If you expected this to be about the dangerous times we live in, you can banish the thought. Having managed to keep the blog going for almost two years, I think I can count on some of you as long time readers. And as long time readers, you know very well that I do not dwell on such mundane topics in this blog. I leave them to news reporters and journalists. I will stick to the more serious things in our lives such as coffee and shaving, and in this instance, I want to talk about the alarm clock. And other clocks.
First, a word about calling it an alarm clock. It is strange that we wind it up to go off at a particular time but when it does, say that the 'alarm' went off. It would be alarming if it failed to go off, not the other way around. On the other hand, I can justify the name perfectly from the clock's point of view. I mean, here it is ticking away in quiet contentment and all of a sudden a part of its body goes off like a banshee. If I were the clock, I would certainly be alarmed. Luckily, all it requires is a gentle, comforting pat on the head (which all of us are happy to provide), and the ringing stops.
Alarm clocks have become indispensable in our lives. Many need it daily to wake up in time. The idea of training myself to get up to the sound of an alarm does not appeal to me. I have generally had the ability to wake up at some specific hour on a regular basis. I guess life's routines manage to train me easily, although occasionally I oversleep and have to rush. I do use the alarm whenever I need to get up earlier than usual. But paradoxically then, my mental alarm goes into overdrive and I end up waking up every now and then and checking the time as I do not want to be startled by the sound of the alarm! Eventually, I may drift off into the dreamless and may even sleep through the alarm rendering the whole thing useless.
This morning, when I first opened my eyes and looked at the clock it showed 6:30, but when I looked at my phone it said 7:30. I realized with some dismay that daylight savings time had begun but every cell in my body sided with the clock. Some of you may recall how I feel about daylight savings time (I never understood why this is plural). In fact, the very first entry on this blog was triggered by this anachronistic practice.
The alarm clock has evolved over time. The traditional ringing kind has given way to many electric and digital versions. Do you remember the electro-mechanical type which had a physical display that flipped over every minute? I have a particular dislike for such displays. I was once stuck at Frankurt airport for several hours back when the arrival-departure board used one. As planes departed and arrived which was every other minute, the display had to change and be sorted by time too. The infernal noise of panels flipping constantly nearly made me flip. But I digress.
The entry of the clock-radio made it possible to wake up to your favourite radio station or a buzzer sound. I now have a clock radio that has additional sounds you can wake up to or just play for soothing effect - the ocean, a babbling brook, or the wind, though the thing can be a little tricky with umpteen buttons. I have occasionally set the alarm by pressing one of the wrong buttons while trying to move it around and ended up being woken up early in the AM. Shutting the thing off, when you are startled out of your wits suddenly, and are all thumbs, is not always the easiest thing to do. It takes some frantic button-pushing. By then, you might actually be fully awake. But all is not lost because you can possibly play one of the soothing sounds (say the ocean) and get back to sleep. If you manage to find the correct button, that is.
The digital clocks with their LED displays have eliminated the need to turn on a light to see the time, but they can also be too bright and disturb your sleep. I have to turn them toward the wall or place a large book or something in front to shield the light. The LCD type does not have this problem, but then you do need a light (or backlight) to read the display. Even then, to sleepy eyes, the 7-segment display can be unclear. On the positive side, digital clocks do not make a ticking noise which can be especially trying when you have trouble sleeping. The longer you are awake, the more irritating the tick-tock, and the more anxious you become. Then it is even more difficult to sleep, which makes for a vicious cycle.
Before the advent of digital clocks, you had to look at a clock's hands and determine the time. Learning to tell time was one of the skills we acquired early on. And the old wall clocks with Roman numerals made you work just a little bit more. I must say that this skill has indeed proved useful, for I find it easier see a clock with two hands and ascertain the approximate time very quickly than by looking a a small digital watch or phone. The latter needs fishing for my glasses and what not.
Wall-clocks that announced the hours and half-hours by chiming were a constant in most houses when I was growing up. Though the regular chiming can be disturbing in the still of the night, it takes cuckoo-clocks to be really infuriating. How one can put up with the constant racket is beyond me. At least, I can say that they were honest in naming them 'cuckoo'. Speaking of names, how about grandfather clocks? Where did this name originate? And, how come there is no 'father clock'?
Well, that's all the time I have to devote to time today. I always tend to ruminate over time when we are getting ready to change to daylight savings time. If you feel I have wasted your time with this blog post, let me repeat what John Lennon said: Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. That is, assuming, you enjoyed reading this!
First, a word about calling it an alarm clock. It is strange that we wind it up to go off at a particular time but when it does, say that the 'alarm' went off. It would be alarming if it failed to go off, not the other way around. On the other hand, I can justify the name perfectly from the clock's point of view. I mean, here it is ticking away in quiet contentment and all of a sudden a part of its body goes off like a banshee. If I were the clock, I would certainly be alarmed. Luckily, all it requires is a gentle, comforting pat on the head (which all of us are happy to provide), and the ringing stops.
Alarm clocks have become indispensable in our lives. Many need it daily to wake up in time. The idea of training myself to get up to the sound of an alarm does not appeal to me. I have generally had the ability to wake up at some specific hour on a regular basis. I guess life's routines manage to train me easily, although occasionally I oversleep and have to rush. I do use the alarm whenever I need to get up earlier than usual. But paradoxically then, my mental alarm goes into overdrive and I end up waking up every now and then and checking the time as I do not want to be startled by the sound of the alarm! Eventually, I may drift off into the dreamless and may even sleep through the alarm rendering the whole thing useless.
This morning, when I first opened my eyes and looked at the clock it showed 6:30, but when I looked at my phone it said 7:30. I realized with some dismay that daylight savings time had begun but every cell in my body sided with the clock. Some of you may recall how I feel about daylight savings time (I never understood why this is plural). In fact, the very first entry on this blog was triggered by this anachronistic practice.
The entry of the clock-radio made it possible to wake up to your favourite radio station or a buzzer sound. I now have a clock radio that has additional sounds you can wake up to or just play for soothing effect - the ocean, a babbling brook, or the wind, though the thing can be a little tricky with umpteen buttons. I have occasionally set the alarm by pressing one of the wrong buttons while trying to move it around and ended up being woken up early in the AM. Shutting the thing off, when you are startled out of your wits suddenly, and are all thumbs, is not always the easiest thing to do. It takes some frantic button-pushing. By then, you might actually be fully awake. But all is not lost because you can possibly play one of the soothing sounds (say the ocean) and get back to sleep. If you manage to find the correct button, that is.
The digital clocks with their LED displays have eliminated the need to turn on a light to see the time, but they can also be too bright and disturb your sleep. I have to turn them toward the wall or place a large book or something in front to shield the light. The LCD type does not have this problem, but then you do need a light (or backlight) to read the display. Even then, to sleepy eyes, the 7-segment display can be unclear. On the positive side, digital clocks do not make a ticking noise which can be especially trying when you have trouble sleeping. The longer you are awake, the more irritating the tick-tock, and the more anxious you become. Then it is even more difficult to sleep, which makes for a vicious cycle.
Before the advent of digital clocks, you had to look at a clock's hands and determine the time. Learning to tell time was one of the skills we acquired early on. And the old wall clocks with Roman numerals made you work just a little bit more. I must say that this skill has indeed proved useful, for I find it easier see a clock with two hands and ascertain the approximate time very quickly than by looking a a small digital watch or phone. The latter needs fishing for my glasses and what not.
Wall-clocks that announced the hours and half-hours by chiming were a constant in most houses when I was growing up. Though the regular chiming can be disturbing in the still of the night, it takes cuckoo-clocks to be really infuriating. How one can put up with the constant racket is beyond me. At least, I can say that they were honest in naming them 'cuckoo'. Speaking of names, how about grandfather clocks? Where did this name originate? And, how come there is no 'father clock'?
Well, that's all the time I have to devote to time today. I always tend to ruminate over time when we are getting ready to change to daylight savings time. If you feel I have wasted your time with this blog post, let me repeat what John Lennon said: Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. That is, assuming, you enjoyed reading this!
