Don't Touch That Dial!

   I was heading home from Scranton after my
weekly talk show with Judge Tom Munley when
I glanced at my radio dial to check the time.
  What I saw in bright green numerals was 88.1.
   I immediately knew it wasn't one minute past
eighty eight. But I also knew I wasn't listening
to the FM station assigned to that frequency.
   That just happen to be the spot on my dial
which relays my XM Radio signal into my car's
speaker system.
    I'd have to do something else to get the dial
to display the time. But what?
    Several complicated factors come into play
at this point.
    First is the fact I have 4 vehicles. Each has a
radio.
    Second, each radio has its own set of controls.
    The unit I was looking at has 20 separate
controls! Some are dials. Some are 'toggle switches.'
    And a couple are 'slide type' controls.
    My late Dad's 1950 Buick suddenly came to
mind. It had a separate radio and a clock.
    The radio had a dial on the left that turned it on
and off and adjusted the level of the sound.
    The dial on the right allowed you to tune in
stations all across the dial.
    Buttons beneath the dial allowed you to pre
set some of your favorite stations. I think it had
five of them.
     To set the clock you pulled out a stem and
turned it till the hands on the face showed the
correct time. For those of you who are now lost
...there was a big hand, or pointer, that showed
minutes, and a little hand, or pointer, that showed
the hour. I know it sounds complicated. But, if you
saw it you might understand.
   Anyway the point is....what happened to those
'simple' radio and clocks?
    I know the Buick is either in some junk yard,
it's tarnished steel still fighting the elements, or
has been crushed...in which case some of its
metal was probably reformed into military tanks.
    After a bit of exploration and experimentation
I was finally able to check the time. So the
'problem' is gone now. At least for the moment.
    But I'm sure I'll be thinking of that Buick
again in just a couple of weeks when I've got
to turn four combination radio/clock displays
back one hour to Eastern Standard Time!
    Hope you're got the time, are all tuned in,
and that all your NEWS is good!