Gimme!

I'm a pretty typical computer geek in that I have my fair share of geeky toys.  I have a rather nice collection of geeky odds and ends that I like to keep in my cube at work.  Jeff Atwood offhandedly pointed out a new toy... which I feel I now must have.  It's a clock made out of Nixie Tubes!  One of my first "tech jobs" was working for the Technical Support Center at MSOE (where I got my degree in Computer Engineering).  My primary job was computer repair and network administration, but occasionally I'd get dragged into the "the dome" (where we stored all sorts of ancient computer equipment which we didn't need any more) to tear stuff apart for recycling.  One of the items that we tore apart had all sorts of displays made out of Nixie Tubes, and so I kept one cause I thought it was cool... which I still have to this day, and sits on a shelf in my cube with my other toys.  So when I saw a picture of the Nixie Tube Clock... I immediately started to drool:

In my eyes, this is the perfect combination of form and function.  A gorgeous stainless steal modern look to the base, yet it's operation depends on 30 year old technology.  I love this kind of elegant combination of old and new.  So why don't I just go out and order one right now?  It's $300!  That's just a little too much for a clock that would sit in my cube... even for me.