5 ms·

If you were stranded on the desert island, what would you need to watch for?

Dr_Birdbrain 3y ago
Watches can be used to find fresh water sources. (Joking, of course you are completely correct)
submeta 3y ago
Well, you can navigate with the help of the sun. And keep sane having some sort of structure (when to wake up, when to go to bed, when to eat), monitor tidal changes. There is lots of value in knowing the time, even on a desert island.
- hirundo 3y ago
  > And keep sane having some sort of structure (when to wake up, when to go to bed, when to eat) Without other people to coordinate with, the signals from the environment and your body are a more sound structure for these. The time of day is at best a good proxy.
- jlg23 3y ago
  > And keep sane having some sort of structure (when to wake up, when to go to bed, when to eat), monitor tidal changes. Though you could just stick a piece of wood into the sand, mark shadows thrown at sunrise sunset and divide the circle's span however you want for your time system..
  - akdor1154 3y ago
    My desert island will be a metric time paradise.
bazzargh 3y ago
timing cooking hardboiled seagull eggs as an approximate compass, if it has an hour hand (bisect the angle between the hour hand and noon, that's north or south, depending on your latitude, unless you're in the tropics where this doesn't work) as a heliograph to flash signals to passing ships if there's a date magnifier, you can use it to light fires the engraving on the back may help identify your sun-bleached bones ("So, this poor devil was named WATER RESISTANT")
- OJFord 3y ago
  > as an approximate compass, if it has an hour hand (bisect the angle between the hour hand and noon, that's north or south, depending on your latitude, unless you're in the tropics where this doesn't work) I've read and sort of understood and forgotten the technique before - but that's certainly not it: you could determine your north that way and spin around and it wouldn't change.
  - bazzargh 3y ago
    the hour hand is pointing at the sun, is the bit I missed from the sentence.
    - OJFord 3y ago
      Ah right, and it works because the sun's going E to W in a full revolution, roughly in the relative N at noon.

Watches can be used to find fresh water sources. (Joking, of course you are completely correct)

Well, you can navigate with the help of the sun. And keep sane having some sort of structure (when to wake up, when to go to bed, when to eat), monitor tidal changes. There is lots of value in knowing the time, even on a desert island.

hirundo 3y ago
> And keep sane having some sort of structure (when to wake up, when to go to bed, when to eat) Without other people to coordinate with, the signals from the environment and your body are a more sound structure for these. The time of day is at best a good proxy.
jlg23 3y ago
> And keep sane having some sort of structure (when to wake up, when to go to bed, when to eat), monitor tidal changes. Though you could just stick a piece of wood into the sand, mark shadows thrown at sunrise sunset and divide the circle's span however you want for your time system..
- akdor1154 3y ago
  My desert island will be a metric time paradise.

bazzargh 3y ago

timing cooking hardboiled seagull eggs as an approximate compass, if it has an hour hand (bisect the angle between the hour hand and noon, that's north or south, depending on your latitude, unless you're in the tropics where this doesn't work) as a heliograph to flash signals to passing ships if there's a date magnifier, you can use it to light fires the engraving on the back may help identify your sun-bleached bones ("So, this poor devil was named WATER RESISTANT")

OJFord 3y ago
> as an approximate compass, if it has an hour hand (bisect the angle between the hour hand and noon, that's north or south, depending on your latitude, unless you're in the tropics where this doesn't work) I've read and sort of understood and forgotten the technique before - but that's certainly not it: you could determine your north that way and spin around and it wouldn't change.
- bazzargh 3y ago
  the hour hand is pointing at the sun, is the bit I missed from the sentence.
  - OJFord 3y ago
    Ah right, and it works because the sun's going E to W in a full revolution, roughly in the relative N at noon.