"Analog Awakening" combines alarm clock, glass of water

While we have the Engadget mansion all decked out with water coolers in every room, other people prefer the more jury-rigged solution of keeping a glass of water on the nightstand for bouts of late-night dry mouth. Peter Brooren is one of these people, and since he must have quite a tiny nightstand, he found the need to combine his bedside water glass with his alarm clock.  The result: a coaster-like alarm clock, called "Analog Awakening," upon which a special glass is placed and struck by tiny hammer underneath in order to perform the wake-up duties. The tone of the alarm is determined by the amount of water in the glass—more water, lower tone, less water, higher tone. Can water dribble down the side of the glass and short out the clock? We have no idea; this is just a concept design.

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Fill the sucker with booze and you're in for a good morning.

"Just listen to the pitch climb ever higher as you down your morning glass of room temperature whiskey . . . Mmm, Mmm! The best part of waking up" et cetera et cetera.

[eric @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

It would be even better if it played the sound of a running sink, river, or general water movement to spur someone to wake up and pee.

[John @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Stupid idea. What happens if you drink all the water during the night?

[Tucker @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

So when I go to hit "snooze" in the morning, am I going to get electrocuted? That's one hell of a wakeup call..

[Peter @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Or it could dump the glass of water on you to wake you up.

[gene @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Man, I was hoping for an alarm clock that dumps water on you to wake you up...

[JC @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

I think the sound of a d toned ding would be pleasing in the morning. It should squirt the water at you if you don't wake up in time.

Or the measurement lines can be used in how I get myself out of bed. I drink X amount of water at night and have to pee by dawn. If I drink too much, I wake up in the middle of the night.

[Travis Beard @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

thats the best idea i have ever heard #1. a booze button.

[Don @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Just reading the title, I thought the alarm clock would splash the water on you to wake you up.

[Dave Tobin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

According to the indicator on the glass, there is apparently an "H" note that I was unaware of. Maybe it replaces the missing "B".

[Viney @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

#3: John, here's an experiment for ya. Grab a glass of water and hit it with a metal object. It makes a tone right? So, empty the glass of water and hit it again. Does the absence of water suddenly make the sound disappear? I think not. Seriously, try thinking before you cast someone's idea off as stupid.

[Genuis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

but what if your not thirsty?

[Desco @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Okay, while I'm no music savant, I know enough--and I know the standard notes... FACE, and Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge... But I've never heard of the 'H' note!

[Onion @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Wait... What the hell key is "H"?

[Ken @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

This is great. By the tone, you can probably get used to just how bad you have to pee when you get out of bed. Amazingly useful. Do I pee first or walk the dog?

[Big G @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Does anyone else realize that the tone is higher when there is more water in the glass?

[ZekeS @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Erm ... C D E F G H A C? H isn't on the scale, and B is missing ...oops!

Otherwise, an interesting idea ... I wonder how loud it is, though ...

[pj @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

H is the equivalent of B in some European countries.

More troubling, however, is the fact that the H and the A towards the lower part of the glass have been interchanged.

Suppose the concept needs some more design.

[racermd @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

The tones will actually get higher in pitch as water is added to the container. Conversely, less water means a lower pitch. Try it sometime.

[DAN @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

RE: scale
I think someone photoshopped this image, thinking they were fixing the mixed up letters while being ignorant of european music notation. (and only mixing it up more, from any perspective) The 'h' is too high and if you zoom in, you can see where it was erased on the left edge of the 'h' where the waterline was touching it.

Also, it could be an alarm clock that dips your hand in warm water and makes you pee in the bed.

[Red Hot Chili Pepper @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

It should just tip the hell over and wake you with the ice cold water cooled inside the "glass". That is what I thought when I first read the headline.
Still a stupid idea, though...

The notes are completely wrong. And yes, I thought most people would be smart enough to know that the "b" in european countries is replaced by the "h" in all of America (and Canada, too?) .

NOT SHIT SHERLOCK, #15 Big-G.

[Aaron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM]

Is there any particular reason for replacing b with h? Is it just because h looks prettier or were the Europeans trying to be cool and savvy? I mean, it makes total logical sense, right? a h c d e f g? That's the way the Roman alphabet has always gone...

Oh, wait...