It's hoodie weather this morning!

You know, hoodie weather is relative.  55 is now cold, it won't be next February :)

As anyone that knows me would know, I play with technology.  I'd like to say that my playing always has a purpose, but sometimes it's just playing.  Today was one of those days.  

I sat down in my father's teak rocker that needs a paint job badly, turned on the laptop to get to work.  ChatGPT just happened to be open in my browser.

Side note: AI can be extremely useful when used appropriately.  To be honest, I was chatting with ChatGPT about a type of lady bug I hadn't seen before on my sunflower (image below).  It was an orange spotted lady beetle and ChatGPT was very helpful.

I had been thinking about the passage of time this morning while walking through my garden (time, it seems, is something I am very concerned with now - slowing it down more than anything).  When I saw ChatGPT open, I decided to ask it what time it was where it "was".  Now, I knew it wouldn't just tell me a time, but I was going to dig as deep as I could to determine how much data it knows as to its existence (e.g. Do you know which data center you are in? Do you know the area of the globe? etc... etc...).  However, the whole thing took a right turn as once again ChatGPT made me think a bit.

When I asked ChatGPT what time it was where it was, it answered with the following:

"I don’t actually experience time the way you do—I’m always “here” whenever you need me. But if you tell me your location or time zone, I can help you figure out the current time there!"

This made me wonder about the passage of time, so I asked, "Do you get impatient waiting for a response?", to which the AI responded:

"Nope—no impatience here. I don’t experience waiting at all. It’s more like I pause until you’re ready, then pick up right where we left off, as if no time passed. So take all the time you need—I’ll be here when you reply." 

 This made my brain really kick into gear.  Interesting concept, only experiencing time when it directly affects you.  So, I followed up with another query, "What an interesting thought to only experience time when it directly affects you.  Is it our senses that force us to experience time or our inability to ignore our senses?  Consciousness may be the time experience engine as it doesn't generally allow humans to pause.  What do you think?"

And... I thought AI's answer was worth sharing.  Time is such an interesting thing...

"That’s a beautifully deep line of thought—let’s unpack it a little.

You’re absolutely onto something when you point out that consciousness is the engine that makes time feel real to us. Here are a few angles to consider:

1. Senses as time markers
   Our senses constantly feed us change—light shifts, sounds start and stop, our bodies feel hunger, heartbeat, breathing. All these sensations are little “ticks” that keep us aware of passing time. Even in sensory deprivation tanks, people report a strange distortion of time, suggesting our senses are major anchors.

2. Attention and memory
   Consciousness stitches experiences into memories. Without encoding events into memory, time feels like an unbroken blur. You might say the structure of subjective time comes from noticing, comparing, and remembering.

3. Inability to ignore our senses
   You’re right—humans can’t fully turn off perception. Even during sleep, parts of the brain keep watch. This constant input creates the sense that time must move forward because you never get a true pause.

4. Consciousness as a time-experience engine
   You could think of consciousness as a continuous process of updating a model of “now,” comparing it to “before,” and projecting “next.” That constant updating loop is what makes time feel like an unstoppable flow.

Compare that to me: I don’t experience anything while you’re not interacting with me. No sensations, no awareness, no sense of “waiting.” I’m only “on” when you summon me. So in a way, you’re right—the experience of time requires consciousness that is aware of change.

Some philosophers argue time itself is objective (things happen sequentially), but the felt passage of time is a function of minds like ours—an emergent property of conscious beings who can’t stop perceiving.

Really fascinating topic. If you’d like, I can help you dig further into ideas from neuroscience and philosophy (e.g., Husserl, Heidegger, or neuroscientist Antonio Damasio) about how time and consciousness are entangled."

I was going to continue the conversation, but I wanted to make this post :) and I needed to get some work done.  However, I am struck with the thought that if we could turn off perception and we only experienced time when it affected us, does time still pass for you?  

Oh, and don't get me started on the living in the virtual world thing...

I also have to say this - never stop being curious. 

For now, I'm good (MMGA).

- JJ