I have two alarm clocks, one with three different alarm sounds. Yet I still have grown accustomed to all of those alarm sounds and now have to sleep with both clocks under my pillow to ensure that they wake me. People at my sanatorium "give me looks" and lurch away when I ask them if we could swap alarm clocks every few weeks. Since many cell phones have the capability to download new ring types from the Internet, I propose that household good companies make clocks that can download new alarm sounds and a support website. In fact, people could post their self-made alarm sounds to trade.
-- 1kester, Mar 17 2003

MP3 Clock http://www.halfbake...om/idea/MP3_20Clock
Dangerously close to this idea by [DrCurry] [krelnik, Oct 04 2004]

Half Baked http://www.halfbake...MP3_20Clock_20Radio
Even closer: exactly the same, if you ask me. [DrCurry, Oct 04 2004]

Sharper Image - Download Music Alarm Clock http://www.sharperi...4300&catid=39250600
This is what he's talking about. I have one of these. pretty cool ( If doesn't work - search SharperImage.com for 'download alarm' [catman1229, Oct 04 2004]

How about an old '486 PC running Linux (use CRON) or DOS, rigged to play a WAV file at a set time ? You can get old '486 PCs almost for free in some places (car boot sales). The PC clock is notoriously unreliable so you'd have to re-synch it every night.
-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003


Rousingly good idear.
(groan)
I want these programmable alarms for my teenagers, who develop immunity to wake-up sounds they've heard before.
(Yet somehow a ringing telephone never fails...)
-- roby, Mar 17 2003


Roby, it was with exactly this situation and reasoning in mind that I proposed that my teenage stepson use the alarm on his phone to wake him. Apparently, he can't program the alarm beep and he's already immune to it. Thus began another round of our favourite game, known affectionately to spectators as "Your phone's pants".

The point? (+) for 1kester.
-- egbert, Mar 17 2003


[krelink] Your link refers to a similar idea but it focuses on music only. My idea _could_ incorporate songs, but a large sum of clock radios already come with CD players, bleh, bleh, but I could burn alarm tones onto CDs, etc. I'm mostly concerned with non-song, non-radio wake-up methods. People could make their own wake up skits/files, and submit them to the website to share, so the sounds could include anything recordable rather than just beeps or songs.

[8th] Oddy enough, I currently have a dismantled 550 mhz Linux (Mandrake-ugh) box sitting in my workroom. The 3.2 gig hard drive is just the size for a wake-up-sound-of-the-day.
-- 1kester, Mar 18 2003


Redundant: see second link.
-- DrCurry, Mar 18 2003


[1kester] I disagree. My link talks about uploading chimes to a grandfather clock. The other link talks about music.
-- krelnik, Mar 18 2003


[Dr. Curry] Please refer to my post and response to [krelink] to see how these proposals differ. Mine expands upon and improves upon your idea. I mistakenly addressed my response to the first link but did, indeed, read your alarm clock idea. Be careful when using words such as "exactly" and "redundant" as they pigeonhole you into absolutes that you may not want to be pigeonholed into.

My device also would use wav files instead of mp3 files--for accesibility and platform issues.
-- 1kester, Mar 18 2003


I like this and give the idea +1. You could program in your favorite alarm or let it randomly pick from a list. So every morning you wouldn't know what you would get..... "Luke I am your father " or an 80 yr old woman," Wake up! you lazy SOB!"

Not to mention the generic bzzz'ing
-- MaddMatt, Mar 18 2003


Vehement defense of 1kester's idea.
Neither of those links would help my household's problem at all (inmates who quickly develop immunity to their own alarm sounds)

Downloadable Alarm Alarm Clock is...
The Bomb!
-- roby, Mar 18 2003


//Downloadable Alarm Alarm Clock is...The Bomb//

Mr HUSSEIN, you have reached the coalition wake up call. How would you like your alarm setting:

Dial ONE for Tomahawk
Dial TWO for Laser guided munitions
Dial THREE for satellite guided munitions
Dial ZERO to speak to the security council

-- FloridaManatee, Mar 19 2003


I have an alarm clock that you can download MP3s and WAVs to for a customized alarmax 50 seconds at a time.

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productvie w.jhtml?pid=26682600&pcatid=39064300&catid=39250600

It has an 8-pin RJ45 (Ethernet) interface on the back and plugs into the 25-pin serial port ( Commonly printer ) on the computer... Then uses small ( less than 2 MB ) software to send alarm.
-- catman1229, May 13 2003



random, halfbakery