To fully experience the clip above, you'll need to be awake and pressing play at precisely 12:04 am. What you'll be seeing is a very small segment of The Clock, a 24-hour video assemblage that keeps time with clips culled from a century's worth of film history. Some of these markers are in the dialogue, but most are shots of clocks and watches in which a specific time is clearly visible.

If viewing the complete piece sounds like a marathon, consider that artist Christian Marclay and a phalanx of assistants spent three years locating and placing the clips and smoothing out the resulting soundtrack. Some of these moments came preloaded with the import of a High Noon. Others were of a more incidental, background-type nature prior to being cast in Marclay's project.

Those unable to spend quality time with The Clock at the Museum of Modern Art this January can get a feel for it via philosopher and writer Alain de Botton's brief chat with Marclay below.

- Ayun Halliday resolves to use it better in 2012. Perhaps you shouldn't follow her on Twitter @AyunHalliday.