"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn)
08/13/2013 at 13:30 • Filed to: OTBA
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"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn)
08/13/2013 at 13:30 • Filed to: OTBA | 0
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Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com founder) is helping to fund a project to build a clock that will keep time accurately for at least 10,000 years. It is a very cool project and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! has an excellent write up about it. Also plenty of engineering porn to go around. I've included a picture of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for your viewing pleasure.
The clock is being built into a limestone ridge on Mr. Bezos property. It is overlooking his spaceport. To quote The Big Bang Theory, he is "one lab accident away from being a supervillian".
The design is mechanically powered and will have a capstan so that visitors can wind the clock when they come. There is also be a solar power source that will drive the winding mechanism. Theoretically the design should remain powered for around 100 years even with no sunlight and nobody showing up to wind the clock. The construction is mainly stainless steel and titanium using ceramic bearings. The bearings are similar in material and construction to those used on space vehicles. The ceramic is self lubricating which is pretty essential when you are designing something to run for 10 millennia. The ceramic will also minimize metal to metal contact which would lead to galvanic corrosion in the case of dissimilar metals.
The clock will be built into a shaft sunk into the limestone mountain. It will be on the order of 500 feet tall, and the shaft will have a spiral staircase cut right into the walls. The staircase will be built by a gigantic stone cutting robot saw and will take approximately a year to construct.
The project is being funded and supported by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! whose main goal is to "foster long-term thinking and responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years".
The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
> You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
08/13/2013 at 16:26 |
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Problem solved.
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You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
08/13/2013 at 16:46 |
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But I'd like to keep track of dates too.
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The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
> You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
08/13/2013 at 16:52 |
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Well, I don't plan on sticking around 10,000 years...