Time. Again.

I've been writing a blog for over 12 years, and I've covered a lot of material - some of which I don't even remember. So I come back to a theme then and again. And sometimes, I just rerun something I've written before because, you know, why reinvent the wheel. And that's what I'm going to do today. Maybe it will seem new to you like it did to me.:)

In the first post of this year, on New Year's Day, I started to write about time and its passage. However, I ran out of time and energy to do the research I needed for the post, so I punted and promised a post about it later. Well, you know what? I did a post about time a few years ago. And while it does not cover everything I promised in my January post, it does bring up some interesting points about time. 

Without further ado, here is one from the files.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2017

Time Flies, Sometimes

I turned around yesterday and realized that, somehow, it was the end of October. How could that be? In my mind, I just finished July. Time is a funny thing. It's a constant but seems to speed up and slow down at different times. How does that work? I stumbled across an article that gives insight into this question.

It all relates to how we process things in our brain, according to a study done in Munich, Germany, and reported by Scientific American. Researchers interviewed 499 people aged 14-94 about their perception of time. They found that in short durations up to a year, for all ages, time seems to go fast--especially when they were having fun. The difference came when time was examined in retrospect. Time from childhood went slowly, while time from later years (over 40) went much faster.

Here's how the researchers explained this phenomenon. The brain lays down memories for novel experiences. However, it doesn't do that for familiar ones. So when you experience a lot of new things, like everything in childhood, there are a lot of memories to go with that time period. However, when you experience fewer new things, like much of adulthood, you have fewer memories. So the same time period can seem either long or short depending on how many memories you have associated with it.

I'm not sure this explains how time seemed to jump from July to October, but it does explain some other things, like why I remember and quote more things from my childhood than any other time. This subject needs more examination. When I have time. :)

Do you notice time in different ways?

Time for "Happy New Year"

 

"Again, time elapsed."
― Carolyn Keene, The Secret of the Old Clock

Happy New Year!

Another year, another week, another day. Time is such an interesting thing. We use it to keep track of things as they pass, and sometimes, it's important, and sometimes, it's not. Some people can keep track of it easily, some can't. In some countries, the trains run on time. In other countries, they don't.

It has been measured using different standards by different cultures. 

Well, I was going to develop this post with interesting anecdotes (Wally and Theo stories) and with scholarly and philosophical ideas about time. I was going to discuss how different cultures use time (stories about Ward's background and mine). And I was going to finish up with a quiz about time.

But you know what? That takes a lot of thinking, and I'm not in the mood to tax my brain right now. 😀 Not to mention that it's time to go drop off one of Wally and Theo's gifts that Ward made. I'll show it in another post.

So until then, I hope you are having a relaxing day and thinking about all of the great possibilities ahead in 2024.

Time Flies, Sometimes

I turned around yesterday and realized that some how, it was the end of October. How could that be? In my mind, I just finished July. Time is a funny thing. It's a constant, but it seems to speed up and slow down at different times. How does that work? I stumbled across an article that gives a little insight to this question.

It all relates to the way we process things in our brain, according to a study done in Munich, Germany and reported by Scientific American. Researchers interviewed 499 people from ages 14-94 about their perception of time.They found that in short durations up to a year, for all ages, time seems to go fast--especially when they were having fun. The difference seemed to come when time was examined in retrospect. Time from childhood seemed to have gone slowly, while time from later years (over 40) seemed to go much faster.

Here's how the researchers explained this phenomenon. The brain lays downs memories for novel experiences. However, it doesn't do that for familiar ones. So when you experience a lot of new things, like everything in childhood, there are a lot of memories to go with that time period. However, when you experience fewer new things, like much of adulthood, you have fewer memories. So the same time period can seem either long or short depending on how many memories you have associated with it.

I'm not sure this explains how time seemed to jump from July to October, but it does explain some other things like why I remember and quote more things from my childhood that any other time. This subject needs more examination. When I have time. :)

Do you notice time in different ways?

Late or Early?

or Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

I am generally on time or at least I try to be. I am pretty good at estimating how long something will take and as long as I have a clock around, I can usually make it to wherever I want to be on time. I have two clocks that I depend on to help me with this--the clock above the door to the garage and the clock in my car. One tells me when it's time to leave and the other lets me know how I am doing in traffic. With these trusty clocks, I am usually on time or a little early. That is until recently. Some how they both started to be off unbeknownst to me.

First I discovered the car clock was not telling me the time I thought it was. Over the years, it had gradually gained time so that it was several minutes fast. In reality the amount of time had not changed, but I liked to think that I had "extra" time when I checked this clock. However, one day, I found my "extra" time had disappeared. I was dropping Wally off at work and he was a couple of minutes late. I told him not to worry because the clock was fast. He told me that it wasn't anymore. He and Theo had set it to the correct time for me, BUT, they somehow neglected to tell me. So all of those times that I thought I had been right on time, I had been late. I appreciate the effort they made in helping me, but darn, I needed to know about it.

Next I discovered that the clock over the door was not correct either. This clock supposedly calibrated itself every couple of minutes with the atomic clock in Colorado. I never questioned its time and until recently, I didn't have to. However, I noticed that all of the TV programs were coming on "early" and I started paying attention to it. I discovered that it had had been losing time and was running slowly. So all of those times I thought I was leaving on time, I was actually leaving late. No wonder, the commutes seemed to be taking longer than they usually did. I was leaving later than I thought.

For now, all of my clocks have been fixed and are showing the correct time. If I'm late or early for something, it is of my own doing--not because I didn't know what time it is. If this clock confusion keeps up, however, I may have to join the rest of the 21st century and use my phone to see what time it is. However, that means that I would have to charge it regularly--something that eludes me at this point. But that's another story.

Are you one who is always early or always late? Do you set your clock ahead so you will be on time?

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But Wait, There's More
 In case anyone wants to take a walk down memory lane with Chicago's Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, here's a You Tube link.