Will we ever get rid of daylight savings time?

[gauss]

There is nothing funny about world food shortages....

This is true but I still don't see evidence of the causal connection of DST's influence on crop production.

Perhaps you are talking about somehow adding an additional hour of sunlight that is somehow added to the day?

If you have a source reference perhaps that would help.

-gauss

 

[gauss]

entire hour all at once.

If we could just sneak up on it, changing the clocks a couple of minutes a day over the course of a month ....

I'm guessing you have converted exclusively to auto-setting clocks in your environment?

-gauss

 

[gauss]

Okay folks -- are we celebrating April 1 in November this year, and someone forget to send the memo about this to Gauss?

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I think I would vote for just about anyone who would promise to get rid of DST. Why anyone would want midday to be at 1pm instead of 12 noon has always been a mystery to me. Over my life, as DST has increased to a larger and larger percentage of the year, I have noticed store opening times, working hours, etc march across the clock to one hour later too. So what is the point? Just to make me have one more thing to worry about. I hate DST!

 

[Sarah in SC]

I will agree that time changes over the course of days or weeks are easier than the ones that happen instantly and somewhat arbitrarily.

Last summer, the 5 hour difference between home and London was sudden and difficult. The 8 hours between London and Ulan Baatar, were much easier, as we changed about an hour every day or so, which made it feel like we were pretty well adjusted by the time we got there.

Gauss, you got me. Maybe it is April?

 

[Andre1969]

I'm just curious...would an iPhone or other smart phone be "smart" enough to change the time when you go into another time zone? I've only been out of my time zone once since I finally got with the times and got an iPhone last year, but I can't remember what the phone did. That was when I went to Aruba, which is an hour ahead of us in the eastern time zone. I'm leaving for Aruba again in a couple weeks. It always feels weird, going off daylight savings time for a week or two, and then for all intents and purposes going back on it in Aruba, only to come back off of it when I return.

 

[Redbugdave]

I think it is the fault of the Railroad for making everyone stick to the same time for scheduling.

And now my cabbage has one less hour of sunlight to grow in.

But...I'm RETIRED and I don't need no stinking CLOCK.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh, yeah, Andre, that's how we kept up with the change out in Central Asia. As soon as we got wifi at some random cafe or whatever, the clock would change on our iphones.

 

[scrabbler1]

At one time, the state nearest me had in essence three times zones. One region followed EST, another followed CST, and until 2006 the rest of the (mostly farm) state did not observe DST at all. Making travel plans was "interesting"...we had lots of meeting times/flights botched.

That sounds like Indiana, the state which (until around 2007) had the screwiest time zones, as you described.

My ladyfriend, before she moved to NY (where I live) in 2004, worked in Louisville, Kentucky, but also traveled to various satellite office in southern Indiana. In the summer months, things became confusing for her, her coworkers, and their patients because some of those offices were close to Louisville and an hour ahead (observing EDT) while others were further north and an hour behind. Sometimes, patients were waiting an hour for her and her coworkers to arrive.

In my recent trip to Louisville back in early July, we took the train to Indianapolis before driving to Louisville. It would have been rather confusing to have to change the clocks twice had Indy been an hour behind NY and Louisville. This also includes co-ordinating a bus schedule and a train schedule on our return trip.

Then there was the guy who had a Twilight Zone plane ticket back in 2001. He was sitting next to me on a plane going from NY to Cincy where he was changing planes for a short flight to Indy. That 45-minute flight listed 3 PM as its departure time and 2:45 PM as its arrival time in Indy because at the time Indy was an hour behind Cincy in the summer.

Back then I was chatting with an online friend who lived in New Zealand. They move their clocks like we do, but in the opposite direction because their summer months are our winter months. So, part of the year NZ was 12 hours ahead of me in NY and part of the year NZ was 14 hours ahead. But their clock-moving dates were a week or two off from ours back in 2000-2001, so in those few weeks in the spring and fall we were 13 hours apart. Pretty weird.

Now that I'm retired, I'd like DST all year round. I don't need an extra hour at 7 AM in the winter but I'd like to avoid it getting dark at 4:30 PM in the winter.

 

[ChiliPepr]

I'm just curious...would an iPhone or other smart phone be "smart" enough to change the time when you go into another time zone?

Yes, it will automatically change the time... If you have "Settings->General->Date & Time->Set Automatically" turned on.

 

[Senator]

Okay folks -- are we celebrating April 1 in November this year, and someone forget to send the memo about this to Gauss?

++1

 

[Andre1969]

Thanks, Sarah...I had a feeling the iPhone would be smart enough, but couldn't remember. Now, I just wish the clock in my 2012 Ram was smart enough to change itself, because I'm not smart enough to remember how to do it, without digging out the owner's manual!

Aruba is pretty neat, if you like the consistency. For the most part, I think the sun rises around 6:15-6:45, and sets around 6:15-6:45. Daytime temps tend to run around high 80's to low 90's, and it's usually fairly humid, the kind of weather I'd whine about back at home. But somehow, it's easy to get used to while on vacation!

 

[ERD50]

I hate it. It's such a nuisance. Just pick an offset to GMT and stick with it.

+1. But I say go all the way, and don't even use an offset to GMT (which I think is called UTC now?).

Imagine, you could schedule a call with anyone in the world, and say - call at 3PM, and that would be it. Everyone would be on the same time everywhere.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Thanks, Sarah...I had a feeling the iPhone would be smart enough, ....

Careful, I think it was discussed here as well, but I also know someone who had things get messed up - they entered their departure flight on their iPhone when they were in the east, for their return flight from the midwest. Their iPhone 'conveniently' changed that flight time when they changed time zones. But flights are always in local time. oooops!

Now see how easy if it was all in UTC?

-ERD50

 

[Sarah in SC]

Thanks, Sarah...I had a feeling the iPhone would be smart enough, but couldn't remember. Now, I just wish the clock in my 2012 Ram was smart enough to change itself, because I'm not smart enough to remember how to do it, without digging out the owner's manual!

Aruba is pretty neat, if you like the consistency. For the most part, I think the sun rises around 6:15-6:45, and sets around 6:15-6:45. Daytime temps tend to run around high 80's to low 90's, and it's usually fairly humid, the kind of weather I'd whine about back at home. But somehow, it's easy to get used to while on vacation!

It sounds like an awesome vacation spot! Humidity isn't all bad, especially when you are spending time lounging on the beach.

What is it with every single car having a different way to reset the clock? Bless my Blazer for having tiny hour and minute buttons right on the dash!

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I guess I still don't get why people want midday at 1pm instead of 12 noon. Do people really think they get an extra hour of sunlight?

 

[REWahoo]

Do people really think they get an extra hour of sunlight?

You don't out there in California? I'd complain to my state representative if I were you. Seems unfair since all of the rest of us on DST get it.

 

[H2ODude]

Only aggravation I have with DST is that the two dogs want their food an hour earlier these days, and they keep bugging me about it! They should come with automatic adjustment, like the smartphones!

 

[travelover]

You don't out there in California? .......

Well sure, where do you think your hour came from?

 

[kaudrey]

Only aggravation I have with DST is that the two dogs want their food an hour earlier these days, and they keep bugging me about it! They should come with automatic adjustment, like the smartphones!

+1 Although my dog seemed to adjust, my cat woke us up at 5am this morning (he usually doesn't stir until 6:30 or so).

 

[rodi]

Brings back memories of working for a global company. For the first couple of days people around the world would be early or late to US based video or teleconferences because of the time change. A real PITA..

Yep. Our calls with India would change time of day from pre-dawn, to bedtime based on savings-time/standard time.

Those after hour conference calls were a big motivator to ER.

 

[Walt34]

I used to like DST for the extra hour of daylight that happened when I was awake. Know that I'm retired I don't care what time it is.

 

[aja8888]

I suggest we have one time for everybody in the world. That would settle it and no need for time zones, etc........hey, it's 1:00PM in Chicago and also 1:00 PM in Hong Kong. Easy!

 

[MichaelB]

I suggest we have one time for everybody in the world. That would settle it and no need for time zones, etc........hey, it's 1:00PM in Chicago and also 1:00 PM in Hong Kong. Easy!

Harold Geneen, CEO of ITT (back when it was a super-megacorp) shared that thought. He was well known for traveling around the world and boasting of never getting jet lag, because he ran his meetings on his jet always based on NY time. Of course, the locals might have viewed things differently, but you can't please everyone.

 

[Ronstar]

I suggest we have one time for everybody in the world. That would settle it and no need for time zones, etc........hey, it's 1:00PM in Chicago and also 1:00 PM in Hong Kong. Easy!

That would work better than the current setup. Some people would have daylight from 9pm to 5am, but they'll get used to it.