry, and then stop the the formation in Queensland in 1859.

- Convince the New Zealanders to become one of the States of Australia during the Colonial Conference in 1897. (Bribing the United Kingdom to enforce this issue). Renaming our Federation as the "Federation of Australasia."

- See and record a performance of Dame Nellie Melba in 1910-15

- Tell William Brahe to just wait one more day at Cooper's Creek for Burke and Wills and save them from their unnecessary death in mid-1861.

- Travel to 2100, and see how the current generation has really stuffed up the planet.

Just some ideas,

Regards
Andrew

NUMBER 1 NOW!: Influence all Australian governments to stop saturation advertising - like the NSW skin cancer ad shown on all channels, 24 hours a day. I think I have REALLY have got the message.