Takes a Licking and Keeps on Speaking!

It occurred to me the other day that my Timex Speak-Easy is still telling the time. And tell the time it does because the Timex Speak-Easy is an electronic talking clock which employs a voice chip to make announcements each half hour.I acquired this device at a Caldor here in Albany back in 1981 and it has been doing it's town crier thing ever since. I first observed such a clock at the residence of a fellow ham, Jeff - WA2AIB. The clock was located in the bedroom but the audio was cranked up loud enough so it could be heard throughout the apartment.

My Speak-Easy has taken it's toll of power failures and surges. Some years back, Jeff's Speak-Easy failed in such a way that it drifted afloat in a sea of unregulated time, announcing each half hour pretty much whenever it felt like.

The Speak-Easy has made a few vocal appearances in the Random Access Thought and I have several WAV files stored in the voluminous N2FNH Sound Effects Library which, by the way, some day I should publish. It's first appearance was in early 2004. The episode concerned my subconscious inner self suddenly wishing to have an animated dialogue with my more conscious, though momentarily unconscious outer self. The Timex on the floor announces that "The Time...is... 2...37...AM". To this day, my little bedtime buddy sits at the foot on the floor so I do have to actually get up to to shut off his relentless ding dongs.

Here's hoping this report does not jinx my Timex Speak-Easy. The clock has been around so long, it's part of the family!