"What?" enquired Gramsci timidly.
"These letters from the Library, advising me that books have been recalled, and I must please return them by their due date."
"Well..." Gramsci offered, nervously, "there might be someone else waiting...?"
"Gmf!" fumed the Cow. "That's not the issue! It's by when they want the books!" She pointed at her screen. "Look! December 2006 was nine months ago! how on earth am I supposed to return a book on a date nine months in the past? If it was that simple to turn back the clock nine months...." she rolled her eyeballs.
Gramsci could picture it. Maternity hospitals would all shut down overnight, if it was that easy.
"Perhaps they've got a time machine?" he suggested.
"Well, I hope it's better than the Wayback Machine!" the Cow muttered. "It seems the copy I have of one of my papers is not the final version. Google Scholar can find a copy, but that web link points somewhere entirely else now, and even the Wayback machine gets confused!"
"Perhaps it was all those diagrams in that paper?" mused Gramsci. "I also found it a little confusing, with all those arrows..."
"A time machine would be useful, though" the Cow speculated. "There are many people here wanting to turn the clock back."
"Whyever?" asked Gramsci. "They merely have to stroll down to Bremner. I don't think the 70s ever left, there..."