simple_block_clock.py

from urllib.request import urlopen
from tkinter import *
from time import sleep
from random import choice

URL = "https://blockchain.info/q/getblockcount"                                              
COLORS = ["yellow", "orange", "red"]
FONT = ("helvetica", 100, "bold")

def update_clock(previous=None):
    current = urlopen(URL).read()
    clock.config(text=current)
    if previous:
        if current > previous:
            clock.config(bg=choice(COLORS))
    return current

root = Tk()
root.title("Block Clock")
clock = Label(root, font=FONT, bg=choice(COLORS))                                            
clock.grid(row=0, column=1)
previous = update_clock()

while True:
    previous = update_clock(previous=previous)
    root.update_idletasks()
    root.update()
    sleep(10)

--ideas--
block alarm clock
input: DateTime, blocks, minutes, hours, days, seconds,
estimates the number of blocks mined until that period of time.
displays blocks left until the alarm goes off.
allow a choice of a short melody sequence as the alarm sound.

project goal: Standard lib only.

Have you had a time demon or chronocop hacker takeover your timestream and confiscate your centralized time?

Introducing the block alarm clock. A clock protected by a blockchain database backend which helps decentralize your alarms and make them unconfiscatable from the time police.

Explanation of how the bitcoin blockchain works blah blah blah.

Why use an alarm clock based on the average time a block is mined on the bitcoin blockchain?

While the bitcoin mining rate has a precision of + or - 10 minutes, which can make you somewhat early or extremely late to work. You are trading accuracy and job security for a guarantee that your time will be cryptographically secure in the future. Blockchain always == better.