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I didn't know if I should laugh or get out my credit card...

Recent Skymall ad....

BINARY CODE WATCH
Hard-core techies love this watch. So do design devotees. Red lights on the green circuit-board face represent powers of two: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32. A series of electrical impulses turns them on (1) or off (0), displaying the time in binary code. If you know the code, you can tell the time, amazing those around you who don't have a clue. Water-resistant to 100 ft., watch has a stainless-steel case and soft leather band. Face is 1 5/8" across.

Don't laugh. I wear one every day. No kiddin'

"There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary and those who don't." And those who do would need no power of two in decimal base printed above the LEDs :-)

Edited: 19 Apr 2007, 7:11 p.m.

It is to ease the transition from the one type to the other 9, or the nine to the one (whichever you prefer)

I've seen that ad a number of times and the one
thing I don't "get".

The "hour" display is 4 LED's,
the hour shown in the picture is "13" (8+4+1).
Yet, 4 LED's can only display up to "15" hours...

So....
If the watch can't display 24 hours (that would require 5
"hour" LED's), why is it displaying "13"?

After that I haven't even bothered to decipher the minutes.

Ren

dona nobis pacem

Good point. I'll bet the picture wasn't from a production watch, but was created by the marketing guys who obviously goofed it. I bet the watch really only displays hours 0-12.

Yes, it only goes to 12 :)

Yes, I have one too. Friends call it my geek watch. I generally wear it on important days such as Sunday at Church. I get a lot of questions and interest and they want to know how to tell what time it is. Unfortunately, it only takes about 10-15 seconds before they say, "never mind" and loose interest in how to tell the time.

FYI, there is no provision to tell AM or PM unfortunately nor is their a calender. It is a fun watch however.

Quote:
FYI, there is no provision to tell AM or PM

I never had the need for a watch to tell me night from day.

At last September's HHC2006, folks were asking to see Eric Smith's watch - which IIRC, was this Nixie Tube model (don't miss the Quicktime movie :-). The first HP-01 watch I had ever seen (in person), was also worn by Eric - at the HHC1998 (or 99?) in Vancover, WA.

People often ask "What is that?" when they point at the BCD Clock in my office. I can rattle off the time instantly (because they don't notice the regular clock-radio sitting behind the BCD clock ;-).

Matt

Apparently, you're a card-carrying member of the target demographic. (They might do well to aim a little better . . . )

My office clock has the hours marked in multiples of pi radians: pi/6 for one o'clock, followed by pi/3, pi/2, 2pi/3, 5pi/6, etc. It's fun to watch people staring at it and trying to figure out how to read it. Eventually, most of them realize they can just ignore the numbers, since the hour marks are in the same places as on a regular clock. :-)