Putting time in perspective

[TIG]

Source: http://www.waitbutwhy.com/2013/08/putting-time-in-perspective.html

Putting Time In Perspective

Humans are good at a lot of things, but putting time in perspective is not one of them. It's not our fault—the spans of time in human history, and even more so in natural history, are so vast compared to the span of our life and recent history that it's almost impossible to get a handle on it. If the Earth formed at midnight and the present moment is the next midnight, 24 hours later, modern humans have been around since 11:59:59pm—1 second. And if human history itself spans 24 hours from one midnight to the next, 14 minutes represents the time since Christ.​

To try to grasp some perspective, I mapped out the history of time as a series of growing timelines—each timeline contains all the previous timelines (colors will help you see which timelines are which). All timeline widths are exactly accurate to the amount of time they're expressing.​

A note on dates: When it comes to the far-back past, most of the dates we know are the subject of ongoing debate. For these timelines, it's cumbersome to put a ~ sign before every ancient date or an asterisk explaining that the date is still being debated, so I just used the most widely accepted dates and left it at that.​

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Source: http://www.waitbutwhy.com/2013/08/putting-time-in-perspective.html

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[Keleynal]

For the sake of the premise, I'll accept the facts as you outlined them to be true. Personally, I am skeptical of the timeline going backward from 3,500 BC, but that's for another time, I think.

What I find interesting is that things (by "things," I mean significant advances in history) seem to be spaced closer together now than they were in the past. For example, time from big bang to solar system- really, REALLY long time. Then life appearing- still a long time, but not as long. Mammals, again, not as long. Mammals to man, you get it. And so forth. Is this really happening, or is it just a fallacy of perspective?

 

[TIG]

I just found this, didn't write it myself. The author does say that the dates are just the most widely accepted because there is much argument about which things happened when. Some things like the earliest found writings and documented history should be pretty spot on.

As far as stuff going faster now than in the past, you have to realize that is the difference between carbon based life systems and just matter forming. Life happens fast and burns out fast on a universal scale. It just makes it more amazing that we are even here and able to be alive in the sweet spot of the universe's timeline.

 

[tr1age]

We are on the road to regenerative beings. Sadly all of us will be dead by then

 

[Keleynal]

We are on the road to regenerative beings. Sadly all of us will be dead by then

I know that guy!

 

[ToxicAsF]

Ha, giant rainbow for pre-universe. That amused me most, but this kind of thinking isn't new

 

[Keleynal]

Ha, giant rainbow for pre-universe. That amused me most, but this kind of thinking isn't new

Yeah, big, giant question marks before Creation (or Big Bang, if you prefer). I'm of the opinion that there was a time when nothing existed, not even empty space. Or time, for that matter.

 

[dainjre]

I don't believe time is linear. Think I'm crazy? Look at an analog clock.

 

[ToxicAsF]

Yeah, big, giant question marks before Creation (or Big Bang, if you prefer). I'm of the opinion that there was a time when nothing existed, not even empty space. Or time, for that matter.

I often thing very similar thoughts. The thought of "when did time begin" or "how exactly did matter become to be" is just mind boggling. I can understand the thought process of Creation, but I need more than faith to believe (and I am not knocking that thought process at all). I mean, it's so vague to think of, nothing concrete to sink your teeth into, so your mind just starts to wonder on the "how" and "why". I've been lost in these thoughts for decades now.

I don't believe time is linear. Think I'm crazy? Look at an analog clock.

What if, now hear me out, time is just a value of perception. My minute last a minute in my time, but your minute may actually be longer or shorter than my perceived minute. I do not believe that these values are actually solidified as a universal measurement, but actually as a perceptual measurement that can be captured by outside measures as similar (such as clocks, or sun/moon cycles).

I think this is how the "Time flies when you're having fun" seems to occur, that it time has literally "sped up" on our perception of it, and why it takes longer when we are waiting for it to go faster. If anything, this becomes further solidified in the thought of athletes able to "control time" in moments of extreme tension (a batter swinging at a pitch in baseball and can see the ball clearly).

Imagine if you could willingly create that perception of time, and balance it to your will. Intellectual perception of time may vary from person to person, and further able to fluctuate it within your perception to an X degree.

 

[Keleynal]

I often thing very similar thoughts. The thought of "when did time begin" or "how exactly did matter become to be" is just mind boggling. I can understand the thought process of Creation, but I need more than faith to believe (and I am not knocking that thought process at all). I mean, it's so vague to think of, nothing concrete to sink your teeth into, so your mind just starts to wonder on the "how" and "why". I've been lost in these thoughts for decades now.


What if, now hear me out, time is just a value of perception. My minute last a minute in my time, but your minute may actually be longer or shorter than my perceived minute. I do not believe that these values are actually solidified as a universal measurement, but actually as a perceptual measurement that can be captured by outside measures as similar (such as clocks, or sun/moon cycles).

I think this is how the "Time flies when you're having fun" seems to occur, that it time has literally "sped up" on our perception of it, and why it takes longer when we are waiting for it to go faster. If anything, this becomes further solidified in the thought of athletes able to "control time" in moments of extreme tension (a batter swinging at a pitch in baseball and can see the ball clearly).

Imagine if you could willingly create that perception of time, and balance it to your will. Intellectual perception of time may vary from person to person, and further able to fluctuate it within your perception to an X degree.

I've had this same kind of thought about our senses. What if what we see and hear is different from what others see and hear? Maybe what I call green looks like red to you, but we both call it green because it is green. Just a different green for both of us. How would we know?

 

[Grimnar40k]

Yeah, big, giant question marks before Creation (or Big Bang, if you prefer). I'm of the opinion that there was a time when nothing existed, not even empty space. Or time, for that matter.

something from nothing, think that's called "creation". not sure that works out well with scientific method, something from nothing that is.

I often thing very similar thoughts. The thought of "when did time begin" or "how exactly did matter become to be" is just mind boggling. I can understand the thought process of Creation, but I need more than faith to believe (and I am not knocking that thought process at all). I mean, it's so vague to think of, nothing concrete to sink your teeth into, so your mind just starts to wonder on the "how" and "why". I've been lost in these thoughts for decades now.


What if, now hear me out, time is just a value of perception. My minute last a minute in my time, but your minute may actually be longer or shorter than my perceived minute. I do not believe that these values are actually solidified as a universal measurement, but actually as a perceptual measurement that can be captured by outside measures as similar (such as clocks, or sun/moon cycles).

I think this is how the "Time flies when you're having fun" seems to occur, that it time has literally "sped up" on our perception of it, and why it takes longer when we are waiting for it to go faster. If anything, this becomes further solidified in the thought of athletes able to "control time" in moments of extreme tension (a batter swinging at a pitch in baseball and can see the ball clearly).

Imagine if you could willingly create that perception of time, and balance it to your will. Intellectual perception of time may vary from person to person, and further able to fluctuate it within your perception to an X degree.

smoke some good bud, it'll all fall right in place man

also, time is relative to gravity right? too lazy to look it up but I know I've read something on that before

 

[ToxicAsF]

I've had this same kind of thought about our senses. What if what we see and hear is different from what others see and hear? Maybe what I call green looks like red to you, but we both call it green because it is green. Just a different green for both of us. How would we know?

Exactly. Wouldn't that be freaky?[DOUBLEPOST=1379446053,1379445296][/DOUBLEPOST]

also, time is relative to gravity right? too lazy to look it up but I know I've read something on that before

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_time_dilation

smoke some good bud, it'll all fall right in place man

No.

 

[Keleynal]

Time can also be manipulated by speed, but I think you need to get up to near light speed before the effect would be noticeable.

 

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