Puzzle alarm clock demands more than mere wakefulness
Puzzle alarm clock: the simple, profoundly irritating idea at its heart is easy enough to guess, but why, then, is the puzzle itself so simple? It's a toddler's learning toy, a matter of bashing three shapes into the corresponding holes. Perhaps the idea is to force you to retrieve them from the other side of the room first—but then why not merely place the alarm clock itself out of arm's reach?
At $40, it's a little more expensive than a Tomy toy, too. Wake me up when there is a 20-move Japanese puzzle box version, or one inside a Rubik's Cube.
P.S. There is a Rubik's Cube alarm clock, but not one that forces you to solve the puzzle to end the alarm.
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David Carroll
#1 – 10:52 AM May 14, 2008
Now I didn't want to bring this up, but you mutants need to get more sleep. The last time I used any alarm clock was when I had to get to work for 5 am a long time ago and even then I think it actually woke me up twice.
Is it normal for people to need puzzles, MegaDecibel contraptions and/or pets to get them out of bed?
Rob Beschizza
#2 – 11:59 AM May 14, 2008
We are up late, playing with our gadgets.
Church
#3 – 2:22 PM May 14, 2008
David, if you're a heavy sleeper, yeah it is. The only one that worked for me has a blaring siren *and* a flashing light.
laffmakr
#4 – 3:38 PM May 14, 2008
Good Heavens I LOVE THIS!
william
#5 – 4:02 PM May 14, 2008
David: I used to be like that, coming up with all sorts of strategies for getting up on time. Loud alarms, hard to find ones, multiple alarms. Eventually I ended up with your solution: going to be so that I wake up naturally when I need to.
The drawback is now that I have a regular sleep schedule, it's much harder to stay up crazy late on occasion. And if I do, I still wake up at my normal time, so I can't really sleep late anymore. I miss sleeping until 2 on weekends!
neurolux
#6 – 4:20 PM May 14, 2008
I like how the guy is fumbling with the pieces at the crack of noon.
I can imagine dropping one of the pieces and it roll under the furthest corner of my bed.
Evil Jim
#7 – 5:49 PM May 14, 2008
Is this thing real? The images are obviously CGI. It's a nifty idea tho'.
My alarm clock is better by far. It has a 24 hour snooze alarm.
brainswarm
#8 – 11:13 PM May 14, 2008
I can just see my three year old nephew walking off with one of the puzzle pieces, which then leaves me fumbling behind the nightstand to unplug the damn thing at six in the morning.
phil wood
#9 – 8:35 AM May 15, 2008
If this thing actually requires telekinesis to solve (as the mock-up does seem to suggest), I could see it being damn effective. Mind control ain't no walk in the park first thing in the morning. Especially if you're not a morning person.
SD
#10 – 9:18 AM May 15, 2008
It seems to me that any of these would only get one use in many households. After that, you'd either be dead because someone else in your house would kill you for taking so long to turn it off or it would be broken by that person.