Milliongenerations:Stone clock project

Project idea

Try building a stone clock, a line that slowly winds its way through the streets of the city. Or between cities, or...

Obtain some backing and means that make it likely that the project can continue for at least a couple of years. Convince whoever is responsible for the streets in the city of the plan, or who owns the land. Better: engage them in the project.

Plan a route. It should be likely that the route will still be walkable some time in the future.

Replace a cobblestone with another one of similar size but different color. That can have its date engraved, or artists could have shaped it. (Or if there's no street with cobblestones, place a stone in the ground where none yet is, better know how to).

Every week, the same day of the week replace another cobblestone next to the previous one to create a line. Very slowly, a few meters or feet per year. If your backers have a lot of funds and enthousiasm you might be tempted to do one a day, but be sure you have a reasonable chance to keep it up.

Put a board next to the stones to tell people when this line is expected to go where. (e.g., 'If we continue, in 1,000 years this will reach the dome')

Ask e.g., local artists or businesses or politicians to sponsor, make or place a stone or a board. Communicate.

Keep doing it for as long as possible and make the project independent from any particular person as soon as possible.

Realize that the stone clock is very vulnerable to vandalism, as well as neglect. Broad support might give it a chance to continue.

Motivation

Why?

This was inspired by Danny Hillis' 10,000 year clock. Greg Blonder's TiWalkMe Ten Thousand Year Forest was found later but provides important inspiration and is much closer conceptually.

Obviously, this 'stone clock' line only tells the week rather than the time.

In contrast to Hillis' automatic clock, this 'stone clock' also requires people and their will and means to continue to tend to it. It requires continued determination and regular work to keep 'alive', and is thus more similar to the TiWalkMe Escapement, which consists of living plants, adding extra dimensions, but also expense.

To last, civilization, too, might need constant care and attention. It's for posterity that we strive, to pass on our genes, or just in the hope that someone will continue to be there and realize that life is wonderful. The continued effort becomes the monument: not only our effort but the continued effort of those after us. Worth a try.

Similar efforts, to support, build on, cooperate with or be inspired by

• Danny Hillis' 10,000 year clock built by the LongNow Foundation
• Greg Blonder's TiWalkMe Escapement, a Ten Thousand Year Forest - Timepiece
• John Cage planned his composition ORGAN2/ASLSP (as slow as possible) to last 639 years. A performance in Halberstadt Germany was begun in 2001.
• TiWalkMe's site has links to related efforts