Stewart Brand's Blog, page 118

Frank Gavin, "Five Ways to Use History Well"

History-savvy Policy

Why do policy makers and historians shun each other? Gavin observed that policy people want actionable information, certainty, and simple explanations. Meanwhile historians revel in nuance, distrust simple explanations and also distrust power and those who seek it. Thus historians keep themselves irrelevant, and policy makers keep their process ignorant.

Gavin proposed five key concepts from history that can inform understanding and improve policy dramatically…

Read the...

Martin Rees Ticket Info

The Long Now Foundation's monthly Seminars About Long-term Thinking presents Martin Rees on "Life's Future in the Cosmos "Monday August 2, 02010 at 7:30 pm at The Chabot Space and Science Center in OaklandLong Now Members can reserve 1 seat, join today!or you can purchase tickets for $10 each.

About this Seminar:
President of the Royal Society, England's Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees brings a lifetime of cosmological inquiry to a crucial question: What if human success on Earth determines l...

Elise Boulding on the "200-year present"

Boulding's long-present anticipated our Long Now. It is a reminder that the core concept of being in the middle of history, rather than it's beginning or end is a useful concept at multiple time frames, whether very long or very short.

"A favorite concept of mine is the 200-year present, a way of thinking about change. The 200-year present began 100 years ago with the year of birth of the people who have reach their hundredth birthday today. The other boundary of the 200-year present...

Long Now at Wikimania 02010 in Gdansk Poland

Dr. Laura Welcher and Dr. Kurt Bollacker of Long Now will be speaking at this year's Wikimania conference in Gdansk Poland over the weekend of July 9 – 11, 02010 on the creation of a new Language Commons Wiki.

Wikimania is a conference for users of the wiki projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Topics of presentations and discussions include Wikimedia Foundation projects, other wikis, open source software, and free content.

Attendance is €15 per day, or €40 for all three days and you c...

Long Now and Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura, "a compendium of the world's wonders, curiosities and esoterica" in collaboration with Long Now has created a new category just for us called Long Now Locations.

The Long Now Locations serve as a compendium and ongoing collection of objects and places that exhibit long-term thinking, intended or not. Along with the character of Atlas Obscura, many of the Long Now Locations are also mysterious and curious in nature.

Ranging from items that were created with a long-term mindset...

Jesse Schell Ticket Info

The Long Now Foundation's monthly Seminars About Long-term Thinking presents Jesse Schell on "Visions of the Gamepocalypse"Tuesday July 27, 02010 at 7:30 pm at the Novellus Theater in San FranciscoLong Now Members can reserve 2 seats, join today!or you can purchase tickets for $10 each.

About this Seminar:
Games perpetually revolutionize computer use toward denser interaction with the human mind. To do that, they perpetually revolutionize themselves. Understanding the next frontiers of the...

Long Now Media Update

There is new media available from our monthly series, the Seminars About Long-term Thinking. Stewart Brand's summaries and audio downloads or podcasts of the talks are free to the public; Long Now members can view HD video of the Seminars and comment on them.

Watch the video of Ed Moses's "Clean Fusion Power This Decade"

21st Century Cabinet of Curiosities Art Exhibit

The opening of SFMOMA Artist's Gallery's new show, Wondrous Strange: A 21st Century Cabinet of Curiosities is the impetus for an evening to explore ideas about time though art, whimsy, music and mechanics.

Artwork (from left to right) by Jo Ann Biagini, Sharon Beals and Michele Muennig

From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on July 22, 02010 join Long Now and the SFMOMA Artist's Gallery as we open both venues and close off the adjoining street to delve deep into the Wunderkammer installation in the...

Alexander Rose on StimulusTV

Long Now's Executive Director Alexander Rose will be presenting a live webinar on StimulusTV.com.  The broadcast is hosted by Steven Latham and will last about 30 minutes.  is free and open to the public.

What will happen in the next 10,000 years?

Tuesday, June 29th, 02010

4:00 – 4:30 pm PST

StimulusTV.com

Pendulum, Escapement Prototypes Installed in Museum

photos by Contessa Trujillo

After it's initial public appearance at this year's Maker Faire followed by an evening at the Exploratorium, the escapement, circular pendulum and Clock face were installed at our Long Now Museum and Store at Fort Mason Center and can be viewed seven days a week – just check our website first for our hours.

About the escapement, circular pendulum and Clock face:

This pendulum and escapement represent a snapshot of our development process in timekeeping for the...