For heavy sleepers, a heavy pummelling

You've heard of those alarm clocks that roll off your side table, forcing you to chase them down? An alarm described (and videotaped) by reader "Kevin" at TechEBlog takes a more direct approach to solving the ever-vexing problem of the snooze button.

Kevin installed a "large air cylinder" and some sort of valve at the head of his bed. There's lots of visible tubing and wiring, and the whole thing is controlled via a computer. (He's a little stinting with the technical details.) But the result is unambiguous: at the appointed hour, the head of the bed begins pounding like a jackhammer. After a few jolts, the snoozer's mind surely shifts from sleep to survival. (The video is a must-see.)

The device's creator claims he's been waking up this way for years. Take that with a grain of salt. But if you're not like Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, who claimed in a recent interview that she pops out of bed at 3 a.m. or so daily, then here's one option.

I could use one.

(Via Boing Boing)