However "far out" the idea of time travel may sound, many distinguished scientists argue that it cannot be discounted as impossible. By negotiating a spaceship carefully through a black hole or time warp, these scientists point out, humans could zap themselves days, years, or centuries into the past or the future.

With today's technology, it is impossible to build a spaceship that could travel all over the universe in search of a black hole or time warp. And even if it were possible, Congress would never approve of financing such an expedition. Furthermore, no sane astronaut would pilot a spaceship through a black hole, knowing that once inside he and his spaceship could be separated into very, very small pieces.

It seems ironic that although the search for a way to travel in time is so serious, scientists have overlooked a very cheap and simple solution--the common household appliance. There is scientific proof that some household appliances, when used in a certain manner, can function as time machines.

One example of this strange phenomenon is the washing machine. Everyone has experienced the anguish of losing socks to this beastly appliance. Only one sock of a pair is ever lost; never both. This fact makes the loss especially unnerving. No matter how thorough the inspection of the inside of the washing machine, the missing sock is never found. Then, days, weeks, or years later, the same sock reappears in the washing machine, as if it had come from nowhere.

Scientists have advanced a theory that may explain this enigma once and for all. Suppose that, while the washing machine is in operation, the rotation of the shaft within produces a strong enough gravitational field to create a miniature black hole. Then it may be reasoned that small objects like socks are sucked in by this black hole, which is actually a time warp. The black hole instantly transports the socks into the future, where they are found by unsuspecting family members.

If this theory is correct, then the ordinary household washing machine is actually a time machine. It is only necessary to build a washing machine large enough to hold a small submarine. Setting the machine on maximum power would cause it to zap the submarine and its crew into the future.

The shower, too, could be utilized as a time machine. Many people have experienced the warping of time during the morning shower. Emerging from what seemed to be a rather short and brisk wash, they find, much to their amazement, that they are already late for work. This phenomenon is observed by many respectable citizens; their experiences cannot be discounted as "just their imagination." Could it be that for observers inside the shower, time moves much more slowly than does time for outside observers?

If this is so, then by showering for any length of time, one may achieve time travel into the future. The longer one remains in the shower, the further into the future one will travel. This method of time travel is simpler and far more economical than that previously mentioned, yet no one is aware of it!

It seems that man can easily travel into the future. But what about the past? It seems that this will never be possible. But then again, it might. Perhaps dirty dishes that mysteriously appear in a dishwasher that is ready to be unloaded are actually dishes that have moved back in time from a future, unwashed load.

There does seem to be one problem with backward time travel.There would be widespread confusion if such travel were possible. For example, this article would never have to be fini