We were tasked with creating 10 clocks for one of our interactive classes. This particular clock was inspired by a memory I have of the South. Thunderstorms aren't very common in San Francisco, but I grew up in Louisiana and we'd have them every afternoon. I'd spend what seemed like hours (but was probably only minutes) staring out the window and counting "one-one thousand, two-one thousand" starting at when lightning flashed and ending with the peel of thunder. This clock simulates that experience of waiting (and counting) by only telling the hour through a count of seconds between the lightning flash and when the thunder crashes afterwards.

At the top of every minute lightning strikes (screen flashes yellow and white) and you can tell the hour by counting the seconds until the thunder hits (thunderclap sound plays). The minutes are denoted by a black bar of hash marks. As the marks approach the end of the screen, the minutes approach the end of the hour.

Programs for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Or check out the applet online. May take a while to load because of the size of the wav files.