I had the opportunity to reflect upon one of the more unnoticed effects of this wired world we live in this weekend. It seems that everywhere I look these days, I see a clock. Even better, the clocks I see are correct since they are generally synced with one of the atomic time sources that are provided for free by our tax dollars.

Where are they? My cable converter box has a clock. My Tivo has a handy onscreen clock. All of my computers have clocks and calendars. My telephone even has a clock that is kept current by call waiting timestamps. My Treo has a clock. Hell, even my remote control has a clock! The best think about all of these clocks (excluding the remote) is that they are all synced with an atomic time source using ubiquitous networks such as cable, the internet, and the phone system.

All these clocks should insure that everyone is always on time, right? I guess not. People that run late run late no matter what… Maybe direct mind to computer interfaces will fix them…

The unintended effect of all these great digital oracles is that I have no need to buy a clock for my casa. I can remember the crazy wall clock my parents had when I was younger. It was a monster weighing 15 pounds if an ounce and it didn’t keep perfect time. It was made of wood, varnish, and glass. It had inlaid carving of birds in flight. And it had to be wound up using a crazy key that resembles those coke machine keys. I always enjoyed winding the clock but when someone forgot to wind it… it stopped telling the time. More accurately, it stopped displaying the correct time. Then we had to call the “time” number using the telephone and get the current time. Not many people call that number anymore, I’ll bet. And how about that weather number. Bet you haven’t called that one in a few years either…

The day of the clock as an object de art is mostly past for the majority of Americans but that cable box clock glows in the dark! You just can’t beat a glowing clock. Sure, it’s not elegant but it blends well with all those florescent and LED displays huddled around my 65″ TV - Tivo, Cable, DVD, audio receiver, and XBOX.

That reminds me, I’m late for a meeting –