Sluggish autumn mornings need more than talk radio to get you out of bed
Mondays have always been a little tough to handle. But now that school is back, vacations are over and the days are getting shorter, it takes just a little more to wake us up from the glorious slumber in our comfy, cozy beds. Luckily, there are dozens of creative people who are in the business of getting us to work on time.
So rest assured, when your alarm clock is smashed to pieces after you mistake the snooze button for the crazed boarhound of your nightmares, there are some ideal options for its replacement.
The mover:
Nanda Home Clocky Moving Alarm Clock ($45 - Amazon.ca)
It's an alarm clock on wheels. Rest it on your nightstand before you go to bed, and it gives you one chance to get up in the morning. Try to hit the snooze button? It will leap off the table and run around your room, looking for a place to hide, and beep all the way.
Affectionately called Clocky by its creators -- the U.S.-based Nanda -- this alarm will force you to get out of bed, if only to stop the beeping. A smaller cousin, Tocky, is also available for those who would like to chase the sound of their favourite MP3 instead of a high-pitched beep.
The shaker:
The Sonic Bomb ($35 - Hammacher-Schlemmer - hammacher.com)
This alarm does one thing, and it does it really, really loudly. If you're into records, this might just be the world's loudest alarm clock. At 113 decibels -- roughly as loud as a jackhammer beside your bed -- if it doesn't wake you up, it'll certainly make your neighbours hate you. But just in case sheer volume isn't good enough, LED lights on the front can flash in time with the buzzer, and a wholly separate vibrating hockey puck can be placed under your pillow.
Beware, though, The U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders warns that anything over 110 decibels can permanently damage hearing after only 1 minute of exposure. Wake at your own risk.
The home maker:
Lark Un-Alarm Clock (From $99 - lark.com)
Not everyone has to wake up at the same as their bedmate. But even if you're the vindictive sort who'd like everyone to get up at 5:30 a.m. just because you have to, the kind-hearted and sleep-loving people at Lark have found a way around you. Coordinate the company's small bracelet with the included app for your smartphone, put it on before you go to sleep, and it will know to gently vibrate and wake you up at the appropriate time, leaving your partner snoozing softly beside you. But because the bracelet is attached to your body all night with "micromovement sensors" -- and your smartphone is a pretty powerful computer -- the combination of actually monitors the quality of your sleep all night, like how long it took you to fall asleep and how many times you woke up. Outputting interesting and colourful graphs to your phone, you'll know exactly when the kids had a nightmare and interrupted that beautiful tropical beach dream.
The geek:
Darth Vader Lego Alarm Clock ($24 - Amazon.ca)
Sometimes all a geek needs to wake up is to know that Lord Vader has requested it of him. It's not loud, it's not a unique sound, and it doesn't run away. But it does look exactly like a jumbo version of the Lego Darth Vader, standing 20 centimetres tall and weighing in at more than half a kilogram. Not Vader's top fan? The alarm is also available as Yoda, a storm trooper or Boba Fett.
Mondays have always been a little tough to handle. But now that school is back, vacations are over and the days are getting shorter, it takes just a little more to wake us up from the glorious slumber in our comfy, cozy beds. Luckily, there are dozens of creative people who are in the business of getting us to work on time.
So rest assured, when your alarm clock is smashed to pieces after you mistake the snooze button for the crazed boarhound of your nightmares, there are some ideal options for its replacement.
The mover:
Nanda Home Clocky Moving Alarm Clock ($45 - Amazon.ca)
It's an alarm clock on wheels. Rest it on your nightstand before you go to bed, and it gives you one chance to get up in the morning. Try to hit the snooze button? It will leap off the table and run around your room, looking for a place to hide, and beep all the way.
Affectionately called Clocky by its creators -- the U.S.-based Nanda -- this alarm will force you to get out of bed, if only to stop the beeping. A smaller cousin, Tocky, is also available for those who would like to chase the sound of their favourite MP3 instead of a high-pitched beep.
The shaker:
The Sonic Bomb ($35 - Hammacher-Schlemmer - hammacher.com)
This alarm does one thing, and it does it really, really loudly. If you're into records, this might just be the world's loudest alarm clock. At 113 decibels -- roughly as loud as a jackhammer beside your bed -- if it doesn't wake you up, it'll certainly make your neighbours hate you. But just in case sheer volume isn't good enough, LED lights on the front can flash in time with the buzzer, and a wholly separate vibrating hockey puck can be placed under your pillow.
Beware, though, The U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders warns that anything over 110 decibels can permanently damage hearing after only 1 minute of exposure. Wake at your own risk.
The home maker:
Lark Un-Alarm Clock (From $99 - lark.com)
Not everyone has to wake up at the same as their bedmate. But even if you're the vindictive sort who'd like everyone to get up at 5:30 a.m. just because you have to, the kind-hearted and sleep-loving people at Lark have found a way around you. Coordinate the company's small bracelet with the included app for your smartphone, put it on before you go to sleep, and it will know to gently vibrate and wake you up at the appropriate time, leaving your partner snoozing softly beside you. But because the bracelet is attached to your body all night with "micromovement sensors" -- and your smartphone is a pretty powerful computer -- the combination of actually monitors the quality of your sleep all night, like how long it took you to fall asleep and how many times you woke up. Outputting interesting and colourful graphs to your phone, you'll know exactly when the kids had a nightmare and interrupted that beautiful tropical beach dream.
The geek:
Darth Vader Lego Alarm Clock ($24 - Amazon.ca)
Sometimes all a geek needs to wake up is to know that Lord Vader has requested it of him. It's not loud, it's not a unique sound, and it doesn't run away. But it does look exactly like a jumbo version of the Lego Darth Vader, standing 20 centimetres tall and weighing in at more than half a kilogram. Not Vader's top fan? The alarm is also available as Yoda, a storm trooper or Boba Fett.