Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

Fans of space history will immediately notice that the MIR alarm clock looks nothing like Mir. We’ll tackle that in due course. Meantime, it’s a solar powered radio alarm clock, and it’s painted gold, and it looks altogether too pretty and too fragile to wake me up in the morning lest I sleepily (and violently) attempt to silence it.

Now, on to the relevant issue: the MIR clock doesn’t look like Mir. After much research, I have concluded that this should be called the Resurs clock, after the Resurs 500 capsule launched by the Russians in 1992 to promote the 500th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus. See for yourself:

The MIR alarm clock is currently just a concept, probably because they don’t have the name right.

[ Behance ] VIA [ NewLaunches ]

By Luke Anderson

Unless you have a job that requires you to be present on Saturday and Sunday, pretty much everyone looks forward to the weekend. Sure, there are those crazy people that actually enjoy their job so much that they can’t stand being away for two days, but they’re crazy. For all of the normal people that enjoy their weekend, there is the Weekend Clock.

This clock doesn’t just tell you what time it is, but lets you know how many hours, minutes and even seconds are left before your weekend. Don’t worry, if your two days off are during the week, you can still set the clock to count down to those days. It should be available sometime in the near future for around $30

[ LazyBone ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Evan Ackerman

We saw this bird alarm clock (or something just like it) in the international hall at CES this year, but I was forcibly prevented from taking a picture of it by a product rep. Go figure. Now it look like it’s coming to the US, so I can finally write it up. HA!

The Early Bird alarm clock has a bird on top of it that pulses and glows and chirps to help wake you up.

Phew, glad I finally got that off my chest, it’s been killing me. The Early Bird alarm clock will be available for $25 later this month.

[ Perpetual Kid ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

By Luke Anderson

What is it about designers that drives them to create objects that are just plain annoying to use? I’m sure that a lot of things sound good in their heads, but aren’t actually practical when put to the test. Take this weird Eyeclock for example.

Sure, it’s kind of cute to look at. It looks like a pair of crazy eyes, but what time is it? After staring at it for several seconds, you’ll probably be able to figure out the time. However, if you’re sitting more than a few feet away, you’ll only get a rough approximation at best. Personally, I don’t want to have to stare at a clock for more than a second or two to figure out the time. Since this is merely a concept design, there’s a good chance I won’t actually ever have to look at one.

[ Mike Mak ] VIA [ GearCrave ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t care how big a fan you are of the Ferrari show Formula 1, this wall clock that features a replica Formula 1 nosecone crashing through a giant steering wheel is nothing short of a fanboy disaster. And while you might think something like this was designed to sit on your desk or on a shelf, it’s actually 3 feet wide and weighs over 35 pounds! So hanging this on a wall is probably going to require a bit more hardware than just a simple screw.

Still want one? You’ll have to contact Yab Design directly for a quote, which of course means since the price isn’t listed on the website, it isn’t going to be cheap.

[ F1 Nose Cone and Steering Wheel with Clock and Neon Light ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Quick! What time is it in Paris right now? Well if you live anywhere but Paris, you probably had to hunt down an online world time clock, or switch to some widget to figure that out. But with this handsome World Time Clock from Oregon Scientific sitting in front of you, the answer would have been a simple twist away. The clock’s brushed metal dial can be turned to select one of the 12 major cities’ time zones (Paris included) which will then show their current time underneath your local time on the inverted LCD display. The clock will also automatically calculate and take daylight savings into account, and includes a basic alarm with snooze function.

Now the $49.99 that Oregon Scientific usually asks for this clock is kind of ridiculous, but it’s on sale at the moment for a slightly more reasonable $24.99.

[ Oregon Scientific World Time Clock ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While this cooking timer from Amadana isn’t exactly new, I do like the falling blocks mode where each block represents a second that has passed, kind of like sand falling through an hour glass, though far more accurate. On the other hand, cooking timers are supposed to be a set it and forget it type device, so who wants to stop what they’re doing to count a pile of tiny blocks at the bottom of the screen? Thankfully there’s also a standard digital clock face that can be easily read from a distance, and like an hour glass, this timer can be stopped and started by simply flipping it over. Clever, but not $55 (5,000 yen) clever.

[ Amadana Cooking Timer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Like Star Wars, The Simpsons is probably one of the most heavily marketed TV shows of all time. And while things aren’t as bad as when the show first hit the airwaves, there’s still a steady stream of Simpsons related crap merchandise flooding onto the market.

This particular item is your run-of-the-mill analog wall clock that ups the ante with a Duff beer bottle attached to the second hand which Homer’s eyes will follow as it makes its way around the clock face. You can hang one at work to countdown to when it’s time to head to the pub, or hang one over your TV at home to countdown to when the show becomes funny again. (Exact date to be determined.)

Drinkstuff.com’s got it for about $21.

[ Homer Simpson Rotating Eyes Wall Clock ] VIA [ 7 Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Given how prolific Lucasfilm has been when it comes to licensing the Star Wars brand, I think it’s pretty much impossible for there to be a Star Wars fan who quite literally has everything. But if you’ve been having a tough time finding the perfect gift for the pretend Jedi in your family, these Star Wars Starships and Fighters Clocks created by Etsy seller YOUgNeek are definitely unique.

The design features an acrylic and chrome Sterling and Noble analog clock with 12 different Action Fleet Micro Machine battleships and vessels arranged around the perimeter. The ships have all been re-finished in a pewter color scheme to more-or-less match the chrome finish on the clock, and you can even request your favorite Star Wars vehicles to be included, if they’re currently in stock. Just be prepared to shell out $89.99 for this unique item.

[ Etsy (YOUgNeek) - Star Wars Starships and Fighters Clock ] VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]