How to use the online alarm clock
As you hand over your duties before leaving for a lecture at the Royal Society, a 10:43 pm alarm gives the changeover a firm finishing point. There are 17 minutes before 11:00 pm, enough to explain what remains outstanding, collect your coat and check the route without letting the handover drift into the time reserved for travelling.
Because the lecture alarm may be waiting while directions or messages occupy the screen, its browser page can remain in the background and continue counting. Keeping that page available also makes the set time easy to check during the handover. If the browser session ends or the phone goes to sleep, however, the lecture reminder cannot sound, so this alarm should not be the sole safeguard when a fixed departure matters.
Leaving after a late changeover can feel different from stepping out earlier in the evening, particularly when damp air has settled over London. At 10:43 pm, checking the local humidity alongside the temperature gives a more useful picture than temperature alone: a light outer layer may be welcome even when the reading looks mild. Allow a moment for misted glasses or a wet pavement, then keep the 11:00 pm point in mind when judging the walk to the station or venue.
Common questions
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
What happens if my laptop goes to sleep before 10:43 pm?
The tab sleeps along with it and the alarm will not sound on time, if at all. If you are relying on it, change the power settings so the machine stays awake, or keep a phone alarm running as well.
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