A very cool, short, and low tech read that prefaces Hawking's article on time travel:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/04/stephen-hawking-time-mach_n_561612.html

Snippets Follow:

In his column about time travel (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1269288/STEPHEN-HAWKING-How-build-time-machine.html), Hawking describes the possibility of wormholes, the "tiny shortcuts through space and time [that] constantly form, disappear, and reform within this quantum world. And they actually link two separate places and two different times."

and,

these real-life time tunnels are just a billion-trillion-trillionths of a centimetre across. Way too small for a human to pass through - but here's where the notion of wormhole time machines is leading. Some scientists think it may be possible to capture a wormhole and enlarge it many trillions of times to make it big enough for a human or even a spaceship to enter.

Did Hawking just go and spoil lost? :(

Wouldn't that be funny? When I read his theory the other day, that was what I thought.
The really funny part would be if they thought they had this great , far out ending and everyone in the scientific community have decided Hawking is crazy and are using him for comedic purposes for the theory.

Hawking describes the possibility of wormholes, the "tiny shortcuts through space and time [that] constantly form, disappear, and reform within this quantum world. And they actually link two separate places and two different times.".....- but here's where the notion of wormhole time machines is leading. Some scientists think it may be possible to capture a wormhole and enlarge it many trillions of times to make it big enough for a human or even a spaceship to enter.

Wouldn't that be funny? When I read his theory the other day, that was what I thought. .
I'm really surprised that you two active members are first looking into this now. (Shame on you for not being more wiki-obsessed! ;))

Yes, wormholes are shortcuts in space-time and could theoretically be used as time machines. The glich is that an enormous amount of exotic matter would be needed to maintain one. So, voila, TPTB wrote about an Island with unusual exotic matter and enough E.M to attract objects (and people) through them.

Eloise's last name being Hawking was no fluke. Ditto Minkowsky and Faraday.