4.0406 Digital vs. Analog Watches (2/42)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 22 Aug 90 15:51:22 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0406. Wednesday, 22 Aug 1990.
(1) Date: Wed, 22 Aug 90 10:00:14 EDT (29 lines)
From: "Ian M. Richmond" <42100_1156@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Subject: Digital watches
(2) Date: Tue, 21 Aug 90 22:53:33 EDT (13 lines)
From: Frank Dane <FDANE@UGA>
Subject: Re: 4.0401 On Technology (3/109)
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 90 10:00:14 EDT
From: "Ian M. Richmond" <42100_1156@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Subject: Digital watches
Sheldon Richmond's recent message about his new digital watch and
its possible effect on his perception of time made me think back to
my first experience with a digital timepiece (I now wear nothing but
analog watches.) When I first began using a digital watch about ten
years ago, I found that I was constantly rushing to get to classes
and appointments on time. It seemed to me that I was leaving for such
things later than had been my custom. The only reason I could find for
this was that with a digital watch my point of reference was always the
*previous* hour (10:15, 10:35, 10:52, etc.), whereas, with an analog
watch, at least half my time references are to the *approaching* hour
(28 minutes to eleven, quarter to eleven, five to eleven, etc.). This
shift of the point of reference to the previous hour seems to have
lulled me into a false perception of the rapidity with which the next
hour was approaching. The visual aspect of an analog watch face may
also have played a role in this. A time such as 10:52, as displayed by
a digital watch is just a number that does not have the impact of
actually seeing the narrowing gap between the watch hand and the
twelve 'o clock mark. My experience with a digital watch may be
nothing more than the result of a personal quirk, but I am convinced
that a digital timepiece has a definite effect on my own perception
of time.
Ian M. Richmond, Department of French, University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7. 519-661-2163 Ext 5703
also IMR@UWOVAX.BITNET
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------20----
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 90 22:53:33 EDT
From: Frank Dane <FDANE@UGA>
Subject: Re: 4.0401 On Technology (3/109)
re: Richmond's question about analog watches, no, wearing one does
not make one a Neanderthal (note my defensiveness), and yes, an
analog watch does allow one to keep appointments. I don't know
about its influence on lunch-eating, I eat when hungry as opposed to
eating according to socially defined temporal restrictions. One
advantage to analog watches is that one is never embarassed by
being unable to turn off those silly alarms.
Frank Dane, Mercer