"I still can't believe you actually used a [DeLorean]," says Larry.
"Hey, if you're going to do a thing, you ought to do it right," says [Richard].
Larry eyes the [DeLorean car]. "Give me the keys," he says. "I want to take this baby to 88."
"Oh, it doesn't drive anymore," says [Richard]. "I had to use the engine to power the time machine."
"So, run it by me again," says Larry.
"I modified this [DeLorean] to send information backwards through time," says [Richard].
"Just information. Not matter."
"Right."
Larry ponders this for a moment. "How... how does that even work?"
[Richard] waves his hands around. "Spooky action at a distance," he says.
"No, I mean, augh. I mean, what can you practically change about the past with this machine?" says Larry.
"Well, so far I've gotten my computer to crash five minutes before I push this [button]," says [Richard], gesturing at one of the controls inside the [DeLorean].
Larry reaches for the button and gives it a push.
"Nothing happened", says Larry, looking at the [computer].
"I told you you were going to push it," says [Richard].
Larry opens his mouth to say something, then seems to think better of it.
There is a beep as [Richard Richard's] [computer] spontaneously and inexplicably reboots.
"Aw, geez, you're going to push the button, aren't you?", whines [Richard].
"What? What button?" asks Larry, puzzled.
"Never mind," says [Richard].
"So I just write down the number I see on the screen?" says Larry.
"Yep," says Richard.
"And what does this tell us, exactly?" says Larry.
"Well, when you come out of the [room], I'm going to type the number you give me into the computer, which will make it show up on the screen before you wrote it down," says Richard.
"And what does this tell us, exactly?" says Larry again, exasperated.
"A number that neither of us picked," says Richard.
Larry sighs and opens the door. Inside the [room] is a computer [screen].
Larry looks at the screen. It's blank. "Well, hell," he says, feebly scanning the [room] for another, hidden screen that might have a number on it. He doesn't find one.
$[} else {]Larry looks at the screen. The number $(number) is displayed on it.
$[}]He looks down at his piece of [paper] for a moment.
Larry is at a loss for a moment, but then decides that the thing to do is to just write down a number. He chooses six.
$[} else {]"Huh," says Larry, scrawling down a large number $(number) on his paper. "Wonder what that means."
$[}]Larry shows Richard the blank piece of paper. "Nothing on the screen," he says.
Richard slaps himself on the forehead. "Of course! I can't believe I didn't think of that. If you don't show me a number, I won't type it in, which means you won't see a number, which means no paradox. Duh. How stupid of me. Forget I even asked."
$[} else {]Larry holds up the piece of paper. "It said $(number)".
Richard looks quizzically at the paper. "$(number)? Are you sure?"
A look of alarm crosses Larry's face. "Is... is $(number) bad?"
"No, no, it's just I would have expected something, I don't know, more random, or meaningful, I guess," says Richard. "You didn't just make up some number?"
"Of course not!" says Larry, offended. "Go ahead and look for yourself. The screen says $(number)."
"No, no, I believe you," says Richard, and types a $(number) into his computer.
$[}]