A Thousand Words
Welcome to A Thousand Words, where I share pictures (and ask my readers to share pictures) of what they'd like to see more of in the world.
This week: town clocks. Or, more generally, large timepieces displayed publicly.
I think something was lost when we ceased to glance up at the same clock--or listen to its chimes--to tell the time, essentially communally, instead glancing down at our wristwatch. Not that I hate wristwatches--sometimes one is not within sight of the town clock. As a complementary technology that carries wonderfully personal family associations--one might almost say, family history--watches are excellent. As a replacement for public timepieces, not so much. Of course, now, our super-duper Citizen Tracking Devices tell the time for us, and we don't even need wristwatches.
I see the shift away from public clocks (that actually run and are tended to) as similar to the shift away from public phone booths, though arguably more sentimental (I can't get sentimental about any phone booth but this one):
Turns out Big Ben has been silent for the past three years. It's undergoing a period of restoration that hopefully will end next year. Here are the final "bongs" before it was shut down:
And here's Big Ben AND the TARDIS, at the same time, in one of my favorite scenes from Dr. Who ever:
Steven Moffat, I love you for writing this scene...if there's anything more romantic than dancing to "Moonlight Serenade" immediately in front of the clock face of Big Ben--despite a German air raid!--I don't know what it is.
And finally, probably the funniest and most absurd use of a town clock ever:
Comments
Under the Clocks
Famous meeting point in Melbourne, Australia (I've heard the original analog ones have been
replaced w/digital, unfortunately).
A shout out to Victorians - suffering under one of the most draconian and pointless lockdowns on the planet.
Weddings, Parties, Anything
(from freer times)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZVZeGpD-zk]
Sky News Australia - voices of sanity (FWIW their US election coverage is excellent, also)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibgb5CTlLao]
There's something about Australians that I just love.
They have a pretty terrible government, but I'm living in the biggest glass house in the world, as far as that goes. Especially since their terrible government is, at least in part, due to mine.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Good morning...
A wet one here as Hurricane Zeta comes in. Supposed to be over us 7 AM tomorrow.
I love old clocks. Speaking of old timey, I carry a pocket watch.
Here's a solar clock in Tirano Italy
And a couple of one handed clocks in Switzerland
one in St Moritz
and another on the Thurensee
Time changes this weekend...most people will "fall back". We just go from AL time (slow time) to GA time (fast time). Living here on the time cusp you have to constantly convert.
All the best!
EDIT to add the clock in Bern that inspired Einstein to think about time travel and the speed of light.
(1.5 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCF_g_mgVqk]
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Wow, wow, wow, Lookout!
I didn't know it was a particular clock that inspired Einstein. One wonders if he would have been similarly inspired by a cell phone. Perhaps, given the nature of his mind, he would have.
Those are some beautiful old clocks. I especially love the solar one.
I wonder if you could think of Stonehenge as, essentially, a clock?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Before the day is done,
I will post a picture of the Astrological Clock in Prague.
Clients are knocking at the door...
Damn work!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning, everybody!
I'm selecting my insurance plan for next year this morning, so I'm guessing y'all are probably having a better time than me. I hope so, anyway.
How are you all doing?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Assuming they are maintained and keep good time?
Doess it matter what "time" it "really is" so long as everybody agrees on what time to pretend it is? Publlic Time is just a convention, witness Dastardly Stupid Time. That said:
Hebraic clock in Prague:
Famous Prague town clock(s):
detail 1
detail 2
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I like beautiful old things to be taken care of
and if they're not, people tend to look at them less--at least that's my impression.
But your point stands...
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I do like old things to be maintained and in good
condition, depending upon how they got in bad condition and why, as in antiquities and the like, I just had to do a little promo for standards in naming and describing things since for any thing or event there is no ding an sich to leap out and tell us what it is.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
You saved me the effort!
It a such a delight to see them dance! I remember eating a late lunch on the square at a Brazilian steakhouse-themed restaurant. They served the steak per your order, then you got the veggies and dessert from a buffet table. The place was wonderful, the town square wa just enchanting!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Also, too...
Ooops!
I forgot to say that it's the clocktower at Cliveden House, the Astor home that overlooks the Thames.
(Edited)
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Anybody else hate Daylight Savings Time?
I never liked it much, but it was in place from when I was a little girl, so I was more or less acclimated--as much as you can be. Then George W, the fucker, decided to mess around with it some more and change the dates of the shift from standard to daylight time and back again. Since he switched it to March and November, I'm more or less discombobulated for about a week or two after.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Yes!
I call it "Daylight Wasting Time".
Basically it's designed to force us all to get up an hour earlier. The idea is that you have more daylight hours to use after work. But I'm an introvert, I'm exhausted after being around people, so I need time before work. I wake up at dawn most of the time, and maximizing the space between dawn and being around people is my goal.
Interestingly, I used to have a book containing a reprint of a paper written by Benjamin Franklin about how many candles the new nation could save with Daylight Savings Time.
Maybe we should all get up 2 hours earlier! Or five hours earlier! Maybe get up 24 hours earlier and get a great head start!
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
LMAO!
getting up 24 hours earlier...snicker...
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I'm always surprised by the number of people who like it.
It somewhat shuts us off from the night sky because it doesn't get really dark until obscenely late for those who have a "normal" work and activity schedule. In addition, it screws up the celestial clock. On some arbitrary date sundials are off by an hour and then at another they are correct again. Those who learned to estimte time by the sun and stars have to remember to fudge their estimations during this arbitrary period, or lese just ignore it. The constellations have this nice progression for telling time at night but suddenly the one that is supposed to be on the meridian at 9 pm is somewhere else at that time. And for what?
It's pointless and purposeless, aggravating, causes accidents and tons of busywork. There is evidence that the shift in routine is not good for our health as well.
pfui! I live in GMT-8, that's how my time zone is defined, or UT-8 if one prefers, but never -7.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Brown bagging it without the brown bag
An import from the East, these adorable bento boxes are not only re-usable but introduce children to healthy foods in a charmingly appetizing way. An idea I’d like to see more of in this world.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Thank you, Anja!
Recyclable bento boxes everywhere, For The Win!
I love those damned things and miss them so much. Japanese food is one thing that has dropped out of my life since COVID. Too much of what I like there involves raw fish!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Near Strasbourg in an Alsatian wine town, loved too much.
Strasbourg Rose Limestone Cathedral
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
There’s an astronomical clock inside the cathedral.
I always chuckle when I think about the “Attention au pick-pockets” sign posted by it. The sign’s been there since the mid-1970s although I don’t know if it survived into the new century. Last time I was in Strasbourg was in the mid-1990s.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Wow, it's something. It took four visits to Strasbourg to go
inside the cathedral. Too much gluhvein?
Here is a good link with photos:
Strasbourg Cathedral
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Wow, that's stunning.
I've gotten to the other side of the pond twice, and still there's so very much I've never seen.
Well, it is a continent (plus some islands), so of course I'm too small to be able to encompass it without many many journeys. (Perhaps I wouldn't even then!)
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
hola cstms
hola all
This is a guy I used to work with many years ago.
Amateur Time Hackers Play With Atomic Clocks at Home
https://www.wired.com/2007/12/time-hackers/
Time Hackers Tinker With Their Atomic Toys
https://www.wired.com/2008/01/gallery-time-hackers/
Here's his blog
http://www.diyphysics.com/category/instrumentation/precision-clocks-and-...
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook
Wow, that's wonderful.
Thanks so much for posting the link!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Sorry to disappoint
For years now my time piece has been my cell phone. And morning alarm.
Hey, whatever works.
As John Lennon and Elton John famously said.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Well, that was a fun read. Thanks CSMS.
The engineering and hand machining of clock parts from way back has always got me. People can do amazing things without laser cutters or CNC machines...
And, I'm sure someone thought of it, but noone posted it so I am:
[video:https://youtu.be/QEcTjhUN_7U?t=210]