The Interval at Long Now: Opening in May

We are excited to announce that we will be opening The Interval at Long Now in May. We have our first event scheduled for May 27th, but our doors will open prior to that. In June we’ll present Rachel Sussman, a previous Seminar speaker, at the Salon. We will announce that as soon as the date is finalized. Details on a series of opening events in May–including some member and donor-exclusive ones–will be forthcoming.

We are offering some special thank you gifts to charter supporters who give during this critical phase of the project, in the lead-up to opening. Everyone who donates prior to opening will be considered a charter Interval supporter.

Here are some of the benefits, besides the gifts you may have already received:

• Special opening events in May
• All (new) donors over $500 will receive a Long Now etched shot glass.
• All charter supporters will be listed at the space on our donor wall.
• Every donor ($10 or higher) will receive a digital copy of the Manual for Civilization book list with an exclusive forward written just for the charter supporters.

If you have been waiting for the right time, this is it – every donation counts. We really need your support now to finish this project: please spread the word. And if every one of our existing donors can inspire a friend to give at the same level, then we will exceed our goal.

At Long Now we have high standards for design, and we wanted to build a venue that we’d be proud to put our name on – a venue that would inspire and welcome both our members and the general public. We think we’ve done it. Here are some of the highlights of what we are all building together:

• Ambient music and video installation by Brian Eno, played on a custom-designed Meyer Galileo sound system
• The Manual for Civilization library: 3,500 essential texts, crowdsourced from our extended community
• Chalkboard robot built by Swiss artist Jürg Lehni
• Salon-style events to complement our Seminars About Long-term Thinking
• A robot that makes bespoke gins from specially distilled botanicals
• Tea list by Samovar tea lounge, including special aged Pu-erh tea
• Coffee by Sightglass coffee
• Specially distilled gin and whiskey by St George Spirits
• Aged St George whiskey served from the barrel
• Bar and beverage program designed by Jennifer Colliau (Small Hand Foods)
• Mixologist-quality non-alcoholic concoctions (one of Jennifer’s specialties)

The Interval building also serves as Long Now’s headquarters. It is a place where anyone can come for some long-term thinking and conversation; a place to be inspired and surrounded by the long-term ideas that have sustained global civilization; and a place to hear (and talk) about new ideas coming from the fields of science, technology, art, and culture.

With that in mind, we ask you to take part in this project, whether at the $10 or $10,000 level. Every gift helps as we approach opening day. You’ll gets lots of benefits, including the Manual for Civilization master list, and your name will appear at this unique venue that you helped make a reality.

Thanks for your support of Long Now! We hope we continue to inform and inspire you.