Clock of the Long Now - Installation Begins
A huge underground clock is now under construction in Texas. Expected to operate 10,000 years, it will be powered both by solar energy and by the people who visit it, who will have to activate several wheels to reveal the time. A cultural project called Long Now.
The 10,000 Year Clock was conceived by Long Now co-founder Danny Hillis as an icon to long-term thinking, and the first prototype of the Clock now resides in the Science Museum in London. This monument scale version, built in partnership with Long Now supporter Jeff Bezos, began with construction of the underground site itself, and is now moving into the installation phase.
This monument scale Clock is designed to run for ten millennia with minimal maintenance and interruption. The Clock is powered by mechanical energy harvested from the temperature difference from day to night, as well as the people that visit it. The primary materials used in the Clock are special grades of stainless steel, titanium and dry running ceramic ball bearings.
“The Long Now is the recognition that the precise moment you’re in grows out of the past and is a seed for the future.” ~ Brian Eno
To learn more about the 10,000 Year Clock :
- longnow.org/clock/
- 10000YearClock.net
Very cool