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54 Comments
- jasdf, on 03/18/2009, -2/+25I'm waiting for an atomic wristwatch.
It is only a matter of time... - joe8pack, on 03/18/2009, -0/+20As I recall the problem has always been scaling the shielding. An unshielded atomic clock has a tendency to leak chronitrons at an alarming rate. As anyone who has spent anytime aboard a Borg vessel or worked at MicroSoft can tell you, the chronitrons can accumulate at a startling pace and unintended consequences can disrupt the most social and ordered of communities. I myself saw 3 badly shield clocks travel back in time due to this poor shielding issue. One, as I recall, a rather large one, landed on a witch smashing her flat as a pancake, fortunately a large farm house soon fell on top of her as well, I'm told the house was falling due to a banking scandal in the United States, where all houses were falling at an alarming rate.
So you see there are indeed many engineering problems to be overcome before every modern home can be considered incomplete without a retro styled miniature atomic clock and garbage disposal. - kefkaantakrist, on 03/18/2009, -1/+19I'm waiting for an atomic airplane.
I think it would really take off... - rompom7, on 03/18/2009, -0/+16I'm waiting for 10 puns to become atomic.
No pun in 10 did. - hawkspur, on 03/18/2009, -0/+9Those aren't atomic clocks. The atomic clock is the one that they sync to.
- jasdf, on 03/18/2009, -0/+7It has been tried, it didn't take off...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_X-6 - thegoldenshovel, on 03/18/2009, -0/+5Atomic watches have been around for a few years now. In fact, I'm wearing one right now. They don't have the time-measuring element technology built-in though, they just sync wirelessly at midnight and they are pretty darn accurate.
- vuke69, on 03/18/2009, -0/+5I miss the good old days, when there would be a tech article on digg; and there would be good discussion without the semi-retarded 12 year olds speaking out of turn.
- jasdf, on 03/18/2009, -0/+5Radio sync watches don't count.
- ryanthemayan1, on 03/18/2009, -0/+4cool
- jfries, on 03/18/2009, -0/+4It's about time...
- joe8pack, on 03/18/2009, -1/+5Those are dinner plates, check the dishwasher I think the clocks got washed by mistake. Sorry....
- BushidoReverend, on 03/18/2009, -0/+4....Wow..
That's all I have to say. - iRoy, on 03/18/2009, -3/+6G-Shock has been making Atomic Solar watches for years. They sync with the clock in Colorado if you live in the US, not sure where the other worldwide atomic clocks are located.
I plan on picking one up soon, I already own a G-Lide which is my favorite watch ever. It has a moon phase indicator and tide graph, pretty damn cool when you think about it everything really is getting smaller. - inactive, on 03/18/2009, -0/+3One word: Lorentz-Fitzgerald contractions
- pumanegra2012, on 03/18/2009, -1/+4As everything else, they are becoming smaller and more compact
- luckyguy2000, on 03/18/2009, -0/+3iRoy, that isnt a atomic clock. its just a clock which syncs to a atomic clock over radio.
- maz2331, on 03/18/2009, -0/+3We had cesium beams as our time/frequency standards in the USAF, and they were only 8U rackmount units back in the 1980's. They were rated to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1X10-12 in accuracy IIRC.
- ydobonobody, on 03/19/2009, -0/+2I was hoping that the articles solution would have been to use smaller atoms.
- inactive, on 03/18/2009, -0/+2that's relative to your frame of reference
- 4321234, on 03/18/2009, -0/+2Pretty sure that was more like 5 words, but point taken.
- inactive, on 03/18/2009, -1/+3lol
- atlasdugged, on 03/19/2009, -0/+2Although the atoms can be trapped in an area only a few micrometres across, the lasers, and cooling and computing equipment will add to the bulk. Scientists at JPL have been working on this for years
- CamperBob, on 03/18/2009, -0/+2"Atomic clocks" are in reality a lot smaller than what the author claims. They haven't been the size of refrigerators since the 1960s.
Overall, the tech is more accessible than people think. I just bought one on eBay, dating from the late 1970s, that fits in a 3-unit rack space: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& ... - xBDVx, on 03/18/2009, -1/+2The title and the first paragraph are horribly misleading. You have to read the rest of the article...where it says:
"Although the atoms can be trapped in an area only a few micrometres across, the lasers, and cooling and computing equipment will add to the bulk."
Anyway, current magneto-optical traps require cryogentic cooling and vacuum chambers. So I wouldn't expect that the atomic clock will be shrinking any time soon.
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto-optical_trap
Still, it's a neat new application.of these laser traps. - inactive, on 03/18/2009, -3/+4My watch has an ice cream dispenser.
- liljay2k, on 03/18/2009, -1/+2I have a Casio Wave-ceptor which syncs to the atomic clock every night. I'm a geek.
- teh_techie, on 03/18/2009, -4/+5This will be a BIG TIME hit in the scientific community!
- joe8pack, on 03/18/2009, -1/+2I have a wire in my house that connects my computer to every other computer in the world. Whenever my phone rings an angel disconnects my computer. Its a beautiful world.
- teh_techie, on 03/18/2009, -2/+3My watch is also a toothbrush!
- joe8pack, on 03/18/2009, -0/+1The problem as always is hitting a moving target. As you have noted the size of atomic clocks is getting smaller, however refrigerators have gotten smaller as well. In fact I have a fridge so small I keep it inside my regular kitchen refrigerator. I'm starting a line of Russian Nesting Doll Refrigerators, I can't decide what to put in the chewy center; An atomic clock or a solar calendar?
Time keeps on slippin into the future. - inactive, on 03/18/2009, -2/+3I want my watches bigger. Make an Atomic Clock that fits into city halls.
- CamperBob, on 03/18/2009, -0/+1GPS disciplined clocks make a lot more sense than owning your own cesium reference, for most people. Trimble Thunderbolts have been selling in the sub-$200 range on eBay lately, and you can leave them running 24/365 without using up a rare, expensive tube.
But I've been sitting on a spare 5062C tube for some time, and while it shows some signs of life on the bench, I'm really curious to see how well it works in a real clock. - joe8pack, on 03/19/2009, -0/+1I miss 32 cent a gallon gasoline and 20 cent a pack smokes. Everything fine and delicious vanishes, leaving behind only the dregs.
- KibblesnBitts, on 03/18/2009, -1/+2Why can't I just take a breather and go to The Atomic Cafe?
- MannaPC, on 03/18/2009, -0/+1First 2 sentences are convincing, third is like "whaa?" but by 5th you pick it up. We see what you did there you sneaky but hilarious bastard ;P
- inactive, on 03/18/2009, -1/+2I'm going with stupid.
- AceyS, on 03/19/2009, -0/+1I was waiting for it to transition into the Fresh Prince of Bel-air at any moment.
- vuke69, on 03/18/2009, -0/+1That's awesome, I actually looked at that auction; as well as a dozen other half-working HP Caesium standards over the last year or so.
I just can't quite bring myself to pay what a decent one would cost. Especially since it would just be a geek toy to me. I may just go the gps disciplined route. Or a GPS + Rubidium just to keep each other honest. - vuke69, on 03/18/2009, -1/+2Are you actually that stupid, or are you just trolling?
- 4321234, on 03/18/2009, -0/+1My nucular watch could blow up this whole solar system.
Now watch me make this drive. - KevinRosa, on 03/18/2009, -4/+4I don't have the time to read all that!
- jesusxenu, on 03/18/2009, -4/+4this article is of little interest.
- teh_techie, on 03/18/2009, -1/+1Atomic clocks don't explode... especially when it contains aluminum atoms...
- ryan83189, on 03/18/2009, -2/+2my bike could blow up this whole solar system!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now watch me do this bunny hop and tell me how I high I get or else!!!!!!!!! - inactive, on 03/18/2009, -1/+1They already exist. Also, I have an atomic clock on my wall. They just get the correct time via radio frequency.
- erhanaltay, on 03/18/2009, -2/+1I think jasdf missed the point of the above two comments...
- 16777216, on 03/18/2009, -6/+4Nut monkey bitch ***** old smell my ass.
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