Betty
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I’m guessing Betty won’t have any problem breaking the job down into smaller steps. What do you think?
On another subject, I read about this alarm clock, Clocky, yesterday.
It’s for heavy sleepers who reach over and shut off the alarm and go back to sleep. It’s not only loud, it moves — the person has to get out of bed and sometimes chase it to shut it off.
It’s not something Andy or I would ever use, but the idea cracks me up. I especially liked this review by A. Bartoli:
I needed help. I like to sleep, and sometimes things like work get in the way of my sleeping. In general I enjoy alarm clocks of various sorts. Rather, I should say, I have had alarm clocks of various sorts, since I get used to them and then I just turn them off and go back to sleep. I would get to the point that I could get up, walk across the room, turn off the alarm clock, and go back to bed. Or I would just hear the alarm and ignore it until it stopped. With some alarm clocks this can take 10-20 minutes. This is the mark of a true professional Sleeper, like myself.
When Clocky arrived, I was skeptical, but the little robot looked quite friendly. With the operating manual, everything was simple enough, and easily programmed. Clocky came to me all the way from China, but he was the genuine article. I set him down on the bureau in my bedroom. “Hello, Clocky!” I said. He was silent.
“Clocky, is the alarm active?” Still, no reply. He was not very friendly to start out. Very quiet. Not like Siri. I double checked him, and everything seemed to be operating properly though.
Well, the next morning at 5 am, he suddenly broke the silence. My god, he was speaking in tongues at top volume. The constant variation in tone, pitch, and pattern was disconcerting, even … alarming. I literally leapt out of bed and walked over to where the little robot was whirling about. A gentle pat on the head soothed him instantly, and he quieted down. I went back to sleep promptly, only to be awakened mere minutes later when he let out another series of cacophonous wails. Again I ran over to him. Now he had hopped down on the floor, and had got part way under the bed. This time I picked him up firmly and poked him in the right eye. He quieted down in a hurry. I was wide awake now, heart racing. I could almost hear Clocky saying: And why consider the mote that is in my eye, but not the log in your own? He was quite right. I got up to face the day.
The little robot has fast become an essential member of the household. No matter how many times his alarm awakens me, I never become accustomed to it. On one occasion, after jumping from the bureau, he developed a rattle, but a quick disassembly proved it to be a loose fleck of solder that had broken off, and all connections were in perfect order. Except for his piercing wail in the morning, he remains taciturn, but I think now this simply reflects his serious nature.
He clearly enjoyed writing the review, and I’m guessing the creators had fun designing and making it. Good for them!
April 15, 2026
