CuckooClock
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Twitter UK's #Flock cuckoo clock shares time and tweets alike (video)
The concept of a Twitter-aware cuckoo clock has certainly been done -- just not by Twitter itself, until now. Twitter UK has teamed up with Berg to produce #Flock, a smarter-than-average clock that both marks time and pops out a bird whenever there are new followers, replies and retweets. It's comparatively simple underneath the wood, as a Berg Cloud developer kit links an arm mechanism to the owner's Twitter account. The trick will be owning one in the first place. As much as we'd like Twitter to sell #Flock on a general basis, the company is giving away its hand-built creation only to companies and people that "push the creative boundaries," which will mostly involve advertisers rather than any of us common folk.
Twitwee Clock checks tweets with old world charm
We've seen a few cuckoo clock-inspired projects over the years, but one of the more obvious, a twitter clock, hasn't been among them -- until now, that is. Dubbed the Twitwee Clock, this contraption built by Haroon Baig relies on an Arduino (what else?) and an LCD to display incoming tweets, and an old fashioned mechanical cuckoo to notify you when a new one has arrived. That could obviously get on your nerves pretty quickly if you're simply watching your main Twitter feed, but the clock can also be setup to follow any twitter stream or search to give the cuckoo a bit of a rest. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any plans for building your own, but you can get a glimpse of the clock's internals at the link below, and check it out in action after the break.
Cuckoo clock loudspeaker kicks out the jams, you out of bed
And you thought The Shining cuckoo clock was terrifying -- imagine waking up to this. Designed by French artist Stephane Vigny, the loudspeaker clock does exactly what you'd expect it to. When the time comes, the doors flip open, the bottom woofer extends out and a cacophonic emission of sound is heard as you angrily wake from your slumber. We can't imagine that outstretched woofer surviving too many mornings of you waking on the wrong side of the bed.[Via MAKE]
The Shining cuckoo clock terrifies on the hour, every hour
We've seen some pretty frightening things come over to the consumer electronics realm in the past, but Chris Dimino's The Shining cuckoo clock is probably the most apt to leave a very unfriendly image burned in your mind. Designed by the same guru who brought us the keyboard waffle iron, this cult classic tells time like your average clock, but as each hour strikes, a demented Jack bursts through the door, proclaims "Here's Johnny!," and grins while Shelly Duvall lets out a piercing scream. Of course, Mr. Dimino would have quite a bit of paperwork to sign with the movie studio if this thing were to ever go on sale, but we're sure there would be quite a line ready to drop unfathomable amounts to put this shocking souvenir in their own Room 237.
Fly Pitcher's Digital Stag wall clock
While we've seen clocks that do a whole lot more than tell time, and some that just stick to what they do best, it's good to see a fresh approach to the age old cuckoo clock. Although the Digital Stag won't play your MP3s, allow for a quick Pong matchup, or even wake you up at a specified time, Fly Pitcher's design-centric wall clock seems to bring that crisp mountain air to any living area (and provides the perfect way to countdown to hunting season, if that's your thing). While the layout may look familiar, the typical hour, minute, and second hands have been nixed in favor of a digital readout, and there's no need for any swinging pendulum here. Out to "re-invent" a classic, the company has utilized "veneered composite board" that is meticulously crafted via CNC cutters in order to produce a timepiece that showcases the "natural beauty" of the outdoors while rocking a not-so-homegrown LED display. Reportedly, the company offers these classy clocks with all sorts of fauna gracing the top, such as squirrels and swallows, just in case you've had any not-so-pleasant run-ins with deer. From what we can tell, these still aren't available en masse (any VCs in the audience?), but can be ordered individually for an undisclosed price should you so desire, and if that prized 12-pointer keeps eluding you, this would probably be a decent placeholder in your "game" room.[Via Inhabitat]
