Everybody leaves off Pluto. This eight foot tall model of the solar system is part of the Long Now project which started around the idea that people think and act in timeframes which are very short. This orrery and a clock are designed around a 10,000 year life span in order to start people thinking about the long term.
However the object itself I find to be a bit of a tech fetish item, a modern worship of metallurgy and craftsmanship that bears a definite 2nd Millenium stamp.
Details about it can be found here and if you are ever in Fort Mason along San Francisco's waterfront you can drop in and see it put into action by one of the curators.
Comments (1)
The orrery is fascinating. I did not know that anyone was commissioning works like this since before the Russian Revolution. The picture is very good. If this is your photograph I would like your permission to add it to my site - www.The-Thinking-Edge.com.
I also enjoyed the other articles and confess to wasting 15 minutes of precious time that I will never get back reading about Rat Bikes. Thanks again.
Now - something for you to take a look at if you haven't already discovered it. The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. See it to believe it http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkirk/falkirkwheel/. A very interesting engineering project.
Regards,
Kevin
Posted by Kevin Farrell | December 7, 2008 6:46 AM
Posted on December 7, 2008 06:46