Now that we're talking "meridiem," I renew my quest for a 24-hour clock radio that can be plugged into U.S. house current.
Yes, there are some appliances, other than bedside clock radios, available in the U.S. that can be switched to 24-hour time format (my microwave and my portable LCD alarm clock read in 24 h format right now), but try to find a U.S.-ready Sony Dream Machine, or a Panasonic, that you put on your bedside table and plug into the wall, and get its LED readout to tell you it's 20:34, and they don't exist, AFAIK. A friend of mine wanted to get up at 04:00. Having a "ante/post meridiem" alarm clock like the rest of us Americans, he set his alarm clock to the fourth hour, all right----the wrong one, actually 16:00. Of course, he overslept. With so many time-telling appliances now switchable to 24-hour format, why not clock radios? I know that my German friend had to ask me what AM/PM means. If she moved to the U.S., why should our traditions necessarily prevent her (or me, for that matter) from having a clock radio that reads logically? Like the FPLA amendment, it would be optional--there's a switch. I repeat my stipulation that I want this on a bedside clock radio. I don't want to have to send away to Recondite Scientific, Inc., for an LED readout surplus clock that came off the first space shuttle. I seek an ordinary clock radio (Sony, GE, Toshiba, Panasonic, Emerson, etc.). This is relevant to metric in the sense that many metric countries use the elegant logic of 24-hour time format. In fact, any institution that want to avoid time confusion uses this time format. Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Blvd. Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 US +1(432)528-7724 [email protected]
