[Elecraft] Atomic Clocks and Aluminum Siding

[Jack Brindle]

At 12:34 PM -0800 1/9/05, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

>I thought atomic clocks were desired for their "gee whiz" interest, not
>because someone usually needs to know what time it is to the nearest
>millisecond.


>I'm serious about the value of the "gee whiz" factor as in, "Gee whiz! Look
>at that!"
>
>After all, isn't that why we're all hams and why we build gear? Let's not
>insist on diluting the sheer enjoyment of the "Gee whiz" response with petty
>practicality...

Ron, I think you are missing it completely. We hams tend to be lazy. 
We build things to make it easier for us.

In my case, I got really tired of my wife yelling at me because the 
clocks were an hour off six months out of the year. Why some years it 
got so bad that I actually considered resetting some of the clocks. 
Then I found (and bought) some of these "atomic clocks." They are 
on-time all year around, The YF doesn't miss her shows any more, and, 
most important, they have eliminated the "atomic ache."

I just wish I had thought of creating the device before anyone else 
had so that now _I_ would be rich and not the guy who actually did 
it...

THAT's the "Gee whiz" factor, as in, "Gee whiz, why didn't I think of that..."

-Jack Brindle, W6FB
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