TimeFan

I read this on the Wooo!pedia social interaction article: "Do not look at your watch unless you want to leave. People confuse a desire to know the current time with a desire to end the current conversation. While nonsensical, this impression is difficult to override."

I often try to position myself so that there's a clock over the shoulder of the person I'm talking to, because then I can look at it fairly unobtrusively. Another thing I do is arrange for unusual clocks to be present, so that pointing them out can be used as a conversation topic.

What techniques do other people use to check the time without sending negative signals?

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Not so fast, Unwinder! If you hold the toad, you have to join!

I used to count down to the end of my class in each class. This made people ask me the time.

But then my watch broke.

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It Will Control You

I try to bring the converation round to the subject of time and use it as an excuse to look at my watch. For example, I will discuss a future event, and ask when will it happen, then look at my watch to see how much time I have before that event happens. It seems more like a genuine intrest in the time than idle curiosity. This also works for comparing the time since past events, though some people get suspicious if the time is not of a magnitude that is measured by a watch.

I have a pocketwatch. So far, I have found it impossible to surreptitiously sneak a peek at the time listed. One day, however, I will master the art of classy watch-reading, or perhaps get a braille watch that I can feel in my pocket.

This has less to do with the topic at hand than with the thread title. However, it is rather amusing, I think.

I was sitting near a group of kids who were laughing and talking about random stuff when a girl walked by and asked if anyone knew the time. A few people answered her, but one person pointed behind her and said something to the effect of "there's a clock right there" in a helpful tone of voice. She shot back, "Do I look like I want to look at a clock? That's why I'm asking you guys!" and then stormed off. I snorted and they all started laughing.

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In fact, the largest number is about 45 billion, although mathematicians suspect that there may be even larger numbers.

It's not a Devil May Cry game unless Dante gets pinned to a wall and/or the ground by his own sword.
Preferably multiple times.

Haha! Maybe that girl just wanted to go out with Batman, the Caped Crusader, and needed something to start the conversation. Maybe she knew you liked time.



And how the hey would a braille pocketwatch work?

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Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?

Thanks for the flattering guess, but I'm pretty sure that's not what was going on.

Braille pocketwatch: um.....mechanical braille dots that pop up and down to present the time in digital format? That would be pretty sweet. Or, the watch could be in analogue format, with braille numbers (or just raised bumps with a differently shaped or particularly large bump where the 12 should be) around the edge of the top of the watch, and the hands could stick out from the sides a little. That sounds like it would probably be pretty fragile though.

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In fact, the largest number is about 45 billion, although mathematicians suspect that there may be even larger numbers.

It's not a Devil May Cry game unless Dante gets pinned to a wall and/or the ground by his own sword.
Preferably multiple times.

Oh, wait, I've got an idea, maybe you could have a binary watch that you could show people. They look pretty futuristic.

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Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?

Apparently, there is this concept called "Beach Time", where you're not supposed to care about the time at the beach. As a time enthusiast, I am disappointed with this theory.

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It Will Control You

That makes sense to me, actually.

It reminds me of something I wrote a while ago about clocks.

If I find it somewhere on my computer I may post it.

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In fact, the largest number is about 45 billion, although mathematicians suspect that there may be even larger numbers.

It's not a Devil May Cry game unless Dante gets pinned to a wall and/or the ground by his own sword.
Preferably multiple times.

I think Beach Time makes sense, because the beach is often reasonably cloudy and there isn't much shade anywhere, so you can't gauge the time. Also, the temperature remains fairly constant. Also, you're probably having a good time, if you're at the beach, though that is not always true.

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Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?

I've always been cold when I've gone to the beach. But then, I tend to be cold.

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"I love deadlines. I especially like the wooshing sound they make as they go flying by."
~Douglas Adams

Maybe you have hypothyroidism.

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Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?