3 HN users recommended this explainer3 months2022–2026score 3.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN points to it whenever analog versus digital clocks come up, as an idea that changed how commenters think about time perception.
A Technology Connections video essay on how analog and digital clocks shape different mental models of time, with the minute hand acting as a progress indicator.
“Technology Connections has a very good video on this, and completely changed thinking” (HN, 2022)
I think the digital vs analogue clock is an adjacent, everyday example. On the human scale precise clock maths is rarely necessary, and conceptually thinking of time as a base 60 number can be more trouble than good. Technology Connections has a very good video on this, and completely changed thinking: [this video]
Explains digital versus analog clocks and how people perceive time differently.
I rather enjoyed the video essay Technology Connections did about the seemingly different mental models of tracking time that come from analog and digital clocks, and how a lot of people now have barely ever experienced analog clocks. [this video]
Video essay on mental models of time from analog versus digital clocks.
Technology Connections did a really great video on this a few years ago. [this video] Apparently being raised with analog clocks vs digital changes how one intuits the passage of time.
Shows how analog versus digital upbringing shapes intuition of time passing.
Not to other people I've talked to. I'm the wrong person to ask this about, since I prefer digital time, so time is just a number to me. But Technology Connections made a video atleast talking about it,[1] so hopefully that get part of the point across. To him and plenty of other analogue-first people, time is a progress bar, or a chart, or something along those lines, and that's the natural way to perceive time, and converting it to a number is meaningless beyond expressing it as digital time. [1] [this video]
Explains how analog-first people perceive time as a progress bar.
>What benefit is there to keep this antiquated method around, aside from just as an historical reference? Analogue clocks are, by design, also visual progress bars. Digital clocks just give you the time. There's a little video talking about this by Technology Connections: [this video]
Argues analog clocks work as visual progress bars.
Related: different people think of time different ways. I myself have never liked analog clocks because they require a conversion to make sense . Technology Connections made a video about this: [this video] And another thing: I considered trying 28-hour days because my sleeping schedule always drifts. A 28-hour clock that's in sync with me sleeping would be nice if I ever do try that.
On how different people think of time differently.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.
Plays via YouTube's privacy-enhanced embed
6 Hacker News comments
From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.
Citations, criticism and jokes