# Where can I find a program that beeps exactly once a minute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095 "2008-07-02T20:41:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/1 "2008-07-02T20:41:08Z")
Recently I’ve taken to playing Eve Online. Within the game, one of the skills is mining. Exactly once every minute I have to empty my cargohold of everything I have mined or else my character stops mining. This is a problem when I am reading the Dope and don’t realize how much time has transpired. Is there a computer program that I can set to beep (or make some sort of non-annoying noise) exactly once a minute, and then continue to beep once each minute until I turn it off? All I have been able to find are alarm-clock type programs, which aren’t what I need. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/2 "2008-07-02T20:47:24Z")
Hack: Make an HTML file with a refresh tag set to 60 seconds and some inline audio. Open it in a brower, and _voila_. ETA: Actually, does IE make that annoying click on auto-refresh? If so, no inline audio needed! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/3 "2008-07-02T23:29:00Z")
Forget computer, get a kitchen timer. I have a whole bevy of 'em that I used when playing Everquest, with similar time issues (have to re-mez every 44 seconds, have to re-do speed every 7 minutes, etc.). Make sure to get the ones that are programmable, so you hit just a button or two to reset it every 60 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/4 "2008-07-03T02:03:21Z")
You could try [weird metronome](http://www.pinkandaint.com/weirdmet.shtml) and set it for 1 beat per minute. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/5 "2008-07-03T03:45:22Z")
My microwave beeps every 60 seconds after something’s done, if I don’t open the door. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/6 "2008-07-03T04:00:45Z")
Record an audio file of 59 seconds dead air and one second of you saying “time to empty the cargo” and put it on repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/7 "2008-07-03T05:32:35Z")
[QUOTE=Fubaya] Record an audio file of 59 seconds dead air and one second of you saying “time to empty the cargo” and put it on repeat. [/QUOTE] This works, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/8 "2008-07-03T05:41:49Z")
[QUOTE=Captain\_C] Exactly once every minute I have to empty my cargohold of everything I have mined or else my character stops mining. [/QUOTE] That sounds excruciating. Where’s the fun in that? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/9 "2008-07-03T07:04:47Z")
How about finding an app that sends a suitable keystroke to the client every 60 seconds? Si ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/10 "2008-07-03T18:25:53Z")
if you are using a Mac or other Unix based computer, create a text file in _/usr/lib/cron/tabs_ containing this: ```auto SHELL=/bin/sh MAILTO=/dev/null 0-59 * * * * beep ``` ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/11 "2008-07-03T18:45:27Z")
[QUOTE=UncleRojelio] if you are using a Mac or other Unix based computer, create a text file in _/usr/lib/cron/tabs_ containing this: ```auto SHELL=/bin/sh MAILTO=/dev/null 0-59 * * * * beep ``` [/QUOTE] Better yet, just open a terminal window and type ```auto while( true ); do echo -e '\0007'; sleep 60; done; ``` ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/12 "2008-07-03T22:15:02Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Better yet, just open a terminal window and type ```auto while( true ); do echo -e '\0007'; sleep 60; done; ``` [/QUOTE] Better yet, just open a terminal window and copy and paste the above! ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/13 "2008-07-03T23:05:30Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely] How about finding an app that sends a suitable keystroke to the client every 60 seconds? Si [/QUOTE] That would be called “botting” and, as far as I know, is against the rules of the game. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/14 "2008-07-04T04:44:14Z")
Switch to [Progress Quest](http://www.progressquest.com/) . ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-a-program-that-beeps-exactly-once-a-minute/455095/15 "2008-07-06T07:01:51Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] That sounds excruciating. Where’s the fun in that? [/QUOTE] Well, it forces me to work on homework instead of spending all my time playing, while at the same time increasing my in-game wealth, which is necessary to buy fun things. This Weird Metronome dealie will work great. Thanks!