Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Tardy Timer

For the shockingly late
 
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I have to give the credit for this one to a co-worker. She gets sick of me saying "I'll be ready in 5" (while on the 'bakery) and then taking ten minutes or more.

To remedy this common affliction, she proposed a small timer that the person waiting can clip onto the waitee. The waiting person keys in a pin then sets an amount of time before clipping it to the person who has given the excuse. When the time expires, the device vibrates to remind the waitee.

At this point the waitee should get going. If they don't, the device will transmit a small electric shock to the waitee every minute. The shocks will get progressively more unpleasant as time passes. To turn the device off, the pin has to be keyed in by the person who is waiting. When removed before deactivation it lets out an ear splitting siren noise.

A remote controlled variant could be purchased by parents to enforce curfews when their children promise to be home by midnight...

madradish, Sep 06 2002

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       Overkill. Timers are extraordinarily widely Baked. Why do the slightly tardy deserve such harsh punishment? Why should this idea not be [marked-for-deletion] ?
DrCurry, Sep 06 2002
  

       read the idea, doc, and give her a little more credit. The idea isn't for a simple timer, but more concerned with removing the control of the timer from the timee - if that's baked, I havn't seen it..
yamahito, Sep 06 2002
  

       Technically, very simple to do. One of those rundown kitchen timers - with a PIN number - attached to one of those electric-shock dog fence collars. Or you could build the whole interface into the remote control.   

       I suspect that this product would be subject of a certian amount of "consumer resistance" from potential wearers but I'll croissant it in the hope that someone builds a version for zapping misbehaving kids.
8th of 7, Sep 06 2002
  

       Thanks for the backup yama. Actually I'm coming to the conclusion that a (possibly milder) version of this could be really useful. I have at least one friend who is chronically late, it's not that unusual a problem.   

       No doubt my co-worker will be surprised that there isn't a pile of croissants on this one, maybe she'll stop hassling me for a while. I didn't add it into the original idea, but she suggested that every halfbaker have one of these devices *implanted*. She's a cruel cruel girl.
madradish, Sep 08 2002
  

       Probably right, though..
yamahito, Sep 08 2002
  

       Peter, come now. I really doubt that timers which deliver progressively more intense electric shocks are baked.   

       And since you're marking this for deletion, the onus is on you to provide a reason.
waugsqueke, Sep 08 2002
  

       I actually like this idea. Even though I'd be on the buzzed not the buzzing end of it. But only if there could be a corresponding device to clue in the Type A people who profit from the skills, & talents of Type B people [guess which one I am :)] but have the arrogance to demand people mirror their strengths but do little to do the same in reverse and minimize their weaknesses but don't offer the same privilege to their lesser brothers and sisters.   

       I often think they can't even clearly conceptualize what our strengths and their weaknesses are or if they do then what the repercussions of this self-serving, unethical behavior is. How about a b.s. buzzer, an arrogance buzzer, a dishonest motive buzzer, a short-sighted solution buzzer, a self-serving "solution" buzzer ... to go along with the worthy things like a time buzzer, a organization buzzer, a just-the-minimum-facts buzzer, a wimping out buzzer, a righteous indignation buzzer ...
thecat, Jun 10 2003
  
      
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