Devourer of Time
For those of you who didn’t hear about this when it came out back in September, the Corpus Clock is a large sculpture/clock outside a library at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. It was created by inventor John C. Taylor, unveiled by Stephen Hawking, and recently named one of the Top 50 Inventions of 2008 by Time Magazine.
I, however, think it’s crap.
Don’t get me wrong. Mechanically speaking, the thing is a wonder. And if you want to learn a little about how the clock works, watch the below video where Taylor explains its inner workings.
My problem with the Corpus Clock is this idea of time as a monstrous bug with an insatiable appetite for seconds. Because like Taylor (and Einstein) says, time is relative. Sometimes it passes slowly, other times it flies by. It all depends on what you’re doing.
For example. If you turn a corner into an alley and run into these guys…
Time will move way, way, way too slowly for you.
But if you turn a corner into an alley and instead run into these guys…
Time will go by way, way, WAY too fast.
This is true for your daily life as well. Whether you’re sitting in a cubicle or having dinner with a friend, the passage of time is relative.
Unless of course there’s a giant bug on your wall eating away the seconds with flashing blue lights and a constant tick, tick, tick noise. Then it won’t matter what you’re doing because it will be painfully obvious how quickly time is flying by. Why don’t they just have the grasshopper monster shout out “YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME YOU OLD BASTARD!” as every minute goes by. That should do wonders for productivity. And horrors for peace of mind.
Nope. No thank you. Not for me. Hawking and Taylor can have their devourer of time if they want. But I’ll stick with Faulkner…
“Clocks slay time… time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.”
