NASA Scientists Get Custom 24h39m-per-day Watches

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NASA Scientists Get Custom 24h39m-per-day Watches

Posted by timothy on Monday January 12, 2004 @07:18PM from the private-sale-or-tax-money-I-wonder dept.

blair1q writes "In order to more easily keep solar time on Mars, (or maybe just as a lark) JPL has ordered specially-modified mechanical watches for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. One wonders why these literal rocket scientists didn't just get a software programmable Linux or PalmOS based wrist-computer and hack together a Mars-time display application into it?"

32 of 553 comments (clear)

Useless, but... by Trillan · 2004-01-12 19:20 · Score: 5, Funny

Totally, completely useless. A complete waste of money.

When will they be available to the public? And how much? I want one.
1. Re:Useless, but... by djupedal · 2004-01-12 19:28 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  My money says at least one will be on eBay before the end of the week...
  Your tax $$ at work.
2. Re:Useless, but... by Trillan · 2004-01-12 19:32 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  How's it go?
  
  As a Martian, I for one welcome our new Earthling overlords!
3. Re:Useless, but... by dot-magnon · 2004-01-12 19:44 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  It goes a little something like this... Huh! (insert stuff about mars sung by Zach de la Rocha or equivalent, though he is not a hip hop artist) Uhm. I should stop being tired and get going.
4. Re:Useless, but... by Raul654 · 2004-01-12 21:52 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  That's *terran* overlord. Now get it right before I put away the encouragement whip and break out the cruel whip.
  
  --
  
  To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
  --E.C. Stanton
Didn't do what you suggested.... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-12 19:20 · Score: 5, Funny

Because its faster strapping on a watch that works already rather than spending a bunch of hours making the linux solution work...
Puh! by The_Rippa · 2004-01-12 19:20 · Score: 4, Funny

The Rolax I pickup up on Market Street does that already!
1. Re:Puh! by jdaily · 2004-01-13 04:22 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Found in my local permanent fleamarket: Coppertop batteries under the brand names "Dinacell" and "Duraking", both made in (surprise) China.
  
  Duraking apparently employs someone who knows English. Dinacell isn't so lucky:
  
  "No mercury added... Helps protect our enviroment"
  "Dinacell Battrbies"
  "Do not charge the batter that hasn't been used up or throw it into fire"
  "Do not use it with common (carbolic) batter."
  "According to the use way of equipments to install the batter."
  
  And my favorite:
  "Do not decompose the batter."
  
  I bought a package of each for posterity.
do the right thing by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-12 19:20 · Score: 1, Funny

and get a watch that runs solaris. As simple as that!
1. Re:do the right thing by DrInequality · 2004-01-12 19:28 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  That would be a sundial right?
  
  --
  DROS - Open-Source Robot Software
Great! by mandalayx · 2004-01-12 19:21 · Score: 4, Funny

Great!

Now I just need a watch to keep track of that other irregular period :)

*duck*
1. Re:Great! by dbirchall · 2004-01-12 20:09 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That sounds like a great idea... but... how will the watch know when Longhorn is really going to be released?
2. Re:Great! by cheekyboy · 2004-01-12 23:39 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  bahh
  
  i already add my wifes period time to my 'reminder' calander on my mobile ;)
  
  BEEP BEEP, PMS due in 5 mins.
  
  --
  Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Remember this time people, by dupper · 2004-01-12 19:22 · Score: 2, Funny

80 past 2 on April 47th. I just hope they don't fuck up the conversion, again.
Survey says... by djupedal · 2004-01-12 19:23 · Score: 4, Funny

One wonders why these literal rocket scientists didn't just...
Two wonder why these literal rocket scientists need to know what time it is here anyhow...
Three wonder why these literal rocket scientists don't just have really big clocks on the wall, like at the airport...
And four of us want to know why they can't just hire a booth babe to walk around and tell them what time it is... :)
Overtime by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-12 19:25 · Score: 1, Funny

These watches already existed for lawyers who charge for 25 hour work days.
Re:It's time for a non-Earth based time standard by krusadr · 2004-01-12 19:33 · Score: 4, Funny

I've heard that the European Union is soon going to pass a new harmonisation order forcing everyone to adopt metric time. For the early adopters out there, it's going to be announced in exactly one month, 7 weeks, 9 days, 42 hours and 88 minutes.

--
while sco {
wget -O /dev/null http://www.sco.com?sco=litigious%20bastards
}
Re:It's time for a non-Earth based time standard by ObviousGuy · 2004-01-12 19:41 · Score: 5, Funny

Well, if we count backwards the generations from now until the creation of Adam, I think we can safely set the 0:00:00 date to about 6,000 years ago (left as an excercise for the reader).

I'm still wondering how they will account for such things as time standing still for Joshua.

--
I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
Too... Many.... Links!!! by dFaust · 2004-01-12 20:01 · Score: 2, Funny

I was wondering why they didn't use software programmable Linux or PalmOS based wrist-computers, too!!

Head... about... to... EXPLODE!!!
Re:Linux watches?! by FuegoFuerte · 2004-01-12 20:04 · Score: 2, Funny

If you want unbiased news, why don't you try yahoo or google news? they tap directly into the wire services, I understand.

So I would find the unbiased news where now?
Beagle 2 by Jotham · 2004-01-12 20:16 · Score: 2, Funny

"... Garo said. "I spent more than $1,000 trying to figure this out " damaging watches, trying different parts, just searching for a way."

Ah, these would be the limitied edition 'Beagle 2' watches.
Re:Linux watches?! by qualico · 2004-01-12 20:21 · Score: 1, Funny

I think thats a great idea! I want a Linux watch. It could drive a nice LCD type display. Totally programmable with 1Gb RAM Disk. Display pictures, and host a web site! Hell put mars backdrops if ya want. Knock yourself out.
Re:This IS a hack by zcat_NZ · 2004-01-12 20:27 · Score: 2, Funny

I had a cheap watch 25 years ago that lost 20 minutes a day. Adjusting a perfectly good watch to lose 40 minutes a day is hardly impressive..

--
455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
Next week's ThinkGeek Ad... by ducomputergeek · 2004-01-12 21:08 · Score: 2, Funny

Get your offical "Mars time" watch replica for $99 today at thinkgeek.com...

--
"The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
It's spelled Rolleks by NoSuchGuy · 2004-01-12 21:52 · Score: 2, Funny

Your Rolax is a fake! Every literate person know it's a Rolleks.

--
Grundgesetz * 23. Mai 1949 - 30. November 2007 - http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/
Oh Man! I didn't realise! by tiled_rainbows · 2004-01-12 23:03 · Score: 2, Funny

For my wife's birthday recently, I spent a whole lot of money on a watch. Then she had me take it back to the shop becuase it was losing about forty minutes a day.

I could have just told her it was a Mars Watch, but instead I get it "fixed" to show plain old boring GMT. Darn.

--

evil math within Nature's Cubic Creation!
Also available in a gift set! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-12 23:08 · Score: 1, Funny

The gift set includes this specially built watch, as well as a tape measure that has BOTH imperial AND metric markings.
Re:It's time for a non-Earth based time standard by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-12 23:14 · Score: 2, Funny

When Joshua stopped the sun, its a little known fact that giant fire-emblazoned letters appeared in the sky and began blinking "12:00" over and over.
Why? I'll tell you why.... by Mr.+Dop · 2004-01-13 00:53 · Score: 1, Funny

One wonders why these literal rocket scientists didn't just get a software programmable Linux or PalmOS based wrist-computer and hack together a Mars-time display application into it?"

To bash an old quote:
Its the total geek factor stupid
It the difference between geek and UBER geek. Making a program or something else that is dependant on another device is too easy and while it does rate a little on the geek factor scale, its no where near the geek factor in a dedicated device.
Look at the binary clock, yea sure it could be done using an interface like java, dedicated device is WAAAAAY Cooler, and you don't have to switch screens to use it.
Why not a linux/palmos etc solution? by BasilBibi · 2004-01-13 01:41 · Score: 2, Funny

Because a mechanical wrist watch (presumably with manual or autowind) does not need an electrical power source.

So when the batteries in the Mars lander are flat, you can still count down till you freeze to death...
It's all simple politics... by i8a4re · 2004-01-13 01:43 · Score: 3, Funny

Since this is a government agency, they have to seek out bidders and give everyone an equal opprotunity to produce this custom watch. The bidder who can make the most complicated watch with the most parts made in the most congressional districts and states and initially within budget gets the contract. Nasa spends more money, but evenly distributes amongst congressional districts. This makes congress happy and Nasa gets more moeny to spend on overpriced, useless shit.

--

If I drive fast enough at the red light, it'll appear green.
Re:again with the linux.... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-13 02:06 · Score: 1, Funny

I was driving my dad's 16 year old.

isn't that your sister?