Plastered all over the news recently are reports of a new machine called the NIST-F2. The F1 model released in 1999 was just not cutting it. What I'm speaking of is an atomic clock that loses one trillionth of a second every day. I just cannot fathom losing that much time.
Why is such a precise measurement useful? Many high-tech computer systems need precision to the millionth or even billionth of a second. GPS communication, power grids and other daily forces that synchronize across many systems rely on technology like the NIST-F1. As our world gets more advanced and more reliant on computers, and further computers keep pushing the boundaries of what can be done per second. It is time to wonder what these precise timing tools, coupled with automation and ingenuity will be able to accomplish. How far will the subdivision of the modern second get? If a computer could perform a set task per trillionth of a second, could technology advance where it performs the same task in a googleplexth of a second? How complex would that task be? Right now, modern computer chips do loads of calculations per minutia of a second, but not any one that you could point out and boast about, just bits here and there that form something larger. With more complex tasks being performed in nth seconds along with time-keeping technologies such as the NIST-F2 and beyond, is it the first step in experiencing the infinite second?
There are several philosophical conundrums with "the infinite second." Will it last a second, or an infinite amount of time? Would the placement of infinite instructions not take an infinite amount of time?
So, truly not infinite, but it would be be cool, nay impressive, nay mind boggling to witness how our "world" will change as our capabilities approach infinity.
We can tell each other what we've accomplished in a year, month, week, day, even a minute; however, will we ever brag about how much we've accomplished in a nanosecond? By "accomplish" it will surely mean something metaphysical and non-tangible. Obviously, we can't grow a tree in a shorter period of time, but the virtual world of the future will be a blur to our physical senses. To synchronize the 3-D world wide web, we will surely need the NIST-F3. And by 3-D I don't mean putting on a pair of 3-D glasses and objects come out of the screen. I mean a virtual "internet" that is 3-D and interactive with our senses. That's a blog for another time. There will be blogs on self-improving your "second" that will crop up around the internet. How-to seminars for business professionals similar to high-frequency traders who have discovered the benefits of millisecond advantages in the markets. The Neos of the future will discover the advantages of "The Infinite Second" - A Novel by Mi
Why is such a precise measurement useful? Many high-tech computer systems need precision to the millionth or even billionth of a second. GPS communication, power grids and other daily forces that synchronize across many systems rely on technology like the NIST-F1. As our world gets more advanced and more reliant on computers, and further computers keep pushing the boundaries of what can be done per second. It is time to wonder what these precise timing tools, coupled with automation and ingenuity will be able to accomplish. How far will the subdivision of the modern second get? If a computer could perform a set task per trillionth of a second, could technology advance where it performs the same task in a googleplexth of a second? How complex would that task be? Right now, modern computer chips do loads of calculations per minutia of a second, but not any one that you could point out and boast about, just bits here and there that form something larger. With more complex tasks being performed in nth seconds along with time-keeping technologies such as the NIST-F2 and beyond, is it the first step in experiencing the infinite second?
There are several philosophical conundrums with "the infinite second." Will it last a second, or an infinite amount of time? Would the placement of infinite instructions not take an infinite amount of time?
So, truly not infinite, but it would be be cool, nay impressive, nay mind boggling to witness how our "world" will change as our capabilities approach infinity.
We can tell each other what we've accomplished in a year, month, week, day, even a minute; however, will we ever brag about how much we've accomplished in a nanosecond? By "accomplish" it will surely mean something metaphysical and non-tangible. Obviously, we can't grow a tree in a shorter period of time, but the virtual world of the future will be a blur to our physical senses. To synchronize the 3-D world wide web, we will surely need the NIST-F3. And by 3-D I don't mean putting on a pair of 3-D glasses and objects come out of the screen. I mean a virtual "internet" that is 3-D and interactive with our senses. That's a blog for another time. There will be blogs on self-improving your "second" that will crop up around the internet. How-to seminars for business professionals similar to high-frequency traders who have discovered the benefits of millisecond advantages in the markets. The Neos of the future will discover the advantages of "The Infinite Second" - A Novel by Mi
