Hasta La Gadget!

Between Star Trek and Star Wars, which of the science fiction franchises do you prefer? I personally like the latter, although the movie reboot in recent years has also reignited my interest in Star Trek. The ships in Star Wars are way cooler, including the mammoth Death Star, but in Star Trek, it is comforting to see an effort being made by humanity as well as other alien life form to explore new worlds in a non-invasive manner. Being discreet is the keyword here. Here is the $49.99 Star Trek Enterprise Projection Alarm Clock that would be the perfect addition to any Trekkie’s room or office table.

The NCC-1701 will be able to tell you just what time it is, as it projects the time on a wall or ceiling. Nacelles will light up whenever the alarm goes off, and your eyes will be able to tell the exact time since all of the digital numbers are projected in large, red figures. Not only that, sounds from the original series will also be played back accordingly. Surely this would be the ideal alarm clock that is also futuristic to a certain extent in your home? It comes with a 5 minute snooze function, plays back sounds such as red alert, photon torpedos, and Kirk calling from the Bridge, and will be powered by a quartet of LR44 button cell batteries.
[ Star Trek Enterprise Projection Alarm Clock tells time in the here and now copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Oscilloclock shop owner Aaron’s latest offering is based on a vectorscope, a special kind of oscilloscope used to analyze the quality of television or video signals. Like its brethren, the digital age has reduced the need for vectorscopes, but Aaron can make them useful again as clocks.

Like his other oscilloclocks – one of which we featured last year – the VectorClock uses Aaron’s custom controller board, which draws shapes on the screen by drawing circles, with certain parts of the CRT screen blanked out depending on the desired shape or character. Aaron is proud of this particular build, which is based on a Tektronix 520A vectorscope, because he was able to use nearly all of its exisiting circuits, thus minimizing internal modifications.

As you’ll see in the demo video below, the VectorClock can display the time and date in a variety of ways. It also has dimmable lighting and can even display words.

It looks like something you’ll find at the Darkwaters General Store. Contact Aaron if you want him to build you a VectorClock. He probably doesn’t accept bottle caps as payment.

[via Hack A Day]

I am quite sure that NSA agents are all too familiar with the habit of spying on others, which is why they would not give two hoots about something like the Video Surveillance Clock. For ordinary folks like you and I, sitting right there in the comfort of our homes, knowing that the clock on the desk or inside the cabinet comes with a hidden camera feature can be comforting. After all, it lets you check out just what is going on at home whenever you are not around, and whether that maid of yours is canoodling up with your neighbor or not.

The asking price of $149.95 is not too much either, considering how this particular analog clock comes with a built-in, motion-activated video surveillance camera which is capable of recording not only video but audio as well, making it the ideal tool to inconspicuously monitor a room or office. The video quality will not be in Full HD resolution, but it still does a pretty decent job thanks to its image sensor being able to capture 720 x 480 resolution video in a 62º angle from nine feet away, with the sensitive microphone being able to pick up sound from 16′ away. Still photos can also be shot at 1,280 x 960 resolution. Each purchase comes with a 4GB microSD memory card that is good for up to 6 hours of video, and its battery delivers a 1.5 hour video recording session.
[ Video Surveillance Clock acts as a modern day palantir copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Are all clocks created equal? The answer is definitely not, but I would assume that for the most of us, we would happily settle for a simple digital or analog clock that sits on our desk, hang on the living room wall, or simply refer to the wristwatch that we wear all the time. How about adding more functions to your everyday timepiece? This is what the £29.99 Click Cube Clocks is all about, as it will arrive in black and walnut shades from early next month onward to make it a candidate for your Christmas shopping list.

For starters, the Click Cube Clocks would be able to let you tell the time at a glance, unlike those Tokyoflash watches that require you to perform some sort of mental calculation before arriving at the exact minute. Not only that, the Click Cube Clocks do more than just tell the time, as they are also able to show the temperature and date. Teenagers and sleep lovers will be pleased to know that a snooze function has also been thrown into the mix to accompany the alarm, letting you sleep in a little bit longer, while the lack of wires translate to you being able to place it just about anywhere you like without the risk of tripping over. The magic of the Click Cube Clock lies in the fact that the time will be displayed at the snap of your fingers, or when you tap the bedside table it is on gently.
[ Click Cube Clocks tell the time in a fun way copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Cuckoo clocks are pretty amazing. I’m always fascinated by the engineering inside of them. They keep pretty good time too. Plus, all authentic cuckoo clocks are made by hand, so each one is unique. It is a fine tradition of craftsmen that are super talented. And now we have the world’s largest cuckoo clock, which is as big as a house.

According to Guinness World Records, this is the biggest cuckoo clock in the world and it is in Triberg, Germany. Of course. It’s a traditional Black Forest cuckoo clock design scaled up 60 times the size of the original. This clock weighs six tons.

The cuckoo bird itself is 4.5 meters long and weighs 150 kilograms. Like the real thing, this clock is made of wood and was carved entirely hand. The cuckoo calls once every quarter hour and then chimes every hour.

Unless you really like Cuckoo clocks, the sound would probably drive you nuts if you heard it all day.

[via The Automata Blog via Neatorama]