engadget.com — The so-called 'Reverse Alarm Clock' to give the tykes a visual representation of their expected schedule; when the clock's 'Sky Display' shows a sun, young children know they're free to roam about the house, but when a moon and stars appear, they'd better not get out of bed lest the boogie monster devour them whole.
May 11, 2007 View in Crawl 4
mooferMay 11, 2007
They have these things called babysitters when you want to party.
perkonisMay 11, 2007
This is, without a doubt, the dumbest idea I have read about all week.
tizz66May 11, 2007
j37hr0: Nothing wrong at all with deciding not to have kids, but did you skip all the hate in his post for the people that do?
generalkickassMay 12, 2007
You need really stupid kids to fall for this one.
cheesenessMay 12, 2007
Perhaps if you 'partied' less and parented more, it wouldn't really be much of an issue. In my experience, kids generally only want to stay up to be with you (something you'll find is far rarer once they've grown up a bit).Try going to bed earlier yourself instead (of course, you have to have mastered getting your wee ones to sleep in their own bed, but that's another issue).
ecoronaMay 12, 2007
This is assuming you can get your children to obey you. If that's not the case then nothing short of duct tape will work.
firehedMay 12, 2007
He'd also never listen to a damn thing you say because he wants to keep playing whatever game you gave him. Even as someone way below the age where I'd consider having kids if I were in a position to do so, I know that sticking mindless entertainment in your kid's bedroom as a substitute for doing your job as a parent is doing him, yourself, and pretty much everyone he'll come in contact with a disservice.So I'll just feel better assuming that was a joke (although I'm sure it's true).
kursatozMay 14, 2007
Looking at most of the comments, I would like to remind that this project does not have a commercial focus, but rather creating knowledge for the academia and practice. Reversed alarm clock has been run by design researchers whose aim is to enhance the life quality of dual income families. Moreover, RAC does not emerge as a coincidence but rather as a result of intense brainstorming sessions, etnographic studies, interviews with families in Pittsburgh, interviews with childcare and sleeping habit experts from Eindhoven, Netherlands. The selection of natural signifiers (moon, sun, stars) and their behavioral patterns on the light display are based on a wide range of design explorations and J.Piaget's child's time perception theories. RAC is designed to support families' bedtime routine rather than creating its own routine. A final word, the project is still in progress, and the research group behind this project always appreciates constructive criticism.