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This spider-shaped Nixie tube clock will kill you probably

This spider-shaped Nixie tube clock will kill you probably

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The Nixie Machine II is the answer to the age-old question: “Can a clock look like it can kill you?”

Created as a very limited run art piece by Frank Buchwald and Dalibor Farny for the M.A.D.Gallery (the “M.A.D.” part stands for “mechanical art devices”), its uses six Nixie tubes to display the time in retro-futuristic glowing numbers (via TechCrunch).

While the Nixie Machine II may use one of the oldest digital technologies around for displaying the time, the rest of the hardware is decidedly modern, with integrated Wi-Fi that allows the clock to automatically set the time, and allows for easier control of more advanced settings like day / night modes and automatic dimming through an online interface. That’s right, it’s a smart Nixie tube clock.

And look, I’m usually 100 percent on board for Nixie tubes and strange watches or clocks. But something about the Nixie Machine II sends a chill down my spine. Really, the official description sums up my misgivings better than I could: “...insect-like limbs supporting the central body while steel brackets enclose the Nixie tubes like arms gripping time; flexible, tentacle-like tubing “nourishing” the Nixie tubes with energy and information is at the core of the composition.”

Fortunately, I probably won’t have to worry about this glowing, tentacle-wielding, spider-bot monstrosity attacking me anytime soon. M.A.D.Gallery will only be selling 12 of the pieces at the breathtaking price of $30,000 dollars apiece, so only the extremely wealthy should have any reason for concern.