Time capsule why

The copper box that was recovered from the foundation of the Synagogue in Victoria during renovations of the building. The time capsule and its contents are now an important display feature at the Synagogue. Today we are very familiar with the idea of leaving a piece of ourselves for a future civilization. Time capsules are used as a way of communicating with a distant people.

In fact, there are currently two time capsules in space. This time capsule I and II are identical is a gramophone record meant to portray culture on earth to any intelligent extraterrestrial life. Music, natural sounds, images from around the world and greetings in 55 languages are included on the record.

This is an example of a time capsule with an unknown opening date. At times, bikes completely sold out, so many rolled out their old rusty cycles Credit: Emmanuel Lafont. One idea for inclusion that spoke to the monotony of lockdown was a hypothetical calendar of views from the same window Fiona Macdonald. The calendar would be one scene taken multiple times "like a timelapse, as the seasons rush by", explains Macdonald, whose own window view features "bedraggled shrubs, forgotten toys, and the windows of the neighbours opposite".

It's an idea that reminded me of the website Window Swap , which gained popularity this year. People from around the world shared scenes from inside their homes of mountain views or verdant gardens, allowing visitors to instantly transport themselves to a new location.

Solace from local beauty was also the thinking behind the suggestion of a flaming red bombax flower Pupul Bisht , from New Delhi. Despite everything feeling unfamiliar, the tree brought a sense of normalcy to my days.

The bombax flower — for some, a welcome piece of beauty in a difficult year Credit: Emmanuel Lafont. Home working was, of course, a luxury that many people did not have this year. With that in mind, we also had a nomination from more than one person for a delivery bag Olga Remneva and others , in recognition of the way that drivers, shop-workers and many other professions kept the world turning. Similarly, it would be an omission for us not to include an item that recognises healthcare and care-home workers.

In many countries, that object was a child's drawing of a rainbow , a universal message of thanks to those in risky, pressured and stressful environments, looking after the most vulnerable and ill. Delivery workers, many low-paid, helped to keep people fed, supplied and healthy Credit: Emmanuel Lafont. Environmental change — for better and worse — was the theme of a few other suggestions, drawing connections between nature close to home and in the broader world. My own nomination for inclusion is a sealed vial of clean city air.

Before the pandemic, I would run home from work, and when I stepped through my apartment door, I could often still taste the metallic traffic fumes in my dry throat and nose. During the lockdowns, however, many cities saw air pollution plummet. Harmful particulates will return — in some cases, they already have — but a vial of clean air is a reminder of possibility, and a memory of a less polluted city where it was easier to breathe. A vial of clean air, a snapshot of temporarily less-polluted cities Credit: Emmanuel Lafont.

Other environmental changes in were less welcome. In particular, we had a number of nominations aiming to capture the memory of this year's wildfires , which came due to the climatic change that was sometimes overlooked this year. The starkest objects proposed were a piece of burnt wood Leonardo Soares — "a painful reminder that, despite the existence of a global pandemic, humanity still faces a massive environmental crisis" — and a piece of black granite rock Paul Brown , from Washpool National Park in New South Wales, Australia.

But others submitting in this theme were more hopeful. Rodrigo Mendes, who lives in Brazil where Amazon fires raged, chose an object that captured both a popular pastime of lockdown and what he saw as increased international concern over the fires in his country — a plant in a pot — because plants "require daily care and make us reflect on the importance of biodiversity", he explains.

And a second suggestion from Australia was a pair of dirty gardening gloves from a local community garden Claire Marshall. Gardening also offered a respite from thinking about the pandemic. A final development related to the living world and environment this year, which could have long-running impacts, was the rise of artificial meat. Late in the year, lab-grown chicken meat was approved for consumption for the first time, in Singapore.

Meanwhile, there's been a dizzying rise in the popularity of plant-based "meat" products already on the market. That's why one capsule submission was a pack of artificial plant-based burgers Sarah Castell, Stephanie Barrett and the Ipsos Mori Trends and Futures team. By reducing carbon emissions and the farming of animals, these products reflect a potentially broader societal change towards more ethical consumption, say Castell and colleagues.

Future generations may see the introduction of healthier artificial meat as "an early signal of the tide turning towards an attitude to wellness that considers the whole planet, as well as the consumer themselves". This year was also one of social change, with the rise of the Black Lives Matters movement and other equality protests around the world.

The good news is that the better you control these factors, the longer things will stay in good condition in your time capsule! The first choice for your family time capsule is the container. It should be made of a material that is chemically stable—slow to give off chemicals from its composition and slow to react with chemicals near it.

The best reasonably priced container is an uncoated polyethylene PET or PETE, recycle code 1 jar with a screw-top lid of the same material. These are available online or in container stores. Read the product label or ask what plastic was used to make the container.

When the container is full and the lid is in place, carefully and gently turn the container upside down and have an adult very carefully drip wax from a candle around the edge of the lid where it meets the container, to seal it completely. Choose pictures or other objects that will be fun to remind you of what things were like when you made the capsule. Clean, dry black-and-white photographs, items printed or written with archival ink on archival paper, undamaged metal or fabrics, and glass, stone, ceramic, or uncoated PET, HDPE, or PP plastics are the safest choices.

Food, fresh plants, or any other living items are not! Computer media discs, memory sticks, etc. I have attached a book outline with questions and answers, but you can make your own book and write about whatever you like. Skip to content Have you ever heard of a time capsule or a memory box?

Here is a 5 minute video clip of Peppa Pig explaining the time capsule. My Owl Neighbor! Make an Erupting Lemon Volcano June 15, Make a Love Critter Puppet June 12,