2c:null 2d:["$","title",null,{"children":"Was Swatch Internet Time Just a Fad? | Michaël Guitton | Observable"}] 32:T47c,viewof dial = { const now = new Date(); const clock = Inputs.form( [ Inputs.range([0, 23], { label: "Hour", step: 1, value: (now.setUTCHours(now.getUTCHours() + 1), now.getUTCHours()) }), Inputs.range([0, 59], { label: "Minutes", step: 1, value: now.getUTCMinutes() }), Inputs.range([0, 59], { label: "Seconds", step: 1, value: now.getUTCSeconds() }), Inputs.range([0, 999], { label: "Milliseconds", step: 1, value: now.getUTCMilliseconds() }) ], { template(inputs) { /* thank you, Fabian Iwand - mg */ const token = inputs[0].className; return htl.html`

UTC+01:00

${inputs}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"html","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":80,"value":"The day is divided into 1,000 equal parts, called .beats.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":79,"value":"Each .beat lasts ${centibeat * 100} seconds, making the total day 24 hours long.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":78,"value":"**BMT** applies universally, meaning everyone around the world uses the same .beat time regardless of their geographical location.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":77,"value":"**BMT** is based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, where Swatch is headquartered. The coordinates are approximately **47° 8′ 12.84″ N** latitude and **7° 14′ 45.96″ E** longitude.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":76,"value":"The formula for calculating the time in .beats from **UTC+01:00** is:","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":75,"value":".beats = (hours × 3600 + minutes × 60 + seconds) ÷ 86.4","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":74,"value":"The reference point for **BMT** is midnight (@000) in Biel. And 500 .beats (@500) represents the halfway point of the day (12:00 BMT).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":73,"value":"**CAVEAT** — The Biel Meridian is not at exactly 15 degrees east longitude, which it should have been if the **BMT** should be [1 hour ahead of **UTC**](https://time.is/UTC+1) / **GMT** (Greenwich Mean Time).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":72,"value":"Swatch doesn’t provide specifications for measurements smaller than one .beat.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":71,"value":"However, third-party implementations have expanded the standard by introducing “centibeats” or “sub-beats” for greater precision.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":70,"value":"Each “centibeat” represents one-hundredth of a .beat, equating to one French decimal second – ${centibeat} seconds (or ${centibeat * 1000} milliseconds).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":69,"value":"This aligns with the decimal structure of the time system, simplifying operations requiring finer time measurement.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":68,"value":"Overall, **BMT** served as a novel approach to timekeeping, promoting simplicity and universality by disregarding traditional time zones.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":103,"value":"

This is just the beginning, the beginning of understanding that cyberspace has no boundaries, no limits, no geography, no distance. We’re just at the beginning of understanding what that means.

— Nicholas Negroponte · MIT Media Lab co-founder

\n\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":67,"value":"Despite a period of enthusiasm among technophiles and geeks, and widespread media coverage in its early days, the hoped-for and much-heralded revolution did not happen.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":66,"value":"The use of Swatch Internet Time has remained marginal. More than two decades later, it is safe to say that this idea never caught on.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":65,"value":"Slowly abandoned by those who once engaged with it, it has evolved into something more emotional and playful rather than practical for the minority of people who remain loyal.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":64,"value":"(I won’t delve also into the controversy surrounding the appropriation of Charly Alberti’s concept.)","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":63,"value":"It’s evident that I’m arriving long after the battle has concluded. But I’m willing to take up the challenge of writing yet another conversion utility…","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":62,"value":"Although there are many implementations in various programming languages, I have only found [one written in Rust that really emphasizes accuracy](https://docs.rs/beats/latest/src/beats/lib.rs.html).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":61,"value":"That’s why I set out to produce a JavaScript version that stands out from the crowd.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":60,"value":"The main difference with the existing libraries is that I use a custom `String` object for storage.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":59,"value":"I have to say that after experiencing a few memorable hiccups, I’ve managed to develop a stylish and efficient solution.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":91,"value":"{\n const { clock, proxy: bmt, ...rest } = beats;\n yield Object.freeze(\n Object.defineProperty(\n {\n bmt,\n clock,\n dial\n },\n \"valueOf\",\n {\n value: () => +beats\n }\n )\n );\n}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":90,"value":"$32","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":34,"value":"+beats","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":32,"value":"beats + \"\"","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":30,"value":"String(beats)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":127,"value":"viewof digits = {\n const interval = [0, 3];\n const label = html``;\n const input = Inputs.range(interval, {\n label,\n step: 1,\n value: interval[interval.length - 1]\n });\n\n input.addEventListener(\"input\", (update(), update));\n\n yield input;\n\n function update() {\n /* thank you, Fabian Iwand - mg */\n const format = \"@000\";\n const regexp = new RegExp(format.slice(-1) + \"{\" + input.value + \"}\");\n const result = format.match(regexp)[0];\n label.textContent = format + (result.length ? \".\" : \"\") + result;\n }\n}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":28,"value":"beats = new Beats(\n $.apply(\n null,\n dial.concat({\n bmt: true\n })\n ),\n { digits }\n)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":88,"value":"((args) => [Beats.now.apply(null, args), new Beats(...args)])([\n ,\n { digits }\n]).map((x) => x.proxy)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":36,"value":"new Beats($(0, 0, 1, 0, { bmt: true })).beats","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":26,"value":"String(new Beats($(23, 59, 59, 1000, { bmt: true })))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":24,"value":"String(new Beats($(23, 59, 59, 999, { bmt: true })))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":22,"value":"String(new Beats($(1, 0, 0, 0, { bmt: true })))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":20,"value":"String(new Beats($(0, 1, 26, 400, { bmt: true })))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":18,"value":"String(new Beats($(0, 1, 0, 0, { bmt: true })))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":16,"value":"String(new Beats($(0, 0, 0, 864, { bmt: true })))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":53,"value":"Array.from([_250, _500, _750], (x, i) =>\n ((beats) => [beats, beats.clock, +beats, +beats === (i + 1) * 250])(\n new Beats(x)\n )\n)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":14,"value":"+new Beats($(12, 0, 0, 0, { bmt: true })) === 500 // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":12,"value":"+new Beats($(0, 0, 0, 0, { bmt: true })) === 0 // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":55,"value":"new Beats(new Date(0)).clock === \"01:00:00\" // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":54,"value":"+new Beats($(23, 0, 0, 0)) === 0 // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":10,"value":"Math.round(Beats.now() - new Beats()) === 0 // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":8,"value":"String(Beats.now()) === String(new Beats()) // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":84,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":122,"value":"Upon reflection, I realized that the [proposed implementation](/d/1e3e041bf975af21) had two limitations:\n\n1. depending on the required display precision — between 0 and 3 digits for the\n fractional part —, the intrinsic numerical value of a `Beats` instance could\n vary for a given date;\n\n2. as things stood, it was not possible to pass a floating point number to the\n `Beats` constructor and get the corresponding .beats value\n in return.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":121,"value":"So I went back to the grindstone and corrected the aforementioned issues as best I could.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":120,"value":"The unary plus operator (`+`) converts a value to a number, and when applied to any `Beats` instance, it yields its accurate numeric representation.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":119,"value":"+new Beats($(1, 0, 0, 0, { bmt: true }), { digits: 0 }) ===\n +new Beats(new Beats($(1, 0, 0, 0, { bmt: true })), { digits: 2 }) // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":118,"value":"$${annotate(\n `⏳`,\n `A \\`Date\\` object in JavaScript can represent a maximum of ±‍8,640,000,000,000,000 milliseconds, or ±‍100,000,000 (one hundred million) days, relative to the epoch.`\n)}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":117,"value":"new Date(\n new Date(Beats.duration * 1000 * 100000000).getTime() +\n new Date(0).setUTCHours(-1)\n).toISOString()","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":116,"value":"new Date(Beats.boundary * Beats.duration).toISOString()","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":115,"value":"new Date(\n new Date(-Beats.duration * 1000 * 100000000).getTime() -\n new Date(0).setUTCHours(-1)\n).toISOString()","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":114,"value":"new Date(-Beats.boundary * Beats.duration).toISOString()","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":113,"value":"new Beats(-Beats.boundary) + new Beats(Beats.boundary) === 1000 // expected output: true","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":112,"value":"{\n try {\n delete Beats.duration;\n } catch (e) {\n /* don't speak, Vidis… - mg */\n yield `No way, José! (was “${e}”)`;\n }\n}","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":6,"value":"$33","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":52,"value":"_750 = $(17, 0, 0, 0)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":51,"value":"_500 = $(11, 0, 0, 0)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":50,"value":"_250 = $(5, 0, 0, 0)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":38,"value":"$$ = (hour, min, sec, ms, { bmt = false } = {}) =>\n new Date(new Date().setUTCHours(hour - bmt, min, sec, ms))","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":58,"value":"centibeat = +((60 * 60 * 24) / 1000 / 100).toFixed(3)","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":110,"value":"import { annotate } from \"@galopin/misclib-routines\"","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":102,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":101,"value":"status = {\n podcast[[\"pause\", \"play\"][+toggle]]();\n yield toggle ? \"on\" : \"off\";\n}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":100,"value":"viewof toggle = Inputs.toggle({\n label: \"🎙 WNYC Studios\",\n value: false\n})","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":99,"value":"

In 1998 Swatch tried to completely reinvent our concept of time. Swatch Internet Time would have been a new way to conceive of moments. There’d be no time zones, and also, no hours, minutes, or seconds. PJ Vogt talks to Gizmodo’s Eric Limer and Swatch Creative Director Carlo Giordanetti about Swatch’s plan to create time’s version of Esperanto.

\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":98,"value":"podcast = {\n const { Howl: Proxy, Howler } = howler;\n const Howl = class extends Proxy {\n constructor(...args) {\n super(...args);\n for (const $_ in this) {\n if (this.hasOwnProperty($_) && \"_\" === $_.substring(0, 1)) {\n Object.defineProperty(this, $_, { enumerable: false });\n }\n }\n }\n };\n const src = await mp3.url();\n const audio = new Howl({\n src,\n html5: true,\n preload: \"metadata\",\n onend() {\n ((input) => (\n (input.value = false),\n input.dispatchEvent(new Event(\"input\", { bubbles: true }))\n ))(viewof toggle);\n },\n onplayerror() {\n audio.once(\"unlock\", () => audio.play());\n }\n });\n\n yield audio;\n}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":97,"value":"mp3 = FileAttachment(\"swatch-internet-time.mp3\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":96,"value":"howler = require(\"howler@2.2.4\")","pinned":true,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"}],"files":"$W34","stdlib":"1"}} 31:"$30:body"