Unsolved mystery -- where are the clocks?..

Unsolved mystery -- where are the clocks?

Honolulu Airport might have the most on-time flights of any airport, but try finding a clock anywhere on the wall. Lihue has a similar problem; they have a wall of clocks which represents times all over the world, but not one clock works. Lihue Airport is much smaller and friendlier, making it easier to ask a stranger for the time.

I was at Honolulu Airport a few hours early for a flight back to my home and favorite island of Kauai. My time was being spent on an Internet kiosk. I do not wear a watch and refuse to become part of the cell phone digital time mania that has taken over the world.

My flight was departing at 10:25 a.m. I needed to watch the time, and there were no clocks within distance so I took a stroll; still no clocks. This is an international airport, and finding a clock was an act of God. Finally I looked at a flight arrival board, and in the smallest numbers was the time.

Try finding a clock at any major shopping center, bar or restaurant anywhere in Hawaii. It's no wonder "Hawaii time" has become synonymous with arriving late. I understand aloha but still feel the need to look up and see the time.

I remember as a youth, clocks were everywhere, at the post office shopping malls and airports. Now in this fast-paced world of computers, cell phones, HDTV, iPods and jet travel, a clock is a commodity that is hard to find.

I miss the good old hanging clock with dings and dongs. What has gone wrong? Where has all the time gone?