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Pendulum Clock with Atomic Precision
u19925 writes "Now you can get atomic clock precision out of your grandma pendulum clocks. Here is how it works: There is a camcorder fitted inside the clock which monitors the pendulum swing. It has an atomic clock signal receiver. It compares the pendulum swings with the atomic signal hearbeat. The camcorder also has an arm. If the pendulum clock drifts, then it uses its arm to push or pull the pendulum to make correction." It's not an April Fool's joke, but it is rather impractical.
Now if we could just invent something that would push or pull Grandma when she's not regular enough...
okay, the real question is why do this at all?
Geez Batman, how are we going to figure this one out?
Quick Robin, to the article!
There is a growing shortage of people who are familiar with the workings of the large mechanical clocks on churches and public buildings, as routine maintenance tasks such as winding the clocks become automated. Yet they still need to be put forward an hour in spring and moved back again in the autumn without damaging their fragile mechanisms, some of which are 250 years old.
Sweet! Now the 'tick-tock-tick' my grandma hears every day of her life ominously counting down to her impending death can be atomically accurate! Thanks Slashdot!