Weirdly, this idea was originated in my subconscious during a dream I had last night. (Yes, I've actually dreamt of creating this idea for the HalfBakery - isn't THAT kooky?)

Take any ordinary prism and mount it to an area of your bedroom wall where the sun is known to peek through at the time you wake. Since the sun's beams will vary from day to day, this may only be good for a single day during the year if you want to get the color display to coincide with a specific time of day. In my dream, the inspiring occasion for this event was a birthday morning greeting for whoever's room you choose. The positioning would have to be calibrated at the exact moment on the person's birthday to ensure it would work each year.

The prism would not have to be mounted on a wall, necessarily. Nor are its applications limited to the bedroom or home, for that matter. I'm sure the colorful effect would also work if set on furniture and/or near a window in a spot that gets some sunshine at whatever time of day desired. The effect could also be manipulated with artificial light for parties or other occasions.
-- XSarenkaX, Oct 14 2002

Newton's Prism Experiments http://micro.magnet...enceopticsu/newton/
[XSarenkaX, Oct 14 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Kaleidoscope Clock http://www.tmfinear...ks/Kaleidoscope.htm
Psychedelic greeting on the hour, every hour (complete with "Hey, Jude!", which seems oddly appropriate). [DrCurry, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Hey, when did they invent this? http://www.amazon.c...104-2522338-1120759
Solar-Powered Rainbow Maker [XSarenkaX, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Uncle Milton Rainbow in My Room http://www.drugstor...p173762?catid=48832
For those manufacturers who saw it here first, I'd like some credit, please. [XSarenkaX, Oct 17 2012]

if you ask farmerjohn nicely, he will invent a mechanism that circumnavigates your bedroom and moves the prism on the required amount each day. croissant to you XS.
-- po, Oct 14 2002


There's just something cool with having Mayan calendar technology in your bedroom. Beam the light around the house with some glass fibers, and have it configured to shine on a few cadmium solar cells to activate the coffee maker, the email, etc.

It'd be a pity if it were raining that day.
-- RayfordSteele, Oct 14 2002


If you set it up noonish on one of the equinoxes, you should be guaranteed to catch sunlight year-round (daylight saving hours excepted, your mileage may vary). 'Course, you'll have to start getting out of bed around noon...
-- phoenix, Oct 14 2002


Ooohhh.. the colors.... it must be my birthday again!
-- Mr Burns, Oct 14 2002


[po]: I wondered if anyone out there might be inspired to invent something that might move the prism just enough to keep up with the sun's changing angles to make this into a visual alarm clock type of thing. Wouldn't it be nice to wake up to rainbows instead of buzzers, radios, or whatever? Of course, yeah, if it rains, you'll be really late for work.
-- XSarenkaX, Oct 14 2002


I am a complete sucker for wind chimes and prisms.

I have a little prism hanging in the window of my front living room. there is no rhyme or reason to when and how it catches the light. but suddenly like magic, there are little rainbows all over the room. beautiful!
-- po, Oct 14 2002


Probably the simplest solution is to wear prism goggles to bed. When you wake up and squint into the sun, you'll know it's your birthday.
-- FarmerJohn, Oct 14 2002


If you were able to find a spot to place the prism such that the sun (if the day was clear) shone precisely at it, producing the spectrum right when you awake, it would happen twice a year, not once, except on solstices.
-- waugsqueke, Oct 15 2002


Never mind the birthday. Forget that, and hope everyone else does, also. Set it up for your anniversary. It's a present, and a reminder.
-- lurch, Oct 15 2002


Oh, very nice! I had a prism hanging from my curtain rod at my last house, it would sometimes sprinkle rainbows across the room of a morning. It was supposed to be a feng shui thing, but I didn't let that detract from my enjoyment of it.
-- madradish, Oct 15 2002


waugs, if you replaced your bedroom window with a large prism, you could have this effect every day.
-- DrBob, Oct 15 2002


I like the prism-window idea, [DrBob]!
-- XSarenkaX, Oct 15 2002


I would keep the window the way it was meant to be, a way to view the outside world while in. But the birthday prism is a wonderful idea, I think. Quite simply, beautiful. (And for using the word "psychedelically" I would give you two croissants if I could.)
-- blissmiss, Oct 15 2002


Or you could do a prism window with two thick, angled sheets of glass, fill it with water and add colorful fish.
-- FarmerJohn, Oct 15 2002


With the sun's heat, you may end up with boiled fish!
-- XSarenkaX, Oct 15 2002


<Police Academy> "This fish is..boiling... "
"Oh, you want stir-fry?"</pa>
-- Mr Burns, Oct 15 2002


soupe de jour de naissance
-- FarmerJohn, Oct 15 2002


I just realized I can't wake up psychedelically on my upcoming birthday (Dec. 5) because I get up earlier than the sun (5am). Perhaps the answer lies in an alarm clock that lights up a prism with its own little lamp, instead of, or in addition to making noise.
-- XSarenkaX, Oct 31 2002


[DrCurry]: Although your "kaleidoscopic" clock is unique and interesting, I wouldn't go so far as to describe the experience as psychedelic.
-- XSarenkaX, Nov 07 2002


He linked that kitschy clock on your idea too. "the face splits open at the top of the hour. Beneath a rotating triangle of lights, a group of festive figures jumps up and down to the music."
-- FarmerJohn, Nov 07 2002


Give 'em a tab or two of )))))acid((((( when they go beddy-bye.
-- thumbwax, Feb 21 2003


I apologize for this terribly practical comment, but... This alarm clock might not be very effective for those of us who sleep with our eyes closed. Croissant because it would be pretty when (if) you wake up.
-- Worldgineer, Feb 21 2003



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