Live data from Hacker News

Here is today

hereistoday.com

61–70 of 116 posts

Re: Here is today

#63

This reminded me of something I saw at the Science Museum in London a few years ago. A round clock face is used to represent the history of the earth and a narrator tells us the geological events that happen as the clock hands travels around the clock face. At a few seconds to midnight, we're told this is when humans appear. I thought it was a clever way of illustrating how human history occupies such a tiny segment…

One of the first couple of episodes of Cosmos (maybe the first?) has a similar thing to convey the scale of time in our existence in the universe. Pretty cool.

Re: Here is today

#64

This reminded me of something I saw at the Science Museum in London a few years ago. A round clock face is used to represent the history of the earth and a narrator tells us the geological events that happen as the clock hands travels around the clock face. At a few seconds to midnight, we're told this is when humans appear. I thought it was a clever way of illustrating how human history occupies such a tiny segment…

Rather than place the present day at midnight on the clock, how about placing the present day on the current value given by the Doomsday Clock [1]. Then, with a little arithmetic, you can label midnight with the projected date of Doomsday :)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Clock

Re: Here is today

#68
post #46
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here. These sort of time scales should really make us humble and question the meaning of "making a dent in the universe" or taking our legacies too seriously.

"Dent" is not something large, and doesn't have to be a conscious memory. A tree you plant won't remember you.

Plant ten and you have a forest.

Re: Here is today

#69
.. and here is us, destroying millions of years life, in what is a split of a second in comparison. We are undertaking the greatest mass extinction of all times.

Re: Here is today

#70
post #69

.. and here is us, destroying millions of years life, in what is a split of a second in comparison. We are undertaking the greatest mass extinction of all times.

That’s kind of melodramatic. The universe will be just fine without humans, or even our tiny planet Earth.
Post reply on HN