h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am something of a collector of clocks - not to extremes, but I do have an "anti-clockwise clock", which is perfectly functional and easy to use if you remember the "big hand/little hand" rules, a "ball bearing clock", which rolls a ball into position every minute, drops four and rolls one every five minutes, drops 15 and rolls one every hour, then, as it moves from 12:59 to 1:00 (it's a twelve hour clock, thankfully), drops 26 balls with a racket to start all over again, and a "Talking clock" (at last, we reach the point!)

Although bought originally as a novelty (from Tandy, as I recall), and occassionally used to surprise visitors, I found it very useful as a bedside clock. As someone bothered by LED's and other luminous clocks at night, and as I hated switching on a light to check the time, I found it invaluable to be able to reach over and push the button, and be told the time to the nearest minute.

It was also good fun to simulate a stutter by pushing the "Ask" button repeatedly ..."It's it's it's it's it's it's three fifteen PM" .

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