Explorations in Policing, Faith and Life (With a hint of humor, product reviews, news and whatever catches my attention)

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Corpus Clock & Chronophage


I heard about this clock and it has a relevance for Christians. The Bible is consistently telling us the time is near and do not assume that you have many hours remaining. I believe the inventor of this clock understands that, even to the point of having it vary its minute cycle so that they are non-standard and then corrected every five minutes.

I put the video link on the right it is narrated by the inventor himself-worth seeing.

Matthew 24:42-44

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

1 Corinthians 7:29

What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;

About the Clock

Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, England – A $1.8 million "time eater" – a clock that has no hands and no digital numbers, and speeds up and slows down – was unveiled at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge on Friday.

At the top: A demonic grasshopper tops the gold-plated clock, named the Chronophage. The beast – with its long needle teeth and barbed tail – rocks back and forth, finally sticking its talons in notches at the top of the clock to move it forward. The grasshopper's jaws snap shut at 59 seconds devouring time, said John Taylor, who designed the clock and donated it to the library.

A little history: Inside the clock is a mechanical device that helps regulate movement. Called the grasshopper escapement, it was invented by John Harrison in 1725.

No cuckoo: The clock relies on the clanking of a chain that falls into a coffin, which then loudly bangs closed to mark the hours.

Loved or feared: At the ceremony, famed scientist Stephen Hawking predicted the creature atop the clock would become "a much-loved, and possibly feared, addition to Cambridge's cityscape."


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