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Look! A Clock Facing Out the Window

0116outsideclock.jpgWhenever we're passing by this apartment, we ponder the reason this dweller decided to place his or her alarm clock facing out the window, right next to the apartment's front entryway.

 
 

Is s/he constantly late? Or is s/he always punctual and likes constant reminders about the time? Or maybe, s/he's offering a public service to us passersby without a watch. We like to think the latter.
Whatever the reason, it gives us something to think about on our walks home, and we're never wondering, at that moment, what time it is.

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Comments (20)

well, if they are anything like me, the alarm clock light is just bright enough to be annoying and make it harder to fall asleep. with the clock facing outwards, you can easily reach it in the morning, but not have that red glow from the numbers filling up your bedroom.

posted by earn on January 16th 2009 at 6:22pm
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ask them and let us know!

posted by chelc on January 16th 2009 at 6:28pm
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Every time I walk past this, I think of it as a public service.

posted by sharih on January 16th 2009 at 6:32pm
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i second earn's emotion.

posted by miss sparrow on January 16th 2009 at 6:36pm
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Maybe it's simply a signal for the barfly roommate/neighbor so that when he comes in after 10pm, he knows that he needs to be quiet for the roommate/neighbor who works Market Hours and needs to be up at 4.30 am?

posted by bepsf on January 16th 2009 at 6:40pm
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Have you ever heard of the clock game?

Where you look at the clock and think "if I fall asleep right now I will have 8 hours of sleep... if i fall asleep right now will have 7.5 hours of sleep... and so on" I hear this is pretty common and is counter productive to falling asleep, I use to always have that problem until I read that the best way to stop it is to just remove the clock (or obstruct it from view).

Kind of weird but apparently its pretty common... made me feel like less of a freak to read about it somewhere and find others did it too, and how to stop!

posted by bahhns on January 16th 2009 at 6:41pm
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It might be one of those motion sensor hidden cameras?

posted by serene on January 16th 2009 at 6:45pm
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I'm on board with what earn said but what about the picture frame?

posted by Ana on January 16th 2009 at 6:47pm
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"I'm on board with what earn said but what about the picture frame?"

Perhaps the picture frame holds a message that says:
"If it's after 10PM, be quiet or I'll shoot"

posted by bepsf on January 16th 2009 at 6:58pm
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Maybe the clock acts as a distraction...people will stare at it first instead of trying to stare inside the room through the curtains...

(Come on! We all do it!)

posted by KrapArtist on January 16th 2009 at 7:16pm
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I must be bad.....first thing came to my mind was business. Maybe it is there to remind someone coming that they shouldn't knock before the appointed time!

posted by frnd4vr on January 16th 2009 at 7:17pm
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Maybe the light from the clock is bright enough to help people find the lock after dark when the porch light doesn't turn on like it's supposed to (mine's inconsistent - that's what made me think of this).

posted by nantarea on January 16th 2009 at 7:41pm
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Maybe they're having a time out...

posted by RyanJ on January 16th 2009 at 7:57pm
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Roxanne ?

posted by supernormalist on January 17th 2009 at 12:54am
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The person might be a runner.

Whenever I go out for a run, I want to know how long I spent running. But, I always forget to look at the clock once I go inside. This way, I wouldn't forget.

posted by sarahisaghost on January 17th 2009 at 1:16am
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Please do not ask the owner why the clock faces out.....
......it should remain a quirky little mystery.

The guesses here are probably more exciting than the real reason, anyway, lol

posted by ohjodi on January 17th 2009 at 2:02am
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I think you will find that its probably a device to stop antisocial ringing of the buzzer - also seen in picture as they are so close to the sidewalk. Is the area anywhere near popular nightlife?

posted by fleetmonkey on January 17th 2009 at 6:58am
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Sorry should expand - I meant to say people ringing the bell thats so easily accessible to ask the time.

posted by fleetmonkey on January 17th 2009 at 9:27am
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I agree with frnd4vr. The first thing that popped into my head was that it was related to business appointments.

posted by Brandyjane on January 17th 2009 at 11:19am
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Yeah, maybe its a therapist's office or something and you're not to go in until your appointment time.

posted by Laura on January 17th 2009 at 1:10pm
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