507:, for the permanent storage of the full-sized clock, once it is constructed. It will be housed in a series of rooms (the slowest mechanisms visible first) in the white limestone cliffs, approximately 10,000 feet (3,000 m) up the Snake Range. The site's dryness, remoteness, and lack of economic value should protect the clock from corrosion, vandalism, and development. Hillis chose this area of Nevada in part because it is home to a number of
54:
479:), implemented with mechanical wheels and levers instead of typical electronics. The computer has 32 bits of accuracy, with each bit represented by a mechanical lever or pin that can be in one of two positions. This binary logic can only keep track of elapsed time, like a stopwatch; to convert from elapsed to local solar time (that is, time of day), a
460:(which has been the standard mechanism for the past millennium) is that gears necessarily require a ratio relationship between the timing source and the display. The required accuracy of the ratio increases with the amount of time to be measured. (For instance, for a short period of time the count of 29.5 days per
138:
I want to build a clock that ticks once a year. The century hand advances once every one hundred years, and the cuckoo comes out on the millennium. I want the cuckoo to come out every millennium for the next 10,000 years. If I hurry I should finish the clock in time to see the cuckoo come out for the
128:
for people. It should be charismatic to visit, interesting to think about, and famous enough to become iconic in the public discourse. Ideally, it would do for thinking about time what the photographs of Earth from space have done for thinking about the environment. Such icons reframe the way people
486:
Another advantage of the digital computer over the gear train is that it is more evolvable. For instance, the ratio of day to years depends on Earth's rotation, which is slowing at a noticeable but not very predictable rate. This could be enough to, for example, throw the phase of the Moon off by a
195:
Whether the clock will actually receive continued care and maintenance for such a long time is debatable. Hillis chose the 10,000-year goal to be just within the limits of plausibility. There are technological artifacts, such as fragments of pots and baskets, from 10,000 years in the past, so there
982:
How could you live so blind to your surroundings? ... I called it "The Small Here" ... I was used to living in a bigger Here ... I noticed that this very local attitude to space in New York paralleled a similarly limited attitude to time ... I came to think of this as "The Short Now", and this
216:
However, the clock is designed to keep time even when not being wound: "If there is no attention for long periods of time the Clock uses the energy captured by changes in the temperature between day and night on the mountain top above to power its time-keeping apparatus."
380:
In the current design, a slow mechanical oscillator, based on a torsional pendulum, keeps time inaccurately, but reliably. At noon, the light from the Sun, a timer that is accurate but (due to weather) unreliable, is concentrated on a segment of metal through a
402:. On the other hand, the clock is a product of our time, and it seems appropriate to pay homage to our current arbitrary systems of time measurement. In the end, it seemed best to display both the natural cycles and some of the current cultural cycles.
233:
Most of these methods are inaccurate (the clock will slowly lose the correct time), but are reliable (that is, the clock will not suddenly stop working). Other methods are accurate but opaque (meaning that the clock is difficult to read or understand).
212:
systems would violate the principles of transparency and longevity. In the end, Hillis decided to require regular human winding of a falling weight design for updating the clock face because the clock design already assumes regular human maintenance.
330:
Many of these methods are accurate (some external cycles are very uniform over huge stretches of time) but unreliable (the clock could stop working completely if it failed to track the external event properly). Others have separate difficulties.
397:
dates, may have little meaning after 10,000 years. However, every human culture counts days, months (in some form), and years, all of which are based on lunar and solar cycles. There are also longer natural cycles, such as the 25,765-year
429:). Hillis and Brand plan, if they can, to add a mechanism whereby the power source generates only enough energy to keep track of time; if visitors want to see the time displayed, they would have to manually supply some energy themselves.
92:
in 1989. The first prototype of the clock began working on
December 31, 1999, just in time to display the transition to the year 2000. At midnight on New Year's Eve, the date indicator changed from 01999 to 02000, and the
1116:
562:
was partly inspired by his involvement with the project, to which he contributed three pages of sketches and notes. The Long Now
Foundation sells a soundtrack for the novel with profits going to the project.
373:
Hillis concluded that no single source of timing could meet the requirements. As a compromise the clock will use an accurate but unreliable timer to adjust an inaccurate but reliable timer, creating a
225:
The timing mechanism for such a long lasting clock needs to be reliable and robust as well as accurate. The options considered but rejected as sources of timing for the clock included:
570:
gave the Clock of the Long Now its name (and coined the term "Long Now") in an essay; he has collaborated with Hillis on the writing of music for the chimes for a future prototype.
530:, who is also funding its construction. The lessons learned in the construction of this first full-scale 10,000-year clock will inform the final design of the clock in Nevada.
487:
few days over 10,000 years. The digital scheme allows that conversion ratio to be adjusted, without stopping the clock, if the length of the day changes in an unexpected way.
1111:
511:, which the Foundation notes are nearly 5,000 years old. The clock will be almost entirely underground, and only accessed by foot traffic from the east once complete.
467:
Achieving such precise ratios with gears is possible, but awkward; similarly, gears degrade over time in accuracy and efficiency due to the deleterious effects of
21:
471:. Instead, the clock uses binary digital logic, implemented mechanically in a sequence of stacked binary adders (or as their inventor, Hillis, calls them,
196:
is some precedent for human artifacts surviving this long, although very few human artifacts have been continuously tended for more than a few centuries.
385:. The metal buckles and the buckling force resets the clock to noon. The combination can, in principle, provide both reliability and long-term accuracy.
437:
Options considered for the part of the clock that converts time source (for example, a pendulum) to display units (for example, clock hands) include
204:
Many options were considered for the power source of the clock, but most were rejected due to their inability to meet the requirements. For example,
1126:
425:
system. This will be a five-digit display, indicating the current year in a format like "02000" instead of the more usual "2000" (to avoid a
1101:
819:
1121:
906:
1010:
514:
Before building the public clock in Nevada, the foundation is building a full-scale clock of similar design in a mountain of the
1049:
875:
1054:
124:, a founding board member of the foundation, "Such a clock, if sufficiently impressive and well-engineered, would embody
1106:
522:. The test drilling for the underground construction at this site was started in 2009. The site is on property owned by
508:
1096:
348:
594:
504:
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421:
and angle of the Moon. Outside this will be a double dial with digits, showing the year according to our current
179:: The clock should be understandable without stopping or disassembling it; no functionality should be opaque.
169:: Future generations should be able to keep the clock working, if necessary, with nothing more advanced than
472:
94:
1031:
410:
248:
78:
417:. Around this will be a display showing the positions of the Sun and the Moon in the sky, as well as the
476:
266:
191:: To ensure that the final large clock will work properly, smaller prototypes must be built and tested.
1080:
159:: The clock should be accurate even after 10,000 years, and must not contain valuable parts (such as
81:
in London. As of June 2018, two more prototypes are on display at The Long Now Museum & Store at
678:
539:
426:
74:
1068:(Brand describing progress as of 2011, with videos & photographs of construction & parts)
937:
579:
422:
312:
100:
The manufacture and site construction of the first full-scale prototype clock is being funded by
827:
1006:
708:
475:). In effect, the conversion logic is a simple digital computer (more specifically, a digital
374:
360:
300:
105:
82:
650:
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294:
73:
under construction that is designed to keep time for 10,000 years. It is being built by the
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815:
553:
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may suffice, but over 10,000 years the number 29.5305882 is a much more accurate choice.)
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542:, which also supports a number of other very-long-term projects, including the
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241:(inaccurate over the long term, and requires many ticks, which creates
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The first prototype, on display at the
Science Museum in London, 2005
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The center of the clock will show a star field, indicating both the
483:
subtracts from (or adds to) the cam slider, which the adders move.
1074:
850:
366:
70:
52:
242:
152:
The basic design principles and requirements for the clock are:
787:"The Clock of the Long Now: mechanical drawings and assemblies"
393:
Many of the usual units displayed on clocks, such as hours and
1035:
1026:
761:
673:
326:
External events that the clock could track or be adjusted by
163:, expensive metals, or special alloys) that might be looted.
108:, with $ 42 million, and is on land which Bezos owns in the
983:
suggested the possibility of its opposite – "The Long Now".
1027:
Main page for the Clock on the Long Now
Foundation website
1117:
Buildings and structures celebrating the third millennium
185:: It should be possible to improve the clock over time.
1050:"The Clock Of The Long Now": A Talk with Stewart Brand
1034:
a talk by Danny Hillis in
September 2004 available in
701:"WIRED SCENARIOS: - The Millennium Clock Danny Hillis"
1003:The Clock of the Long Now: Time and Responsibility
495:The Long Now Foundation has purchased the top of
354:stellar alignment (unreliable because of weather)
1061:Ted Talk by Stewart Brand describing the project
357:solar alignment (unreliable because of weather)
147:, "The Millennium Clock", Wired Scenarios, 1995
136:
1045:Wired Magazine article on the clock, May 1998
77:. A two-meter prototype is on display at the
8:
546:(to preserve the world's languages) and the
16:Clock designed to keep time for 10,000 years
651:"How to Make a Clock Run for 10,000 Years"
1112:Collection of the Science Museum, London
321:(opaque, difficult to measure precisely)
668:
666:
616:
338:seasonal temperature cycle (imprecise)
907:"Neal Stephenson's Anathem and Music"
762:"The 10,000 Year Clock: Introduction"
731:
729:
7:
820:"Keeping Time Into The Great Beyond"
456:A problem with using a conventional
335:daily temperature cycle (unreliable)
936:Rose, Alexander (August 22, 2008).
849:Hillis, Danny (September 9, 2008).
737:"The 10,000 Year Clock: Principles"
363:(difficult to predict and measure)
14:
1032:Progress on the 10,000-year Clock
351:(difficult to measure accurately)
538:The project is supported by the
313:piezoelectric crystal oscillator
251:(fewer ticks, but less accurate)
649:Tweney, Dylan (June 23, 2011).
315:(opaque, difficult to maintain)
309:(opaque, difficult to maintain)
279:rolling balls (very inaccurate)
1127:1999 establishments in England
905:Billings, Al (June 24, 2008).
1:
1075:Time in the 10,000-year clock
938:"Iolet: The Music of Anathem"
369:dynamics (difficult to scale)
257:(less accurate than pendulum)
88:The project was conceived by
851:"Anathem by Neal Stephenson"
389:Displaying the time and date
1102:Clocks in the United States
1081:Interview with Danny Hillis
1066:"The Clock in the Mountain"
967:"The Big Here and Long Now"
876:"Clock Design: Other Ideas"
1145:
400:precession of Earth's axis
1122:Great Basin National Park
505:Great Basin National Park
503:, which is surrounded by
1055:Edge – the third culture
595:Jens Olsen's World Clock
534:Inspiration and support
509:dwarf bristlecone pines
1073:Danny Hillis, et al.,
882:. 2005. Archived from
629:www.10000yearclock.net
344:(difficult to measure)
150:
58:
37:31.44841°N 104.90384°W
1005:. Basic Books, 2000,
477:differential analyser
229:Self-contained clocks
221:Timing considerations
63:Clock of the Long Now
56:
200:Power considerations
173:tools and materials.
112:mountains in Texas.
42:31.44841; -104.90384
1107:Long Now Foundation
971:Long Now Foundation
942:Long Now Foundation
886:on November 4, 2005
880:Long Now Foundation
855:Long Now Foundation
830:on February 2, 2023
794:Long Now Foundation
766:Long Now Foundation
741:Long Now Foundation
679:Long Now Foundation
625:"10,000 Year Clock"
540:Long Now Foundation
267:solid material flow
104:'s investment firm
75:Long Now Foundation
33: /
1097:1999 introductions
1052:– 15 August 1998;
580:Astronomical clock
423:Gregorian calendar
297:cycle (inaccurate)
85:in San Francisco.
69:, is a mechanical
65:, also called the
59:
818:(April 5, 2022).
473:serial bit-adders
433:Time calculations
375:phase-locked loop
347:Earth's rotating
307:atomic oscillator
301:inertial governor
276:(very inaccurate)
106:Bezos Expeditions
83:Fort Mason Center
67:10,000-year clock
1134:
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985:
979:
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913:. Archived from
902:
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861:
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837:
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826:. Archived from
824:www.noemamag.com
816:Ialenti, Vincent
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674:"About Long Now"
670:
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548:Long Bet Project
497:Mount Washington
295:pressure chamber
249:torsion pendulum
239:gravity pendulum
148:
120:In the words of
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47:
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44:
43:
38:
34:
31:
30:
29:
26:
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993:Further reading
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918:
917:on July 1, 2008
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554:Neal Stephenson
544:Rosetta Project
536:
520:Van Horn, Texas
493:
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391:
361:tectonic motion
328:
231:
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167:Maintainability
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1084:
1083:, May 19, 2019
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1021:External links
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911:Arcanology.com
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556:'s 2008 novel
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999:Stewart Brand
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110:Sierra Diablo
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981:
974:. Retrieved
970:
957:
947:February 22,
945:. Retrieved
941:
931:
921:February 22,
919:. Retrieved
915:the original
910:
900:
890:February 22,
888:. Retrieved
884:the original
879:
870:
860:February 22,
858:. Retrieved
854:
844:
832:. Retrieved
828:the original
823:
810:
800:February 22,
798:. Retrieved
793:
781:
771:February 22,
769:. Retrieved
765:
756:
746:February 22,
744:. Retrieved
740:
716:. Retrieved
704:
695:
685:February 22,
683:. Retrieved
677:
654:
644:
632:. Retrieved
628:
619:
565:
557:
552:
537:
513:
494:
485:
466:
455:
436:
427:Y10K problem
407:sidereal day
404:
392:
379:
372:
342:tidal forces
329:
319:atomic decay
303:(inaccurate)
291:(inaccurate)
285:(inaccurate)
269:(inaccurate)
263:(inaccurate)
232:
224:
215:
203:
194:
188:
183:Evolvability
182:
177:Transparency
176:
166:
156:
151:
145:Danny Hillis
137:
119:
99:
90:Danny Hillis
87:
66:
62:
60:
50:
18:
718:February 2,
585:Big History
518:range near
501:Ely, Nevada
462:lunar month
439:electronics
289:tuning fork
210:solar power
189:Scalability
139:first time.
40: /
28:104°54′14″W
1091:Categories
963:Eno, Brian
611:References
528:Jeff Bezos
458:gear train
443:hydraulics
411:precession
261:water flow
171:Bronze Age
102:Jeff Bezos
25:31°26′54″N
713:1059-1028
656:Wired.com
590:Deep time
568:Brian Eno
566:Musician
451:mechanics
283:diffusion
274:corrosion
272:wear and
157:Longevity
126:deep time
634:July 13,
574:See also
526:founder
491:Location
469:friction
447:fluidics
409:and the
395:calendar
142:—
129:think."
976:May 11,
834:May 31,
559:Anathem
413:of the
367:orbital
116:Purpose
1040:Vorbis
1009:
796:. 2002
711:
524:Amazon
449:, and
415:zodiac
161:jewels
133:Design
790:(PDF)
705:Wired
499:near
419:phase
95:chime
71:clock
1077:2011
1038:and
1007:ISBN
978:2009
949:2018
923:2018
892:2018
862:2018
836:2023
802:2018
773:2018
748:2018
720:2021
709:ISSN
687:2018
636:2024
383:lens
243:wear
208:and
61:The
1036:mp3
481:cam
1093::
1001:,
980:.
969:.
965:.
940:.
909:.
878:.
853:.
822:.
792:.
764:.
739:.
728:^
707:.
703:.
676:.
665:^
653:.
627:.
550:.
453:.
445:,
441:,
377:.
1013:.
951:.
925:.
894:.
864:.
838:.
804:.
775:.
750:.
722:.
689:.
659:.
638:.
245:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
