In our bubble-wrapped little lives, the only way we can play with fire and feel true panic is by running our batteries down as low as possible. But doesn’t it suck the next day, when you realise your phone is dead?
Which appliance would you rather be woken up by? The smell of fresh coffee? Bacon sizzling fragrantly? A blaring TV? All of these could be possible, with the Alternative Alarm Clock. It’s just a pity we can’t buy Ki Hyun Kim’s university project – yet.
Ahh, alarm clocks. They are modern-day torture devices designed to interrupt a peaceful slumber. Some make it difficult like Tocky which runs away when it goes off. Others like the classic Mr Bump help you vent your frustration at having to get up so early.
Harking back to the classic Dieter Rams design, Frog’s wooden alarm clock would go perfectly with one of the flip clock apps for the iPhone. And oh, how the iPad looks in that mini-CRT…
Bacon alarm clocks were pretty rudimentary six years ago. I mean, they didn’t even have a snout or furry ears! The best bit about this BAKON one is that the instructions are all on Instructables, so you can build your own.
When it comes to alarm clocks, there’s definitely no shortage. But one commonality amongst almost all alarms is that they are annoying. The Acoustic Alarm, however, takes a new approach to the wake-up call.
When I wake up, the most taxing thing I want to be doing for the next 15 minutes is reading Twitter on my phone. Or urging the husband to make me a cup of tea. Not solving puzzles. Never puzzles.
Waking up to a blaring alarm is just torture. Most of the times I’m groggy until coffee hits or angry because my lovely dream was interrupted. Sleep as an Droid is different, it wakes you up nicely.
Inspired by Thomas Edison, designer David Krawczyk created an ancient-looking alarm clock (10 points to the man in the back, well done!) with light bulbs that glow when stuck into the desired wake-up time. Tremendously nerdy “fun”. [Coroflot via Walyou]
Most docks just play music. That’s so vanilla! Pair your iWhatever with the TimeCommand dock and the accompanying Stem:Connect app and you can dim your f-ing lamps from your touchscreen. And set some of the most crazily customizable alarms imaginable.
