Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 23

It's a special, video edition of the Atomic Timekeeping Podcast and, this time, I'm going to show you how to use an "Atomix" clock.

Download the episode at the link below:
AtomixDemo.m4v

...or enjoy the YouTube version...

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 22

You can find "Atomix" radio controlled clock movements from Klockit at this place...
http://www.klockit.com/products/dept-77__sku-AAAAH.html

...and if you want to see the movement which uses three AA batteries instead of just one, check it out here...
http://www.klockit.com/products/dept-77__sku-Atomic_Clock_Movement_Battery_Pack.html

And now, a quick illustration to show how batteries can be arranged in "parallel" or in "series."

When batteries are wired in "parallel," as in the example above, the voltage remains the same but each individual battery is drained less than if you only used one.

When batteries are wired in "series," as in the example above, the voltage of each battery adds to the entire voltage of the circuit. So three batteries together will produce three times the voltage.

Anyhow, download episode 22 of this podcast right here...
AtomicPodcast22.mp3
(Running Time 27:59)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 21

Sorry about missing my last couple of deadlines, but here's a new episode...

Download this podcast here...
AtomicPodcast21.mp3
(Running Time 31:33)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 20

In this episode, I talk about the amazing gadget which was mysteriously preventing my radio controlled clocks from receiving WWVB. Hmmmm.

http://www.amazon.com/Eco-i-Lite-Power-failure-Handheld-Nightlight/dp/B001TA52CG/

Download this episode here...
Atomicpodcast20.mp3
(Running time 21:30)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 19

First of all, I spent a little time in this podcast talking about my new, electric lawn mower. It's this Craftsman electric mower. Then I spent the bulk of this podcast episode talking about radio controlled wrist watches. Check out some links to..

Casio Watches

Arcron Watches

Oceanus Watches

Junghans Watches

...and more watches

And here are three radio controlled wrist watches from my personal collection. First, the Arcron-Zeit Digital Sports Watch...

...and the next watch is my first Casio Waveceptor Watch.

And the next one is my "Tough Solar" Waveceptor watch, which I've actually had since 2006.

So, have some fun with radio controlled watches!


Download Episode 19 here...
AtomicPodcast19.mp3
(Running time 46:42)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 18

A few things this time around: First, if you're interested in radio controlled clock products from Skyscan, Here's a link to their company web site...
http://skyscan.info/content/index.php
That link will also contain links to contact information and product manuals for both current and discontinued products.

Meanwhile here's a nice place to look up sunrise and sunset times for your favorite U.S. cities.
http://www.sunrisesunset.com/custom_srss_calendar.asp

And here's a math quiz for you. If I say, "This hamburger costs five times more than a sandwich," how do you express that as a mathematical equation?

Let's see... if the sandwich is $1 then let's say that "n=1." Now, "five times more" would be something like this: "n + 5n," right? So then "five times more" is the same as "six times the original number."

n+5n=6n. So if the sandwich is $1 then the hamuger is $6. Not five but SIX!

Now, if I say that a used computer costs three times less than a new computer, how do you express that as a mathematical equation?. I'm not even going to try.

So, download my podcast episode here...
AtomicPodcast18.mp3
(Running Time 30:29)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 17

In this episode, I refer to a listener's email regarding public tours of the U.S. Naval Observatory's facility in Washington, DC. If you'd like to request a spot in an upcoming tour, here's a link with more information.

http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/tours-events/tour-information/tour-information-for-usno-washington-dc

Also, I have a follow-up to the last episode with my post-NAB report on just a couple of things I saw in Las Vegas. Here's some information on NHK's Super Hi-Vision...
http://www.nhk.or.jp/digital/en/superhivision/index.html

...and there's even a Wikipedia article about this stuff...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Hi-Vision


Download the newest episode of my podcast here...
AtomicPodcast17.mp3
(Running Time 33:20)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 16

In this episode, I'll talk a little about the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas. And, by the time I make the next episode, I will have gone to this convention and I can give you a post-convention report.

Meanwhile, I'll show you a picture of something I saw last year at this event.

So, download my newest episode right here...
AtomicPodcast16.mp3

(Running Time 36:06)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 15

This time, it's a special video podcast. And I wanted to tell you about a style of clock which I've enjoyed for the past 30 years... the Ball Clock!

Download my video podcast episode here...
PodcastEpisode15

...or watch the YouTube version right here on this browser.

Just a little note... I was going to ramble on for a couple more minutes in my narration of this video. But then I realized that there's a 10-minute limit for YouTube videos and I wanted to make this a YouTube-friendly production. So I cut out a few superfluous details. For example, when I was a teenager I actually conditioned myself to sleep through the night with one of these noisy ball clocks running all night long in my bedroom. I wonder if I could do that again now. Hmmm.

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 14

This time, I'll talk about how difficult it is to set your own, personal, real atomic clock to "the correct time." Taking "lag time" into account, this could be a real problem. For most of us, a "radio controlled" clock is good enough but for some people, nothing is sufficient short of owning a real atomic clock. Some of these people call themselves "Time Nuts," and here are some links that will lead you to them...

http://www.leapsecond.com/

A link to the Time-Nuts mailing list sign-up page

Someone's idea of a "real" atomic clock wristwatch

How to turn a family campout into a practical demonstration of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Meanwhile, feel free to download my newest podcast episode right here...
AtomicPodcast14.mp3
(Running time 29:17)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 13

Believe it or not, it's almost time to go back to Daylight Saving Time here in the United States. (I'm getting tired of Daylight Saving Time.) Apart from my annual whining about the month of February in general (which just isn't my favorite month), I do have a few useful things to share in this podcast episode. And, for those of you who are interested, please watch three, one-hour shows about the scientific concepts of "time" on "The Science Channel" on the evening of Sunday, March 1, 2009. Check your local listings for Earth Time, Cosmic Time and a program called What Time Is It?.

Also in this podcast episode, I wonder why an AM/FM "Clock Radio" alarm clock with atomic timekeeping is either rare, expensive or unreliable. But here are a few links you can try...

http://www.ccrane.com/radios/am-fm-radios/sangean-rcr-3-digital-atomic-clock-radio.aspx

http://wize.com/clock-radios/t45312-atomic

http://www.radiocontrolledclock.com/stsmmuclwiam.html

http://www.radiocontrolledclock.com/saatra.html


Download my podcast episode here...
AtomicPodcast13.mp3
(Running Time 34:37)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 12

Warning! This episode contains audio test tones. I'll explain why I'm playing the test tones but, in the meantime, make sure you're not listening to this episode at high volume settings. If it's too loud, those test tones might be a little bit too surprising to your ears.

So, yes, I'm talking about audio in this episode and how it relates to "Time Frequency." Time Frequency is one of the four major things that are measured by those top-level scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (It'll make more sense if you just listen to the episode.)

Also in this episode, I share a very nice email from Alan in the UK. Here's a link to his blog.
http://www.masterclock.co.uk/

So, that's all for now. Enjoy the podcast!

Download Episode 12 here...
AtomicPodcast12.mp3
(Running Time 27:25)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 11

In this episode, I talk about my experiences with digitial "Weather Station" products.

Download the episode here...
AtomicPodcast11.mp3
(Running Time 32:36)

If you're interested in purchasing some kind of electronic weather station of your own, here are some links to check out. You can get them from Oregon Scientific...

Check this Oregon Scientific Link.

... or LaCrosse Technology

Check this LaCrosse Technology Link.

And you can get these products from Amazon and other retailers. Take a look at some of these links

Something from Amazon

Something from AmbientWeather.com

Something from WeatherShack.com

Something from Klockit's eWeather-Station.com

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 10

On a personal level, it has been a very busy couple of weeks. So I'm posting just a brief podcast this time around. It's a quick follow-up to the last episode. Now that we've all experienced a Leap Second together, I'll add just a few more thoughts about it. Also, I'll play the audio of what happened on WWV when the Leap Second was added at the end of 2008.

Download the episode here...
AtomicPodcast10.mp3
(Running time 11:29)