Alarm Clocks, the Early Days: 'At the Sound of the Clunk...'

"Alarm Clocks"
Trevor Mendham

"In this digital age we barely give a second thought to alarm clocks - almost everything we buy seems to beep or buzz at us at some time or other. Some have taken to vibrating or even talking! However in the age of mechanical horology an alarm mechanism was far less common.

"History

"Early Examples

"The history of the alarm clock is a tribute to human ingenuity. People have developed alll[!] sorts of wonderful ideas for causing a signal to occur a a particular time. One of the earliest examples was in ancient Greece....

"...A simple candle clock could also be turned into an alarm clock by inserting a nail or other item into the wax at a particular point. When the candle burnt down that far, the nail fell onto a metal pan below with a clunk."

The Lemming found that 'history of the alarm clock' on Trevor Mendham's Horology Stuff website. Mr. Mendham's online creation grew pretty much the same way the Lemming's have:

"Horology is the science of time measurement, especially the manufacture of clocks, watches and chronometers of all sorts. That's the stuff you'll find on this site, along with wider discussions about theories of time in both science and fiction.

"I've loved clocks and watches since I was a kid and I'm also fascinated by the nature of time itself. Since I also love learning and writing ...."
(Home page, Horology Stuff)

Heavy sleepers, like the Lemming, may have inspired the development of something more effective than a nail going 'clunk' as a day-starter.

Interestingly, the Lemming has not found any reference to the obvious expedient of having the heavy sleeper arrange for a light sleeper - preferably one with anger-management issues - rest near the nail-in-candle alarm clock.

Of course, Mr. Mendham seems more interested in clock tech that's actually been used: not the hypothetical ramblings of a fervid Lemming.

Horology Stuff is a pretty good resource for clock-related information: with a nice, conversational writing style. In the Lemming's opinion. Your experience may vary. There's even a short section about famous clocks, and The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers (Tempus Rerum Imperator, and all that).

The website is, the Lemming hopes, a work-in-progress. Mr. Mendham seems to have been working on it since 2005. Since it's the work of one person, it takes time to 'grow' a website like Horology Stuff. Also since it's the work of one person, the Lemming thinks you'll hear the author's voice, sort of, in the text.

Almost-related posts:

• "Gaylord: A Car, Another Car, a Company, a Town, and a Block of Wax"
  (November 18, 2011)
• "And Now, for Something Completely Different: a Spiral Candle Video"
  (March 16, 2011)
• "Christmas Tree Lights: From Candles to Electric"
  (December 23, 2010)
• "Christmas Trees, Queen Victoria, And Coleridge"
  (December 21, 2009)
• "Paper Chandelier - Probably Not for Use With Candles"
  (April 26, 2008)

Did You Know There's an Authentic German Restaurant Near Lake George?

Well, now you do:

Pumpernickel's Restaurant

"Welcome to Pumpernickel's Restaurant near Lake George..."

"...The area's only authentic German Restaurant, serving traditional German fare expertly prepared by our professional staff of classically-trained Chefs.

"Pumpernickel's Restaurant is located on Lakeshore Drive, Route 9N, Bolton Landing, and just 8 miles north of Lake George Village. Open daily at 5:00 mid June through Labor Day...."

That 'just 8 miles north of Lake George Village" caught the Lemming's attention. Lake George isn't a particularly big place - but we just call it "Lake George."

Some of the other place names weren't quite familiar - and I realized it wasn't Lake George, Minnesota, that Pumpernickel's Restaurant was near. It's Lake George Village, in New York state.

The address, by the way, is:

Pumpernickel's Restaurant
Lakeshore Dr.
Bolton Landing, NY 12814

Finally, it isn't phrases like "German cuisine" that, in the Lemming's opinion, mark this as a very American place, it's this discussion of a cuckoo clock:

"...Pumpernickel's is also the home of the largest cuckoo clock in the United States. Carved in the Black Forest of Germany in the early 1960's, the clock was displayed at the World’s Fair in New York and spent its first years outdoors at the Wiener Wald Restaurant in Times Square in the heart of Manhattan...."

Not just an impressive cuckoo clock: the largest cuckoo clock in the United States.

That reminded me of Chicago's Buckingham fountain: a replica of the one back in England, only lots bigger. Americans seem to think big: And that's another topic.

Almost-entirely-unrelated post:

• "Here's Looking At You: Chicago Gets the Eye"
  (July 4, 2010)

Funny Alarm Clocks

"15 Funniest Alarm Clocks - Part 1"
Techpin (May 15, 2008)

"There are several gadgets indispensable for our these days life style and just to enumerate a few we have the cell phone, the watch, laptops, memory sticks, and for some, portable media players, but there is none of you that doesn’t use an alarm clock, right? ..."

Includes photos and description of:

• The Pillow Alarm Clock
• The Throw Alarm Clocks (shaped like a soccer ball)
• The Running Alarm Clock (it runs away)

Not bad: and a cut or two above most novelty gifts.

Not the Most Practical Clock: but Quite a Drawing

Drawing of an imaginary clockwork timepiece. Best of all, it's animated.

By Tavmjong Bah (tavmjong.free.fr/)

Oberon SS Watch: the Watch of the Moment for Geeks

"Geeky Watches - The Oberon SS Watch"
(May 13, 2008)

The photos alone would tell you that this is a watch for geeks, most likely by geeks.

"... It features a black mineral crystal lens, and the time is displayed via bright blue LED’s beneath the crystal lens. ..."

Very cool. Very geeky. Quite a combination.

Official U.S. Time

"The Official U.S. Time"

A pretty good way of setting your clock. The service is accurate to within a millionth of a second or so, but what you'll see is the familiar hour-minute-second display.

There's software available on the site that's supposed to keep your computer's clock set to the correct time.

Seriously Weird Alarm Clocks.

" 14 of the Worlds Strangest Alarm Clocks for Those Early Morning Risers."

The title may not be 100% accurate, but it's close.

One won't stop ringing until you finish a puzzle.

Another runs on water.

Yet another is a conversationalist. This one is my favorite. You can tell it to sing you a song, or ask it things like "How do I look?" )I don't know about you, but that's one I wouldn't ask as I awaken). Best of all: "In the morning he will start beeping and chatting at you, so you can either say 'alarm off' or grab him by the neck and shake him until he shuts up, depends on what kind of morning you are having."