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FACING TIME

Program 09-03-15-A

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On a remote high desert mountain top in Eastern Nevada they're building a clock. But not just any clock – a monument sized all mechanical clock that will run for ten thousand years. It's built as an icon to long-term thinking. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we'll face time. We'll talk with the engineer of The Clock of the Long Now. Also, speed dialing be damned – we'll praise slow with Carl Honore. And, the physics of time travel. It's closer then you think.

SEGMENT 1:

Alexander Rose tells Anne Strainchamps about the Clock of the Long Now - an all mechanical clock being constructed in the high desert of Eastern Nevada designed to run for ten thousand years. There are pictures here, and we hear the chime, designed by Brian Eno and Danny Hillis, for the 5,000th year. Also, David Toomey is the author of "The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics." Toomey tells Steve Paulson about the research and experiments on time travel being done by some of the world's leading theoretical physicists.

SEGMENT 2:

Lera Auerbach is a renowned classical pianist and composer. In her autobiographical novel, "The Mirror," she reveals that she has lived most of her life in terror of time. She tells Jim Fleming how her obsession with time has impacted her life in music, and we hear examples of her literary and musical achievements.

SEGMENT 3:

The unofficial godfather of the Slowness movement, Carl Honore has turned his attention to parenting with his latest book, "Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-parenting." Honore talks with Anne Strainchamps about how the Slowness movement got started and how it's developed into a revolution. Also, anthropologist Wade Davis talks with Steve Paulson about the concept of "The Dreaming" from the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. It's an existence with no linear time. Davis is National Geographic's Explorer-in-Residence and the author of many books, including the now classic, "The Serpent and the Rainbow." And, we hear a brief excerpt of Leif Inge's "9BeetStretch" -Beethoven's 9th Symphony stretched out over 24 hours. The whole thing is streamed at http://www.park.nl/park_cms/public/index.php?thisarticle=118.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 09-03-15-A.

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Books & CDs:

Carl Honore, In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed (Orion Press)
David Toomey, The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics (Norton Press)
Lera Auerbach, The Mirror	(not available)

Websites:

• To hear more of Lera Auerbach’s music: http://www.leraauerbach.com/content/compositions_listen.html
• For more on the Slow Movement:
  http://www.carlhonore.com/
• For more on Aboriginal Dream Time: http://blog.ted.com/2008/09/wade_davis_repo.php
• For more on The Clock of the Long Now: http://www.longnow.org/projects/clock/
• Some cool Clock of the Long Now images:
  http://www.longnow.org/projects/clock/prototype1/
• Website for 9 Beet Stretch
  http://www.park.nl/park_cms/public/index.php?thisarticle=118

Music:

• After the Alexander Rose’s interview about The Clock of the Long Now we played a chime from the clock. The chime was designed by designed by Danny Hillis and Brian Eno. The chime we heard was used by permission of The Long Now Foundation. To hear more similar sounds check out Brian Eno’s CD titled “January 07003” that was inspired by The Clock of the Long Now’s chimes.
• After David Toomey interview about the physics of time travel we played a loop from Star Trek. It’s from Orbital’s so-called “Brown Album” on BMI. The track is called “Time Becomes.”
• After Carl Honore’s Slowness Movement interview we played a looped sample of “even a stopped clock shows the right time twice a day.” It’s from Orbital’s so-called “Brown Album” on BMI. The track is called “Planet of the Shapes.”
  We also heard a sample of “Monday” from Orbital’s so-called “Brown Album” on BMI.
• After Wade Davis’s interview about Aboriginal Dream Time we heard Woomera play “Arrinyenin Apurta” from their CD called “Traditional Aboriginal Music.”
• At the end of the show we heard Leif Inge’s “9BeetStretch.” Used by permission of the composer.
• During Lera Auerbach’s interview we heard the following samples of her following compostions (all used by permission of Lera Auerbach):
  Requiem for Icarus
  After the End of Time
  Dialogue With Time
• And, special thanks to Free Sound for the great clocks ticking used at the top of our show. You can check out their free sounds at http://www.freesound.org.

Distribution dates: week of 10/10/2010 - hour 2 week of 03/15/2009 - hour 1 click HERE for timings and cues

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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