In 01995, computer scientist Danny Hillis wrote,

“I want to build a clock that ticks once a year. The century hand advances once every one hundred years, and the cuckoo comes out on the millennium. I want the cuckoo to come out every millennium for the next 10,000 years.”    

Hillis believed that a clock with such a peculiarly long view of time would engender discussions on long-term thinking, something sorely lacking in our society. Not long after the initial essay, The Long Now Foundation was formed by a group of visionary thinkers to make it a reality. In 01999 a prototype was completed.

One of the things that I’ve always loved about this clock, besides its eccentric execution of a profound insight, is its five-digit years. Nothing more than an extra zero (0) forces an interesting leap of thought and a farther horizon.Ever since I’ve been able, I’ve modified the clock on my computer desktop to remind me of the Long Now.