About watches of all types and sizes, from 'light' and 'smart' to mechanical and motivational, as well as the amazing celebration of the Burning of the Watch …
BEDDI Intel ligent Alarm Clock
The smart home concept is exciting the minds of many people in a wide variety of companies. What this very 'smart' house is is still not very clear, only one thing is clear – it should be something very technological, useful and cool. All kinds of remote-controlled lights and coffee machines, 'smart' sockets to save energy, door locks with a built-in retina scanner … who has enough imagination for that.
I am personally interested in a slightly different aspect here – any, even the most archaic, item can get a second life in a smart home. For example, a wall radio, almost forgotten these days, can learn to automatically turn on during your breakfast and read your personal news feed. Or play your favorite tracklist from a service like Google Music during dinner. And the same landline phone, which many families are also starting to refuse, can turn into a device for holographic video calls or something similar.
Witti Inc has taken up the traditional alarm clock, which is also gradually losing its relevance – too many people prefer to use the alarm clock application for this on a smartphone or home tablet.
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Their BEDDI Intel ligent Alarm Clock is much more than just a clock with a built-in bell. Rather, it is a kind of cross between a home appliances control center, a docking station for gadgets and a wireless speaker. Place it by your bed, and you can adjust the brightness of the lighting with one movement of your hand and calmly fall asleep to the whisper of the surf or 'white noise'. And when you wake up, a cup of freshly brewed coffee will already be waiting for you – the alarm clock will give a signal in advance to the smart socket to which the coffee machine is connected. In parallel, he is able to charge several gadgets at once, such as smartphones or tablets. Moreover, the smartphone can be installed in the upper slot of the device, as in a stand, in this mode it will not only charge, but also display information about the weather, traffic jams and so on. If you understand that there is no desire to walk in such weather, then with the help of the same alarm clock you can call yourself a taxi in one click through the Uber service. The device will additionally notify you of the arrival of the car.
Everything sounds great. One problem is that buyers will not be able to evaluate a good half of the functions of such an alarm clock without the rest of the smart home components. And as a docking station, you can choose a solution that is cheaper.
Project page on Kickstarter
BLOCKS
BLOCKS Wearables has also come to grips with the idea of a 'smart' watch, though this time a wristwatch. It would seem that the market is already flooded with similar devices, why release another model? The problem is not in appearance, not in lack of functions and not in hardware or OS. Anyone who wants to can now choose a smart watch to their taste and color – the only question is why.
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Offtopic: the year of smartwatches |
Every large company tries to declare that the path it has chosen is the only true one, that it is its 'smart' watch that absolutely everyone and everyone needs. Like traders in a market square or out-of-date pop stars, companies try to out-shout their competitors and try in vain to 'get' the crowd. Potential buyers in this cacophony of sounds and indistinct screams finally cease to understand what's what. Moreover, they are not very interested in the mythical popularity of 'smart' watches of a particular brand, they are much more important than the answer to a simple question – what will be useful for this device specifically for them.
This is where the BLOCKS modular watch comes into play, which does not try to be the best for everyone at once. But they give everyone the opportunity to find the best watches for themselves.
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All watch components are divided into two types. The “heart” of the watch is a module with a dial that supports a standard set of “smart” functions such as notifications, step counting, voice control and others. The second type of components is additional modules that are built into the strap. This can be anything from a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint scanner to a SIM card slot, a camera module and an NFC wallet.
I really like the idea itself. Unlike sophisticated technology such as smartphones or tablets, such modularity is quite appropriate in wearable electronics. If you are going on a hike, you can add a couple of additional batteries to the watch strap so that the device will work without recharging for a couple of extra days, or you can install an additional LED flashlight. You go to the gym – you can put a heart rate monitor and a blood oxygen sensor.
In theory, such a watch can really be useful to any person and in any situation. Especially if third-party manufacturers are involved in the development of modules. Moreover, there are no difficulties in assembling the end device. In fact, all the user has to do is change the strap.
The main disadvantage of the device is its design. Still, a watch is not just a device for displaying time, but also an accessory. Only a few will be ready to wear anything on hand. And here BLOCKS has nothing to brag about, even from the photographs you can see that outwardly this watch is an ordinary Chinese cheap thing, without a hint of taste.
Project page on Kickstarter
Klokers
Klokers watches are the exact opposite of BLOCKS. This device is the most real anachronism, which today simply cannot exist. However, it will definitely exist – a fleeting campaign on Kickstarter in just two weeks brought € 605,898 to the developers' piggy bank.
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Honestly, I never understood the charm of expensive Swiss watches, but I fell in love with Klokers at first sight. Compared to them, all fashionable 'smart' watches inevitably begin to be perceived as some kind of awkward handicraft, unworthy of its main goal – the Countdown of Time.
This watch will have two different models with different types of dials. Each of them is perfectly animated, and we are talking about mechanical, not computer animation. You don't have to worry about the quality and accuracy of the movement, because the heart of the watch is the Swiss quartz Ronda motor.
Separately, you need to dwell on the straps. The watch's fastening is non-standard, which, on the one hand, is very sad (you obviously cannot fasten them to your favorite strap). On the other hand, it's very cool. After all, thanks to him, it will be possible to wear Klokers as you like, in an instant turning from a wrist watch into a pocket watch, hanging it on your chest like a pendant, or hanging it on a bag.
Project page on Kickstarter
Make time clock
Klokers is a great timing tool that will keep counting seconds for years to come. Although the question of how you can accurately measure what you do not really understand remains open.
Do you think that time is a linear quantity? Then explain why one single working day can drag on endlessly, and a two-week vacation manages to fly by in an instant, as if it did not even have time to start? And why is there often enough time for all sorts of trifles, but always not enough for something really important?
Chap Ambrose asked this question too. And I decided to help measure their personal time for those who are unsuccessfully trying to combine a hobby with their main job or to engage in several significant projects at once. And maybe even learn how to manage this very time.
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The 'dial' of the clock consists of six lights arranged in a pyramid shape. By itself, this clock does not run, because it shows only 'real', not abstract time. You decide what time these hours should count down, and manually press the button, adding a new portion of time to the piggy bank.
It works as follows – when you start working on your project, you touch the button on the top of the device. After that, one of the light bulbs starts to slowly fill up on the clock, turning on completely after the allotted time (by default it is 30 minutes, but the interval can be changed to your taste). Do you have the strength to work on the project further? Press the button again, and soon another one will be added to the already lit light bulb.
Every Monday morning, the clock will reset, and you will have to try to light the pyramid of lights again. Over time, you will understand which rhythm of work is most convenient for you, when to throw all available forces on your project, and when you can afford to rest. It won't be so easy to take time off from work, wasting time on trifles – a couple of lonely lights on the watch case will look at you with a mute reproach.
Also note that the device has a proprietary companion application. With its help, you can view the entire 'timeline' of work on a project or set up receiving special motivating messages.
Project page on Kickstarter
The light clock
You can endlessly talk about what time is. Of course, if there is time for this reasoning. From a practical point of view, time is primarily a way to measure the interval between day and night. And the total number of these same days and nights between spring, winter and summer. This is now a bunch of people working on all sorts of shift, daily or night schedules. And earlier in this regard, everything was simpler. We got up at dawn, went to bed at sunset – there’s nothing much you can do in the dark, and normal lighting is a luxury available to a few. It is worth noting that one of the first clocks was a sundial, where the shadow of a stick driven into the ground acted as an hour hand.
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With The Light Clock, the connection between time and light will become even stronger. At first glance, it may seem that this is a classic wall clock … but the absence of arrows immediately catches your eye. This clock shows the time by means of lighting of different colors. One color represents minutes, the other represents hours.
The Light Clock is not just a clock, it is also a decorative item. The color scheme of lighting can be chosen to suit the mood or interior. The brightness of the glow will be adjusted automatically depending on the lighting of the room itself. It is enough to turn off the light and the watch switches to night mode.
Project page on Kickstarter
Burning the Clocks 2015
At the end of the issue – a few words about the Burning the Clocks, which has been celebrated annually in Brighton since 1993.
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On December 21, residents of the city will once again come together to celebrate the longest night of the year. The organizers are planning a traditional costume procession through the city center (all costumes must have a clock face), fireworks and a ceremonial 'burning of time' – a bonfire made of paper lanterns in the shape of a clock.
Photo from fest300.com by Ray Gibson
This is not just a fun holiday, but also an occasion to take stock, think about where we are going and whether we have disposed of our time correctly. And also to remember that in the end we are all in the same boat and every lighted paper lantern becomes brighter for everyone around us.
Photo from samesky.co.uk
Photo from samesky.co.uk
Although the city authorities try to support the organizers, the festival has no permanent funding. Traditionally, part of the funds is collected from volunteers, including the project can be supported through Kickstarter. As rewards, they offer participation in the very center of the procession, special personal lamps and other similar things.
Photo from fest300.com by Ray Gibson
Even if all this makes little sense for those living outside England, the holiday itself is still interesting. And for some reason I also think that Lewis Carroll would really like him … many of the photos are like illustrations for 'Alice in Wonderland'.
Project page on Kickstarter
How is fundraising going?
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I sincerely hope that you have enough time for everything that you consider important. And that if you have to burn it, then only at a special celebration in Brighton during the longest night of the year.
