To all our local patrons and to those in the EDT time zone, don’t forget to turn back your clocks this weekend. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep and we’ll see you on Monday!
Word Clock
For my frivolous Friday post, I’m once again talking about clocks. But this one has a twist….it tells time, but using words! Designed by a company called Biegert & Funk , it comes in a variety of colours and changes as the time changes. Is it really accurate? It apparently adjusts itself and reads exactly the correct time, lighting the correct words on the screen. There is even an iPhone application for those who want a more portable version of this pretty clock.
At first, I thought this might be the perfect alternative for kids who have trouble using the analog clocks that the rest of us grew up with. But then, I wondered if they’d understand the terminology….half past…quarter past…..etc. It makes sense when you think about it, but do we really tell time in this manner? I rarely say “half past six”….I’d say “six-thirty” instead and maybe it’s just me, but I’d think kids might be thrown by that.
However, with the hefty pricetag on this little beauty (about $1100 US), I’d hardly think someone would purchase this for their child’s room, let’s say. So, it is beautiful, functional art, and we’ll leave it at that.
So just what time is it, anyway??
Do children get real instruction today in telling time? I don’t think so. We often have kinds come up to the front desk at the library and ask us what time it is. When we point to the clock on the wall across from the desk, we’re often met with dazed looks, blank stares and kids who will stand there looking at the clock for ages before looking back at us, puzzled. The reason? It is just a plain, analog clock. With hands and numbers. What? No digital clock? Kids these days just don’t seem to know what to do with it!
So, how about this crazy version of a clock, a poem really, that lights up each hour, minute and second with a different word in the poem. The 6 is for blossom word clock is meant to be creative and mark the passing of time with beautiful words, but this is probably what kids these days feel like when they look at a plain, analog clock. I don’t get it, and apparently, neither do they.
What time is it?
We laughed the other day because a teenager actually came into the library, looked at the clock in front of the desk and told her friend what time it was!!! This is a very rare occurrence in our library, and one which gives us hope for the next generation, albeit slight. When we are asked the time, we often motion to the clock, but rarely can someone in their teens tell the time. It is an old-fashioned analog clock with actually working hands and numbers, not the digital kind, and we find that this causes much confusion amongst the high-schoolers.
But maybe we all view time differently, so maybe we should all have our own types of clocks. What about one of these great designs:
(Photos by Fluke Collective and Design Milk)
If you’d like to see more creative clocks, you can visit the WebUrbanist website here.
