My interest in temporal databases has led me to chronology, the science of time measurement, which then led me to horology, the science of clocks.
Horology is a strange mixture of technical sophistication and old-world artistry.
The prevalence of high quality digital timepieces is obviating the search for yet more effective escapement designs for mechanical watches. Being a computer scientist working in a digital world, I nevertheless mourn the gradual disappearance of mechanical watches, with their comforting regularity of audible ticking. A watch is a wondrous device that does its job extremely well, without the user knowing anything about its inner workings. It turns out to not be mysterious at all. The smaller decisions are hashed out by email discussion among the EC members.