The Clock of the Long Now
This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| The Clock of the Long Now | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Clock of the Long Now |
| Caption | Conceptual rendering of the Clock of the Long Now |
| Location | Nevada Test and Training Range |
| Designer | Danny Hillis, Alexander Rose |
| Type | Monumental clock |
| Owner | The Long Now Foundation |
| Begin | 1996 |
| Complete | ongoing |
The Clock of the Long Now is a mechanical timepiece conceived to run for 10,000 years as a provocation and engineering challenge. Initiated by Danny Hillis and institutionalized by The Long Now Foundation, the project has drawn participants from Microsoft Research, NASA, Smithsonian Institution, The Royal Society, and private firms, and has been sited in contexts including the Nevada Test and Training Range, the Sierra Nevada, and the West Texas desert. The initiative intersects with figures and organizations such as Paul Saffo, Brian Eno, Stewart Brand, Tom Lombardo, Peter Schwartz, and patrons like Jeff Bezos and institutions like The Long Now Foundation's board members from Hewlett-Packard, IDEO, and Institute for the Future.
Introduction
The Clock was proposed during conversations among Danny Hillis, Stewart Brand, and Paul Saffo at The Long Now Foundation gatherings, inspired in part by artifacts such as the Antikythera mechanism, the Chronometer No. 1, and monumental timekeeping projects like Big Ben and Strasbourg Cathedral. Early design work involved collaboration with Xenophon Zolotas, Eric Drexler, and researchers affiliated with MIT, Stanford University, Caltech, and UC Berkeley. Funding and attention came through links to The Long Now Foundation, corporate engineering support from Intel, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and philanthropic interest from Long Now trustees and patrons including John Perry Barlow and Brian Eno.
Design and Construction
Design iterations were reviewed by engineers and institutions such as NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, and consulting firms connected to Arup Group and Skanska. Construction prototypes were produced at facilities including Xtreme Manufacturing, Rockefeller University workshops, and machine shops affiliated with MIT Media Lab, Stanford Mechanical Engineering, Caltech Machine Shop, and the Smithsonian Institution conservation labs. Site selection considered geological surveys from the U.S. Geological Survey, environmental assessments by the Bureau of Land Management, and cultural impact statements submitted to the National Park Service and Nevada State Historic Preservation Office.
Mechanism and Materials
Mechanical principles referenced include escapement developments from John Harrison and Christiaan Huygens, gear design informed by studies at The Royal Society, and material science research from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Components utilize steels and alloys studied by Vickers, ceramics research at Corning Incorporated, and lubrication science pioneered at Mobil 1 and Castrol laboratories; machining techniques draw on CNC advances from Haas Automation and precision engineering at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. Timekeeping strategies borrow astronomical synchronization methods used by International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service and chronometric standards from National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Purpose and Philosophy
The Clock embodies themes advanced by Stewart Brand, Brian Eno, and Kevin Kelly about long-term thinking exemplified by projects like the Long Now Foundation's Seminars About Long-term Thinking, and dialogues with futurists such as Ray Kurzweil, Jaron Lanier, and Peter Thiel. Philosophical roots trace to works by Thomas Hobbes, Immanuel Kant, Hans Jonas, and ethical frameworks debated at The Hastings Center and The Nietzsche Archives. The project intersects with environmental discourse from Rachel Carson, technological foresight from Donella Meadows, and cultural stewardship practices advocated by Prince Philip of United Kingdom conservation initiatives and UNESCO heritage policy debates.
Controversies and Criticism
Criticism has come from historians and ethicists linked to Science, Technology, & Human Values, journalists at The New York Times, The Guardian, and Wired, and commentators from The Atlantic and The New Yorker. Concerns echo past debates involving Thomas Midgley Jr.-era technologies, risk assessments by Union of Concerned Scientists, and land-use controversies comparable to disputes over Yucca Mountain and Bison reintroduction projects. Legal and cultural disputes invoked agencies such as the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, and heritage advocates from Nevada State Historic Preservation Office.
Cultural Impact and Media
The Clock has been featured in media by BBC, NPR, PBS, National Geographic, and documentaries screened at festivals including Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Coverage has connected the project to cultural figures like Brian Eno, David Byrne, Paul Saffo, Stewart Brand, and authors including Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, Jared Diamond, Rebecca Solnit, and Jared Diamond’s comparative histories. Artistic and musical commissions referenced collaborations with Brian Eno, installations at Museum of Modern Art, displays at the Smithsonian Institution, and lectures at TED and Aspen Ideas Festival.
Current Status and Future Plans
As of ongoing development, prototypes reside in workshops associated with The Long Now Foundation and partner institutions including The Interval in San Francisco, fabrication sites linked to Think Tank, and installation planning coordinated with Bureau of Land Management and private landowners in the Great Basin and Texas. Supporters and advisors include technologists from Microsoft Research, Google, and aerospace engineers from Blue Origin and SpaceX; philanthropic support has come from individuals such as Jeff Bezos and foundations including Gates Foundation-adjacent philanthropies. Future plans discuss additional public engagement via exhibitions at Smithsonian Institution, educational programs with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, MIT, and potential replication in collaboration with international organizations like UNESCO and European Space Agency.
Category:Clocks Category:Long-term thinking projects