In this episode, we ask: what did timekeeping devices do to culture? We contemplate an underlying theme of the show: whether man's obsession with time (and its subdivision) resulting in its commoditization is a good thing. But the main focus of the show is to look at the cultural paths that became available after the invention of timekeeping devices.

First, we review the "clock-time," time-obsessed culture that predominates western culture, and how that path began in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Second, we discuss the alternate cultural path of event time, where cultures focus more on interactions and events than strict adherence to clocks. Third, we consider how time has personally affected our lives and provide some research examples of the effects of event time vs. clock time.

Finally, Greg fantasizes about a world without time stress and points out that event time may give some of us a more fulfilling way to live our lives. There are a bunch of fun examples of how different cultures live with time…so grab a comfy chair and enjoy the show.

(00:01) Introduction.
(02:40) Show theme.
(04:42) The rundown.
(08:14) SECTION 1: THE SUNDIAL AS A FORK IN THE ROAD OF CULTURAL TIME PATHS.
(08:56) Basics of clock time.
(13:15) Basics of event time.
(16:05) SECTION 2: CLOCK TIME AND WESTERN CULTURE.
(21:00) Early effects of timekeeping on Western culture.
(25:15) The effect of the sundial on ancient Egypt.
(33:05) Greg on time making life hectic and red lights in Miami.
(35:40) The effects of timekeeping on the Greeks and Romans, and vice versa.
(43:05) Roman playwright explains time is awful.
(45:25) Timekeeping: stress vs. progress.
(50:00) SECTION 3: EVENT TIME.
(50:46) How event time fits into the science of “social time.”
(60:28) Understanding event time.
(64:07) “Trinidad time” vs. “time is money.”
(67:24) Anecdotes of event time begin here.
(68:34) Rural life and event time in Burundi.
(72:57) Anecdotes from Madagascar, Nigeria, and Mexico.
(75:08) Anecdotes from India.
(76:45) Prof. Robert Levine and event time in Brazil.
(78:54) Summation on event time vs. clock time.
(80:23) SECTION 4: CULTURAL EFFECTS OF TIME.
(80:38) Greg’s thoughts on clock vs. event time.
(81:40) A world without a greatest country?
(83:48) Research on event time benefits in a modern context.
(86:29) Leave the Matrix and stop and smell the roses.
(91:51) Julia’s childhood home and event time.
(94:33) END OF SHOW.
(94:57) Julia’s big takeaway.
(96:50) Greg’s summation: the invention of time keeps growing.
(1:45:24) Ike!

In this episode, we discuss the water clock (its path from the ancient Egyptian version through Greece and Rome). We discuss the water clock as the answer to providing indoor, sunless time that can be synced with a sundial. We look at improvements made by the Greeks, including making water clocks effective at keeping seasonal hours. We take a detour to learn about early alarm clocks and look at modern incarnations of the water clock. Greg gives his thoughts on time being man’s most important invention and learns that he has to give up his dream of being the next Walter Cronkite, while Julia becomes a convert to seasonal hours.

TIME STAMPS

(00:01) Introduction.

(06:40) The rundown.

(09:44) How does the water clock work?

(13:40) Theme of today’s story.

(15:30) Who invented the water clock?

(29:39) Making a water clock work with seasonal hours

(30:50) Why days are 24 hours long.

(38:00) How can you make a water clock match seasonal hours on a sundial?

(40:30) How a water clock works in an 18 second nutshell.

(42:13) Ancient Greek changes to the water clock.

(43:10) Origin of the Name Clepsydra.

(43:54) Ctesibius  makes the most accurate clock for 2 millennia.

(49:50) The decision to stick with seasonal hours.

(52:44) Controversy about Egyptian water clock accuracy.

(58:36) Greg’s theory on how to calibrate an ancient water clock.

(65:15) Review to this point.

(66:36) Detour: the alarm clock.

(75:20) Water clocks today.

(78:57) End of show stuff.
(79:17) Julia’s big takeaway

(80:16) Greg’s summation: time as the most important invention.

(85:30) Ike!

Excerpt from the main show on sundials where we tell the story of sundials that made their way to space.

In this episode, we kick off our series on timekeepingdevices. The journey starts with the first known sundials discovered in Egypt. Then we visit ancient Greece and Rome, and the Renaissance, to learn about later developments. We stop in India, where the largest sundial ever built resides. Finally, we discover modern uses for sundials, including why they are being used in space.

TIMESTAMPS
(00:01) Series introduction: the obsession with time and time-keeping devices.
(11:28) Theme of series: the effect of time.
(12:02) The rundown.
(17:18) Timekeeping before sundials.
(21:17) Who invented the sundial, and how does it work?
(24:35) EGYPTIAN SUNDIALS INTRO
(26:32) Flat “pie-shaped” sundial.
(29:50) Early sundial “math” and time.
(32:37) Early sundial uses and accuracy.
(35:34) Importance of “flat” Valley of the Kings sundial discovery.
(39:55) “L”-shaped sundial.
(43:30) Early sundials kept seasonal hours.
(44:39) How “L”-shaped sundial worked.
(46:50) Why seasonal hours?
(50:42) Accuracy of ancient sundials compared to modern standards.
(51:48) LATER SUNDIALS INTRO
(53:40) Ancient Roman and Greek sundials (improvements and art).
(56:10) The Earth is round.
(58:09) Fun Renaissance sundials and improvements.
(62:00) Vikings!
(64:09) Ring-sized sundials.
(65:22) Giant sundial: the Samrat Yantra.
(69:38) MODERN USES OF SUNDIALS INTRO
(71:47) Calibrating mechanical clocks.
(73:57) Modern usage review.
(76:16) Sundials in space! (a touching tale of culture and science)
(81:40) SHOW WRAP-UP
(82:09) Julia’s big takeaway.
(85:12) Greg’s summation.
(86:55) Ike!

Introduction to the Sundial Episode, the first in our series on timekeeping devices.

(00:00:00) Intro on the state of extended reality
(00:09:04) Intro on Facebook
(00:10:33) A man named Luckey and his Oculus — the origin story of the Meta Quest
(00:20:50) Mark Z buys the Oculus, gets super excited about the Metaverse, and explains how great it will be
(00:26:35) What you can do in the Metaverse
(00:33:30) The scope of Meta's investment in the Metaverse
(00:41:00) Opinion on why the Quest and Metaverse just aren't good enough
(00:48:02) Meta appears to start shifting its focus from the Quest to AI glasses
(00:53:41) Assessing the world of extended reality
(01:03:28) Thoughts on what it will take to make XR a cultural phenomenon
(01:12:20) Show closing
(01:17:30) Post show

The Meta Quest is the gateway to the Metaverse. It is amazing. But is it amazing enough? For this excerpt episode, we extracted from our extended reality series the story of Facebook's Metaverse from the beginning, when a man named Luckey created his Oculus VR headset, through his selling it for 2 billion dollars to Facebook, and then explore Mark Zuckerberg's vision of, and obsession with, the Metaverse, which he claimed would change the world. We also look at the hardware of the Quest, why it isn't becoming a cultural phenomenon, and what it would take to get everyone into the "Matrix".

The 10th episode celebration is finally here....in episode 13! In this Informatorium special, we head to Informatorium 22, where Julia and Ike participate in the exciting game show “Real or Not Real,” hosted by Philip A. Huxley. As contestants, they have to guess whether a bunch of cool-sounding items, like hoverboards and AR contact lenses, are actually real. And then there is a fun final round about movie synopses.

It’s a really great episode; hope you enjoy it. Thanks for visiting.

What does it take to make XR a cultural phenomenon?
Today we review Google Glass, the Microsoft HoloLens, and the Meta Quest. What do they do? How do you use them? Are they successful devices? What were the pros and cons?
Plus, the story of a man named Luckey and the device he sold to Facebook for billions of dollars.
Then, Facebook becomes Meta and tries to dominate the world with its Metaverse.
Finally, Greg and Julia give their thoughts on the state and future of XR.

In this episode, Greg and Julia dig into the histories to piece together a timeline of the XR origin story. This includes stories about the Sensorama, the Telesphere Mask, the Link Trainer, Pygmalion’s Spectacles, Ivan Sutherland’s “Ultimate Display” and his actual display (which is not called the Sword of Damocles), as well as VPL Research and their VR glove and display. We also take a fun detour into what you could do with computers in 1965.

In this episode, we kick off our series on extended reality (virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality) with a discussion of the terminology (XR, VR, MR, AR) and the basics of the hardware (stereoscopy, head-mounted displays, etc.). Greg and Julia also cover reading newspapers, going to McDonald’s, and the decline of Starbucks.