Some REALLY thin veneer

[Darren Null]

...a cheapo alarm clock; et voila:
http://www.gadgetcraver.com/maplewoodledclock-p-180.html

[Garrett Nors]

Pretty neat :D I bet I could make that......................

[Mark Ross]

Couldn't tell from the photos, I assume the buttons are on the top, and not labeled? Not sure...This looks really cool...wonder how it would sell at a craft show...

[Dan Hintz]

If they designed it correctly, the buttons are capacitive sensing and completely buried, just like the LEDs.

[Brian Jacobs]

Darren,

That may be a knock-off of the original design. I checked into this a while back and if I remember correctly, the design was originally done by a Japanese artist. I believe he was recognized for some kind of designer award for this. I'll have to find my bookmarks.

It's actually pretty neat. Turn off the LED's and its just a block of wood.

UPDATE: Just did a google search on Japanese Wooden Clock. There's a store that is selling these for $519.00!!!

[Brian Jacobs]

FYI- More info...

CA 'wood' LED clock designed by kouji iwasaki in 2002. this 'wooden' LED clock won top prize at the asahikawa international design fair in 2002. these clever clocks have a very thin layer of veneer that permits the LEDs to shine through. please note: these do not have alarm clock capabilities. dimensions: long - 8.25"w x 3.5h" x 3.5d"

[Darren Null]

As Dan said, buried capacitive buttons and they could act as alarm clocks, and -even with a custom board- I bet we could improve on the price AND get a working alarm clock. $519. Pfft.

But the idea doesn't necessarily have to end there: Unobtrusive emergency exit signs, for example. Toilet signs built into door panels. As long as your light-blocking shape mask is tight against the veneer so you don't get blurring, your block of wood can say anything you like. Because you need a little depth anyway, power it with a few D cells and they'd last for ages.