A large black and white display made of a electronic paper surface, and a low powered micro controller server.

Normally it is on 'sleep mode', waking up only on certain 'interrupts' such as light turning on, or timed alarms, or button presses, to update the screen.

Using a low powered communication chip, such as wifi, or bluetooth, it should automagically connect and sync to your laptop, phone or a external web server.

To be future proofed, it should read data only in XML format, and it shouldn't be smarter than a semi dumb terminal (give just enough intelligence to do simple no syncing screen updates like updating clocks, or image changing).

To save power, it should be in sleep mode most of the time, and only update every time the lights is on, or a sound is made. (Perhaps as a courtesy, a small LCD screen should blink to indicate if the device is updating the time or not.)

This will be useful for students, businessmen, and cubical workers.
-- mofosyne, Jan 03 2011

How do you like them apples ? http://en.wikipedia...ou_like_them_apples
Well, not much, actually ... [8th of 7, Jan 03 2011]

Why would you want to bist a dispay?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 03 2011


[+] but rather complicated for an e-paper calendar. Those cheap little LCD clocks back in the '70s ran for years without changing the battery and that included the electronic timekeeping circuitry. You'd probably use more energy if you use a motion sensor to determine updates than you would simply updating the portion of the e-paper devoted to clockiness every minute.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 03 2011


Hah ! How'd ya like THEM apples ... ?

<link>
-- 8th of 7, Jan 03 2011


I used to have a fridge-magnet LCD clock (tiny thing cost less than a dollar) that ran for well over a year. The main point though was that running a motion sensor would probably use more energy than just updating the clock part of the poster.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 04 2011


okay, so i shall modify that to point out its a bad idea to have active motion sensing.

What about just light sensing, or sound sensing?
-- mofosyne, Jan 04 2011


//light sensing// Well, you could make it powered by piezo crystals connected to tympani: just yell at it until the time changes.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 04 2011



random, halfbakery