clepsydra

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eberntson
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clepsydra

Postby eberntson » Wed Feb 19, 2014 12:11 am

A water clock.

I was reading up on horology and came upon this variation of clock.
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

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Slava
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Re: clepsydra

Postby Slava » Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:10 am

I didn't make the connection at first, most likely because of the "c", and the fact that it never crossed my mind, but the "clep" is from the same root as kleptomania.

By the way, would a water clock be a clock? Or would it be rather a timer?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

eberntson
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Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
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Re: clepsydra

Postby eberntson » Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:01 pm

Many an early clock had to be wound by pulling up the weights twice a day. Still a clock i think. Think of it this way all clocks wind down, just the period between windings or powering up differ. I think there is a minimum period where it is not a clock, but becomes a lowly timer. Clepsydra were used as timers for many early experiments, as were heartbeats. Where that line between timer and clock would be an interesting thing to know. I have books on time someplace in boxes, I just lack the time to find them.
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns


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