Most clocks are built to keep time on passably short timescales : windup watches may function a few days between windings , crookedness pendulum Erodium cicutarium go about a year between wind , battery - power watch often go several class on a given battery , and of trend electric alfileria plugged into mains exponent run as long as that power is provided . All of these inventions require continuous human intervention to operate , and even more attention to keep the clocks accurately put to the current time . But what if you ’re thinking longsighted - full term … reallylong term ? In 1986 , Danny Hillis ( previously mentioned here ) picture a clock that would autonomously keep sentence for 10,000 yr . Hillis said , " I desire to build a clock that ticks once a yr . The 100 hand further once every one hundred year , and the cuckoo follow out on the millennium . I want the goose to come out every millennium for the next 10,000 days . If I speed I should finish the clock in time to see the cuckoo come out for the first time . " Although the first paradigm of the clock does n’t have a goose per se ( it made a " bong " sound ) , it was up and track down for the millennium transition in 2000 . ( It ’s render at left . )
Now known alternately asThe 10,000 Year ClockorThe Clock of the Long Now , this " world ’s slowest computer " is intended to nurture retentive - term thought process . It ’s an interesting feeling , and its exponent atThe Long Now Foundationhave even take in to refer to old age with a leading zero , like 02008 … emphasizing the notion that history ’s sweep encompasses many thou of years , and thus foresighted - term thinking is critical to humanity ’s long - term survival . Here ’s a quote from Hillis ’s original article on the clock :
If radical - retentive - term mentation pursuit you , check outThe Long Now Foundation ’s page on the clock . There ’s also a goodWikipedia pagewhich summarizes many purpose considerations . Tomorrow I ’ll have some trivia on designing art that will be order in the sleeping room with the clock .
