Years ago, there was an episode of Nova, the science show in PBS, titled Its About Time. The program discussed all the interesting thoughts in the study of what time is, how it is perceived, and what the possibility is that time travel may be possible.
One of the segments, the one discussing the perception of time, talked about how different people perceive the passage of time differently. You know the effect I am talking about. Two people sitting in an office both are "working." Well, one is working, the other is watching the clock. The one who is busy looks up and says "Well, will you look at the time! It's five o'clock already! Time Flies!"
Meanwhile, the one who has been willing the clock to jump to 17:00 since lunch time finds himself thinking "At Last! I cannot believe how incredibly long this day has been!"
The program explained that the affect is actually an artifact of the amount of time one spends in considering the passage of time. The more you think about it, the slower it happens. The busier you are, the faster time seems to pass because you have less time to think about how slow it is passing. (Or something to that effect!)
I mention this because when I picked-up my Palm Pilot this morning to check my mail before coming to the office, I noticed that it was already 28-February! Where is this year getting off to? The year is already 16% over!
If the theory that Its About Time offered is accurate, then this year definitely offers corroborative evidence. I have been so busy with my travel and work schedule that I have had no real time to consider the actual passage of the time; consequently, time has been flying.
Here's to the two months complete and the ten ahead! I hope that wherever you are, your year is going well and passing quickly enough to be comfortable!
Don Bergquist - 28-February-2006 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, United Kingdom
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