Name: The Long Now
Uploaded: 2008-11-17T07:16:00Z
Duration: 23 min 9 s
Description: Stewart Brand works on the Clock of the Long Now, a timepiece that counts down the next 10,000 years. It's a beautiful project that asks us to think about the far, far future. Here, he discusses a tricky side problem with the Clock: Where can we put it?

Stewart Brand works on the Clock of the Long Now, a timepiece that counts down the next 10,000 years. It's a beautiful project that asks us to think about the far, far future. Here, he discusses a tricky side problem with the Clock: Where can we put it?

The Long Now

Imagining a clock that will last 10,000 years requires a radical shift to long-term thinking. Seeking a safe home for this monumental timepiece, the project team explored remote desert mountains and discovered bristlecone pines that have been alive for 5,000 years. They learned that while buildings crumble, mountains endure, leading them to design architecture that carves into stone rather than piling it up. The mountain itself becomes the clock's guardian, teaching lessons about endurance, invisibility, and respect for deep time.