The Long Now, now | Brian Eno and Danny Hillis

Brian Eno delivered the first SALT talk exactly ten years ago. He gave The Long Now Foundation its name, contributed in no end of artistic and financial ways, and designed the chimes for the 10,000-year Clock. Danny Hillis instigated and co-founded Long Now and designed its series of Clocks, culminating currently in the 500-foot one being built inside a west Texas mountain. In the course of their collaboration, Eno and Hillis became fast friends.

Thousands of years pass a decade at a time. The idea and works of Long Now have been active for two decades (1/500th of 10,000 years). Between the conception and initial delivery of a deep idea, much transpires. If the idea resonates with people, it gains a life of its own. Allies assemble, and shape things. Public engagement shapes things. Funding or its absence shapes things. Refinements of the idea emerge, branch off, and thrive or don’t. Initial questions metastasize into potent new questions.

Over time, the promotion of “long-term thinking” begins to acquire a bit of its own long term to conjure with. Eno and Hillis have spent 20 years thinking about long-term thinking and building art for it, with ever increasing fascination. What gets them about it?

"The Long Now, now" was given on January 21, 02014 as part of Long Now's Seminar series. The series was started in 02003 to build a compelling body of ideas about long-term thinking from some of the world's leading thinkers. The Seminars take place in San Francisco and are curated and hosted by Stewart Brand. To follow the talks, you can:

The Long Now Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to fostering long-term thinking and responsibility. Our projects include a 10,000 Year Clock, endangered language preservation, thousand year+ data storage, and Long Bets, an arena for accountable predictions.

[patdwyer]

These fellows / gentlemen are really operating outside conformity. Both brilliant. I enjoyed listening. It's not their answers that amaze me, but their questions.

[RufianEmbozado]

That was a really insightful and interesting exchange of ideas! Maybe we'll be able to overcome our stupidity after all. Maybe not. But we can't do anything but try it. At less there are some minds who can think in those terms. So it can be done. On a side note, Brian Eno never fails to amaze me. Some forty years have passed and he always has jewels to share! Un Maestro.

[michaelwoodsmccausland]

Musicians Against Multiple Sclerosis@ Salutes your Artistic Polymath work!
Shine Bright!
MWM

[michaelwoodsmccausland]

Absolutely beautiful the meeting of the Human Holographic Mind’s Eye!
Shine Bright!
MWM

[manuelazacchetti]

!We love You Brian 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛