what is time? \ stacker news ~FiresidePhilosophy

2031 sats \ 16 comments \ @zapdrsurge 14 Apr FiresidePhilosophy

i am trying to rework the concept of time as we know it. when a second can feel like year and a year like a second, time becomes arbitrary. when it takes a day to stack 1 million sats but then someone can zap 1 million sats for a nice post, time also becomes arbitrary. consider how in China a skyscraper can be built in a week, or how Amish can construct a barn in a day. i now try to think in terms of power and amount of work, experiences, achievements, creations. in other words - proof of work.

bare with me, i have not fully thought this thru and i am looking for feedback and corrections.

time was a arbitrary scalar that was created for convenience. we figured out that by dividing work performed by power projected (like distance traveled by velocity achieved), we can organize ourselves a bit better.

however in the process something bad happened. we started putting more emphasis on time rather than work & power. coupled with another arbitrary scalar (a dollar), we get "dollars per hour," which by my argument equals (arbitrary scalar #1/arbitrary scalar #2).

anyways - perhaps the way forward in reality is to think in terms of power projection and amount of work to be done, rather than time. visualizing projects in those real-world terms rather than a made-up term may help us progress faster. let me hear your thoughts.

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131 sats \ 1 reply \ @nym 14 Apr

It definitely seems to go by faster as you age. I don’t know if that is because a second is takes up a smaller percentage of your life as you age?

102 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b 14 Apr

Yes! On a relative basis a unit of time gets smaller as we age and I think it alters our perception of time. It feels a lot like inflation to me. It makes me increasingly impatient.

96 sats \ 1 reply \ @Taft 14 Apr

when a second can feel like year and a year like a second, time becomes arbitrary

Time is relative. I guess you have read the quote of Albert Einstein about the relativity of time:

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.” ― Albert Einstein

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @CheezeGrater 15 Apr

It's all about the temporal perception!

26 sats \ 0 replies \ @kilianbuhn 14 Apr

The 4th dimension besides the 3 space dimensions.

Maybe it's identical to the other space dimension and it's only the human perception that experience this one differently 🤔

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @random_ 14 Apr

I highly recommend this book.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein%27s_Dreams

Each chapter ia a different concept of time.

100 sats \ 1 reply \ @HodlTWashington 14 Apr

reminds me of the akspi creed:

"...We live in deeds, not years; In thought, not breath; In service, not in figures on the dial. We count time by heart throbs, When they beat for God, for man, for duty. He lives most who thinks most, Is noblest, acts the best."

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @random_ 15 Apr

That's really cool. Thanks for sharing.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @DesertDave 15 Apr

I agree. Time is just a construct. I have had many experiences that have broken time for me and showed me that it is just an illusion.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 14 Apr

I don't remember exactly but I have read it somewhere that 'A person can complete the same work in less time if he has less time, whereas the person who has lot of time without so much to do completes it in much more time.

For instance, whenever I need to type a message, it hardly takes me a few seconds to minutes depending on the length, but when my father (who is retired now) sometimes do it in hours... He writes, transforms, deletes, writes again and do it again and again. I don't know why? Time I think.

3 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 15 Apr

A chain of events. Think timechain!

3 sats \ 1 reply \ @plebpoet 14 Apr

bro was really feeling himself with this one

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @zapdrsurge OP 14 Apr

feeling pretty good! ))

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @frostdragon 15 Apr

think in terms of power projection and amount of work to be done, rather than time.

I’ll have to chew on this for a while. It’s interesting to think about, especially when you consider how the blockchain works. Mining is about power, but also about time - the first block to fine the right hash is the one that’s added to the immutable ledger.

This also makes me think about efficiency, which can reduce both power and time….

On that note, I’ve typically thought of money as time in some sense, and that inflation is literally breaking the laws of physics… similar to how debt is an attempt to borrow time from the future.

Just some related rambling thoughts.

But I like the direction you’re thinking in. I’ve always hated how tests are times - I’ve always questioned whether or not competence should be measured so strictly on time. But I think there are good reasons for the idea behind it.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @zapdrsurge OP 15 Apr

i have diluted a great amount of learning effort in fiat education, due to a strict scheduled curriculum. this system is such garbage. what i have learned by graduation was 10 years outdated and half was wrong. we are not told which half - gotta figure that out on our own. now i am catching up quickly, so it's alright in the end.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @026180d3a3 14 Apr

Apparent regular motion.