SciTech

Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

thefadd.

Posted to SciTech on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 02:06:49 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

The world needs saving and what better place to start than that most precious commodity of all -- time. Were it not for time, we either wouldn't exist or wouldn't age. Scientists are still unsure which. Science be damn, though, claimed US President George W. Bush as he bestowed upon America extra hours of sunlight starting this year. Assertions by science types that this hour of daylight was simply taken from the morning and added to the afternoon could be immediately confirmed by those waking early enough in the morning.

To take advantage of this Presidential gift, simply set your clocks forward one hour at 2:00 A.M. on March 11 to 3:00 A.M. In fact, since decreed by President Bush in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, it's the law. This change is three weeks earlier than the "spring forward" of previous years and it is estimated that the adjustment will save millions of dollars and energy saving resources. However, the improvement is not without its detractors. The Los Alamos National Laboratory has warned employees that some computer systems will not be prepared for this government-mandated evening brightening. Indeed, the sounding cry has already been put forth by media outlets across the time zones, comparing the President's brilliant move to the tragic calamities which befell the world at the turn of Y2K.

Tags: written by thefadd, edited by Port1080, daylight savings time, computers, technology (all tags)

This story: 12 comments (4 from subqueue)
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1

Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

rombuu.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 03:54:15 PM EST

none

Science be damn, though, claimed US President George W. Bush as he bestowed upon America extra hours of sunlight starting this year.

Um, I think this law passed though a couple of houses of congress to... just sayin'.

Anyway, here is rombuu's simple and easy method to get rid of this problem once in for all.  We go on DST and stay on it.  No one freakin' likes Standard time.  Win - win.  

2

^ 1

Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

Thalia.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 04:39:55 PM EST

5.00 (brilliant)

Hell must be freezing over, I'm agreeing with something rombuu says.  This standard versus daylight savings time is ridiculous.  I can see how it was useful when farming communities needed the early morning light, but we live in a different world today.  There is no advantage to clock adjustments now.  And it's a pain the butt.

Thalia

3

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Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

Lou.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 04:45:16 PM EST

5.00 (astute)

But how will we remember to change our smoke alarm batteries

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

9

^ 3

From the beeping, duh.

3fingerspointback.

Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 04:35:44 AM EST

5.00 (funny)

Oh, wait a second.  After hearing what's going on in my apartment's stairwell for the past two weeks I guess the incessant beeping isn't enough of a reminder, and it's time to wrap a note around a BRICK.

(is 3fingerspointback)

4

^ 1

Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

MayorBob.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 04:45:29 PM EST

5.00 (interesting)

My wife would agree with you emphatically.  She's a nurse working 12 hour shifts at a children's hospital.  The last three years, everytime it came time to move the clocks ahead an hour, she was working a shift meaning she had to work 13 hours instead of 12.  She got paid for the extra hour, but it was such a needless pain in the ass that could have been avoided by not moving the clocks ahead or back at all.

Illegitimi non carborundum.

10

^ 4

Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

harzerkatze.

Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 08:00:27 AM EST

5.00 (brilliant)

I don't see the sense in switching back and forth either, but I do not think standart time is the best solution. Just switch to a better time system and stay there, summer or winter.

Let's face it: Daylight is better to live in than night. The night is cool and stuff, but daylight means no artificial lighting necessary, better view in traffic, some vitamin D for you, and so on. It seems logical to optimize our time system so most people spend most of their awake time during the daylight.

But so much daylight is wasted. Far fewer people are awake in the morning at four o'clock than in the evening at 8 o'clock. But both point of time are equidistant from midnight and thus when the sun sets at 8, it rises at four. Wasted Daylight!

Let's just move the clock forward by two hours and stay there. Live on as you did before, get out of bed at 7 or 8 AM to go to work, go home at 7 or 6 PM, go to bed at 10 or 12 PM as before. With the clock moved by two hours, the sun will rise on average at 8 o'clock AM in spring, earlier in summer and later in winter (or farther north). It will set at 8 o'clock PM. That's much better than a sun rising at six and setting at six o'clock. And thats only spring and autumn, in summer, it get even better, with the sun rising at e.g. about 5 am and setting at 11 pm.

Sure, standard time is nice because it was easy to remember at school that noon is when the sun is highest and so, but the advantages of my system far outweight that, I think.

11

^ 10

Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

coquito.

Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 08:58:02 AM EST

4.00 (interesting)

Let's just move the clock forward by two hours and stay there. Live on as you did before, get out of bed at 7 or 8 AM to go to work, go home at 7 or 6 PM, go to bed at 10 or 12 PM as before. With the clock moved by two hours, the sun will rise on average at 8 o'clock AM in spring, earlier in summer and later in winter (or farther north). It will set at 8 o'clock PM.

OK, that sounds kind of brilliant, but isn't there at least one little problem with that scenario? Or am I misunderstanding the notion that we can't just decide when we're going to be functioning by setting a clock?

I know, I know, for centuries people have gotten up at dawn and gone to bed near sundown (I did it for awhile myself in a former life), but I'm not sure it's realistic for the population at large.

Now with caps!

12

^ 11

Re: Won't Somebody Think Of The Daylight?

thefadd.

Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 02:23:17 PM EST

5.00 (funny)

How would our time system effect the circadian rhythm of animals?

escalators never fail; they just become stairs

5

Go to sleep little doggies

Lou.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 04:47:12 PM EST

none

As a dairy farmer I have a lot to say about this

Won't the long evening make it easier to discourage those farm hands who are so inclined from doing something "unseemly" with your stock?

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

6

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Re: Go to sleep little doggies

Steve Urkel.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 04:53:58 PM EST

none

Actually at night is the best time to milk to squirrels.

7

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Re: Go to sleep little doggies

Lou.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 04:56:20 PM EST

none

How do you get your hands on their tiny little teats? (assuming they have them of course.  I know nothing about squirrels.)

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

8

^ 7

Re: Go to sleep little doggies

Steve Urkel.

Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 05:09:02 PM EST

5.00 (informative)

Trade secret amigo, only me and the leprechauns know.

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