Speaking about 'moving mount Fuji'

I have this device in my office:

Quite a few visitors get baffled what is it. Most are able to quickly figure out that it is some sort of clock since it is 'ticking' (light pattern changes and left side changes slower than the right). However, some couldn't figure out what sort of clock it is and how exactly does it display time. I am seriously thinking about using this as my interview question ;-)

Comments

• Anonymous
  May 30, 2004
  Microsoft people are so predictable. ArpanDe has a a similar binary clock in his office has joked about using it as an interview question as well. I personally fail to see how recognizing or not recognizing that this is a binary clock actually determines whether someone is suitable to work at Microsoft or not. Then again, most of the trick questions in the "How would you move Mt. Fuji" vein also don't test much besides how good the candidate is at (a) Googling and (b) brain teasers.
• Anonymous
  May 30, 2004
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  May 30, 2004
  How about asking : How would you go about making such a clock for MS Windows...and for extra credit one that resides in the task pane.
• Anonymous
  May 30, 2004
  Here's a guess...
  
  Binary clock:
  
  The left hand side go up to 64, the other two values to 128. That gives 1048576 states to the clock.
  
  Swatch internet time is 1000 beats per day, so assuming it rolls over at 1000000 basically the left two indicate the number of beats and the right hand side indicates seconds. Well, very almost seconds.
  
  I also kept thinking I could relate it to conventional time, but it seems easier this way.
• Anonymous
  May 30, 2004
  Simon: it isn't that complicated :P
  HH:MM:SS... so in the case of the time in that photo it is: 05:41:42 (am as this is 24hr based).
• Anonymous
  May 31, 2004
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  May 31, 2004
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  May 31, 2004
  you can pick a similar one here:
  
  http://www.thinkgeek.com/cubegoodies/lights/59e0/
  
  
  
  
• Anonymous
  June 01, 2004
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  June 01, 2004
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  June 01, 2004
  As where to get such clock, Google for 'BCD clock'
  
  http://www.esptec.com/Clocks/RoundedEdge.html
  
  Although I have bought mine in Science Center in San Diego.