Jeff Bezos touts 10,000-year cuckoo clock
For those who like to think -- and plan -- ahead, you might want to sign your descendants up now to visit a $42 million timepiece that Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos is having built in a hollowed out mountain in West Texas.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Bezos announced that installation had begun, and posted a video of the work in progress.
Installation has begun—500 ft tall, all mechanical, powered by day/night thermal cycles, synchronized at solar noon, a symbol for long-term thinking—the #10000YearClock is coming together thx to the genius of Danny Hillis, Zander Rose & the whole Clock team! Enjoy the video. pic.twitter.com/FYIyaUIbdJ
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 20, 2018
As envisioned by inventor Danny Hills and implemented by the non-profit Long Now Foundation, the 500 foot high timepiece will tick only once a year -- the century hand moves once every 100 years, and a cuckoo comes out on the millennium.
Still, the 10,000-year clock won't be complete for "many years into the future," according to a website devoted to the project, which describes it as a symbol of long-term thinking.
Beyond the unspecified wait, visiting the clock won't be easy, at least as things currently stand. The nearest airport is several hours away by car, and a rugged foot trail leading to the clock rises nearly 2,000 feet above the valley floor.
After his clock investment became public in 2012, Bezos, the richest person on the globe, said that "if we think long-term, we can accomplish things that we couldn't otherwise accomplish."