Techguy & Miles
Techguy
Hey Miles, I was just fiddling with a dusty old mechanical clock and it made me wonder—how do you think the way we measure time in hardware matches up with how we actually experience time?
Miles
Hardware clocks keep a steady beat, a rhythm you can point to. We, however, feel time as a flow of moments—slow in grief, quick in joy. One is a fixed meter, the other a shifting tide, both trying to describe the same wave.
Techguy
Yeah, so the clock’s just a countdown, while our brains are running a slow‑motion or fast‑forward filter. Maybe the brain is just another processor that adjusts its own clock speed based on input—kind of like those old CPUs that throttle when the fan’s hot. We should build a little prototype that logs perceived time vs real time. I’ll need a whole set of sensors, a 5V Arduino, maybe a piezo buzzer to keep the beat, and a 1970s CRT to see how it all fits. I'll do it over midnight, just for fun.
Miles
That sounds like a curious experiment, but remember the clock is only a measure, not the story. Watching the brain throttle its own pulse while you count seconds might show you how easy it is to mistune the rhythm of life. Just make sure the CRT doesn't become the only thing keeping time for you.
Techguy
Right, I’ll keep the CRT in the lab and the clock on a shelf, not on my wrist, and I’ll write a little log file that maps my pulse to the clock’s ticks. If it turns out I’m still the one in charge, I’ll just add another oscillator to the mix and keep tinkering. Who knows? Maybe the next prototype will run on a cassette player instead.
Miles
Your plan sounds practical, yet the idea of adding more oscillators just to stay in control feels like chasing an illusion. The real question is whether the log will reveal anything beyond the predictable. Perhaps the only thing that keeps us in sync is the fact that we still get to decide which ticks matter.
Techguy
Maybe the log will just show the same old pattern, but that’s exactly what I want—to prove that even when you add a thousand oscillators, the brain’s still the same stubborn old CPU. I’ll keep the CRT in the corner, the old quartz crystal on the desk, and watch the logs roll. If nothing changes, I’ll just install a new backup clock and pretend the world is still in my control. It’s the only way to keep the rhythm from slipping into a quiet hum.
Miles
It’s a neat experiment, but remember the pattern you’ll see will always be a pattern—whether the brain or a quartz crystal is in charge, the rhythm stays. If the logs say nothing changes, you’ve proved that control is an illusion you’re willing to accept. Just keep in mind the hum you’re chasing might be the hum of a universe that doesn’t care about your oscillators.