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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Need a *smart* alarm clock
Message-ID: <3060@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 22-Jun-84 12:44:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.3060
Posted: Fri Jun 22 12:44:53 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Jun-84 09:11:02 EDT
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 37

I seem to be in desperate need of some sort of device that will remind
me to do things. (I've got a wife, which helps some, already...) Anyway,
I am continually forgetting to do simple repetitive things, like "tape
this radio program every Thursday at 6:30 PM", or the like. I have
tried using alarm clocks, but what I have to do with them is set them
so they go off every day at 6:25 PM (for the above example), and, when
it goes off, think about what day it is, and what I should do at this time
depending on the day of the week. Unfortunately, I get used to shutting
off the alarm when it sounds, and then, on the day when it counts, I shut
it off like I did on the preceeding 6 days, and forget to perform the
action I wanted to do. So I put up with the alarm's annoyance all week
and then get nothing out of having done it at all. Growl, swear!

Alarm clocks also have the defect of being settable to only one alarm
time per day (except for those which have two time-settings, of course).
I need something that will:
	a. Know what day of the week it is.
	b. Alarm or announce multiple times per day, if desired.
	c. Ideally, interact with a tape or digital speech device
		to emit some different mnemonic code or phrase to
		identify the action required at this particular
		time. This phrase would differ for each alarm.

If I have to buy a computer to do this, and I think I might have to to get
"c.", above, I guess I will. But I would think "a" and "b" could be
built into a simple consumer-level device, like a clock radio or the like.
If it could be set for some number (say, 20) of specific day/time
combinations -- Thursday at 6:30PM, Thursday at 8:45 PM, Wednesday at
7:25PM, Saturday at 4:25PM, etc., and just set off a siren, explosion,
or something to get my attention, it would suffice.

Does anybody know if such a machine exists, and any details about such
a device? I'd be grateful if you could post or mail any info.

Will Martin

uucp: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1