Etch A Sketch clock automatically draws, redraws time

Automating Etch A Sketch units to pull off all sorts of mesmerizing tricks is certainly not new, but angelabuilds' beautifully created Etch A Sketch clock truly is a notch above the rest. Reportedly, it was built upon the Arduino platform and obviously references a few other EAS masterpieces, but we really can't think of a better wall clock for the true geek. Click on through to check out a video of the unit drawing 11:41 and moving on to 11:42 -- seriously, watching the seconds tick away has never been more riveting.

[Via MAKE, thanks Nick]

[Timothy Sottek @ Mar 8th 2008 4:27PM]

An Ode… of Retraction


Headline after next, I scour the news,
My poor heart sinking from the ‘giveaway’ blues.
No mail in my inbox, all the worse my condition,
Was I wrong, did I have so much misplaced ambition?

I fell for that post-script, fell hook line and sinker,
And chased the red-herring (oh boy I’m a stinker).
“P.S, stick close by,” what a big load of hooey!
What am I to you, chop liver, chop-suey?

iPhone this, Ballmer that, did I really swing out?
No x-three-sixty, ‘cept for that Christmas pout.
Thats it, I’ll redouble my efforts at once!
(Though ill risk coming out as a low-ranking dunce)

MacBook Air, EPA, PS3 tattoo blunder,
How might we tear Cloudbook’s rear-end asunder?
Stu Reed, QuantumSphere, and birth txting disparaged,
Did that guy really code his way into marriage?

H-Dee, Dee-vee-dee, how we knew you so little,
Will you write, will you call, will we be noncommittal?
SDKs, PSPs, CeBIT raids by the hour,
I’d go on, but I’m sure you can tell I’m just sour.

And that’s where this message comes to an end,
I know what you’re thinking, “but will his prose blend?”
Will there yet be some heart, will you check your stock room?
Just… whatever you send me, please make sure it plays doom.

[Bryan Thornsberry @ Mar 8th 2008 4:44PM]

Wow. +1.

That being said, this etch-a-sketch program is most excellent. I for one welcome our more artistic overlord emo-bots.

"But dad, I dont want to kill humans... I want to create."

[Dhomas @ Mar 8th 2008 4:44PM]

Well done!

One note, though: "Will his prose blend?"
I believe this would qualify as poetry, not prose. I assume you used a little poetic license, since the word poetry would not have fit, rhythmically.

Still, you are quite talented, Mr. Sottek!

[karts41 @ Mar 8th 2008 4:55PM]

Pwnage

[granny down east @ Mar 8th 2008 5:10PM]

A+ sir, you have made my day.

[ethana2 @ Mar 8th 2008 7:26PM]

I don't know if most people here know about that emo.
...nor Proog.

[wrabbit @ Mar 8th 2008 9:18PM]

Awesome, truly awesome! :D

[Ray @ Mar 8th 2008 11:45PM]

Did he just spend an hour writing that and keep refreshing the homepage til there was a new article with 0 comments?

It's just a "OMG FIRST!!!!" with lots of icing on top.

[idriss @ Mar 9th 2008 5:31AM]

u r totally awesome
=]
u made my night... morning

[David Vogt @ Mar 8th 2008 4:28PM]

This is sweet.

[jason @ Mar 8th 2008 4:37PM]

All I came up with was taping a monkey to an etch a sketch.... this is much better....

[Hearsay @ Mar 8th 2008 5:00PM]

This thing is awsome. I wonder about the programming and what type of microchip he used. But then again I am a geek.

[Stephen @ Mar 8th 2008 5:10PM]

Not entirely geeky to wonder about the programming as I have enough issues drawing anything except stairs on an E-A-S, let alone showing the computer how to make 10 different digits.

[CDN Crockett @ Mar 8th 2008 5:01PM]

Love it!!!

[ethan @ Mar 8th 2008 5:15PM]

note the Simpson's "Professor Frink" action figure to the side. The sign of a true genius at work.

[Carl M @ Mar 8th 2008 5:50PM]

Looks great. Now all they need to work on is a nice curvy font.

After all, if you have CNC, why stick to what a person can do?

[Jesse S @ Mar 8th 2008 6:07PM]

Wow, what a shitty video player. Ads DURRING THE VIDEO?

Why the fuck would anyone use this?

[Mr Lizard @ Mar 8th 2008 7:34PM]

Confused... I got no ads

[austin @ Mar 8th 2008 9:18PM]

generally when you see an X on a computer screen, when you click it, the thing it is attached to dissapears

[Mr Lizard @ Mar 8th 2008 7:34PM]

Any chance that it could be sped up to draw each second too? ;-)

[2fast4u @ Mar 8th 2008 7:50PM]

What happens if I shake it?

[Andrew H. @ Mar 9th 2008 1:23AM]

you don't shake it. it shakes you.

[Ignatius @ Mar 8th 2008 9:24PM]

Only in Soviet Russia.

[Sam @ Mar 8th 2008 10:32PM]

Do etch-a-sketch babies get shaking baby syndrome?

[Sam @ Mar 8th 2008 10:33PM]

wait...shaken baby syndrome

[Marvin Quach @ Mar 8th 2008 9:43PM]

Pardon my French, but.... That's F***in' awesome.

[Steve Butler @ Mar 9th 2008 5:43AM]

Excuse my French but, Limitez-vous contre les jurons, s’il vous plaît.

[Matt @ Mar 8th 2008 9:58PM]

WANT TO BUY

[Jeff @ Mar 8th 2008 11:48PM]

Me too.

[James @ Mar 9th 2008 8:02AM]

Do you wish to add grammar to your shopping basket sir?

[Matt @ Mar 9th 2008 11:14AM]

i WANT TO BUY the etch-a-clock :)
grammar takes too long! where is "BUY NOW" button!

[sola.veritas @ Mar 8th 2008 10:50PM]

I think sheer impracticality is the touchstone of its greatness. I want it without knowing why I want it.

[Clark H. @ Mar 9th 2008 1:08AM]

The guy that filmed it... Why does he move so... fast? o_O

[Clark H. @ Mar 9th 2008 1:10AM]

Never mind, I'm just on crack...?

[spaceb @ Mar 9th 2008 1:09AM]

Make it small enought to fit into a wristwatch, add a back light and I'll buy it.

[Andrew @ Mar 9th 2008 4:58AM]

haha yeah an etch a sketch would make a GREAT wristwatch. hey why dont we add the kinetic charging to it like a lot of other wristwatches, you know, where shaking it powers it...

haha that would be sweet though, you'd just never know what time it was.

[Dimlight @ Mar 9th 2008 7:30AM]

Didn't you notice the oldschool Casio in the video? Those things pwn.

[JulietteSaito @ Mar 9th 2008 3:53AM]

I had one of those!
Brilliant :D

[Jerry Norbury @ Mar 9th 2008 4:55AM]

All it misses is a Stylophone bot add-on for playing Big Ben chimes on the hour.

[Twitchy @ Mar 9th 2008 6:31AM]

WANT

[Oh Wunnerful @ Mar 9th 2008 7:51AM]

Just noticed that my Windows XP Pro hasn't changed the time this morning.

Sheesh.

[Macha88 @ Mar 9th 2008 3:47PM]

Hope it has some sort of burn in reduction...

[Axton @ Mar 9th 2008 11:34PM]

Wait a second. This doesn't make any sense at all... he is already wearing a watch.

[Steve Childs @ Mar 10th 2008 6:16AM]

Oh dear, pardon the pun, but someone's got far too much time on their hands.

[blackfeather @ Mar 10th 2008 1:59PM]

This is way better than my 2002 Etch-a-sketch mod
http://www.blackfeathermedia.com/etcher/

I only had a lowsy basic stamp to control it.

[Andy O. @ Mar 11th 2008 2:59PM]

amazin...