Did you ever want a sleek, state-of-the-art, $2500 alarm clock? No? Well, if you own a Mac then you have one anyway. iCalendar lets you set alarms that trigger other programs on your computer, and you can apply this feature to the aforementioned overpriced alarm clock function. The process is as follows:
- Compile an iTunes playlist with the songs you’d like to rise to.
- Create an applescript that launches iTunes and plays said playlist.
- Schedule an iCalendar alarm that launches this applescript.
Step one is dead simple – if you own a Mac then I am going to assume you know how to compile iTunes playlists, so on to step two. Launch the Script Editor by find and clicking on its icon in the Applications folder, or by searching for it with spotlight (CMD+Space, “Script Editor”). Here’s the script:
try
tell application "iTunes"
launch
set sound volume to 100
play playlist "Wake Up"
end tell
end try
We’re assuming that the playlist you compiled is named Wake Up. If it isn’t, change line 5 accordingly. Once you’re done with the script, save it to your home directory in ~/Library/iTunes/scripts as “wakeup.scpt”. If the scripts directory does not exist, you should create it. Finally, create an iCalendar event for when you wish your computer to wake you up. In the right-hand drawer among all of your new event’s options is an Alarm field. Set the alarm to “Open file wakeup.scpt after 0 hours”. After you complete that last step, you’re finished. Make sure your speakers are turned on and your Mac will dutifully wake you up at the appointed time (providing it’s not hibernating or powered down).
