notional-clock
A conceptual and physical device designed to measure and embody deep time, ticking once a year, bonging once a century, and signaling every millennium.
1 chapter across 1 book
Clock of the Long Now: Time and Responsibility (1999)Stewart Brand
The chapter 'Preamble' introduces the concept of the Clock of the Long Now, a large mechanical clock designed to keep time for 10,000 years as a tool to encourage long-term thinking and responsibility. It outlines the motivation behind the project, emphasizing the societal trend toward short-term perspectives driven by technology, economics, and politics, and presents the Clock and its associated Library as both a mechanism and myth to promote deep time awareness. The chapter also details the founding of the Long Now Foundation, its key members, and the ongoing development of the Clock prototype and cultural initiatives to foster a long-term outlook.