Ep. 14 - The Persistent Sundial: From Ancient Egypt to Space

Ep. 16 - Time and Culture

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!

Ep. 15 - The Water Clock and the Invention of Time

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 Show: Sundials in Space

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

Ep. 14 - The Persistent Sundial: From Ancient Egypt 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!

Preview: Sundials

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