[Beagle]

Why do we keep doing this?

Why do we still continue to screw around with the clocks twice a year?

What's the point? What you gain at night you lose in the morning. So why bother? Besides, if it got dark earlier in the summer, air conditioners would work less and there would be less noise in general, less people driving around (for no reason)and thus less pollution.

Thoughts?

 

[RickG]

SUV moms with soccer and baseball kids...

 

[Russ Arcuri]

We do it so that we're awake for more of the daylight. Why is this desireable? Some would say lower energy costs. Others would say it's useful to be able to have more daylight after you get home from work to play with the kids than it would be to have that daylight wasted on the early morning.

Contrary to popular (urban) belief, it has nothing to do with "farmers." Farmers live by daylight whether the clock says they should or not.

 

[Beagle]

I would agree except for the fact that you then have to put the lights on in the morning and don't really save energy since you now use more to cool your house because it stays warmer longer. And when you put the clock back in the fall, the sun goes down early and your furnace gets used more.

In other words, leave the clocks alone, it all comes out in the wash.

 

[jude]

I remember Swatch was trying to develop (as a gimmick) its own global time standard -- Internet Time. Now, unless I'm missing something, what was the point? What did it do that UTC as a standard doesn't? Anyone remember Swatch Internet Time?

What I've never understood is why we don't simply all use UTC.

Best Regards,
Jude
2003/03/28 20:53:44 UTC

 

[Old Pa]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle Why do we keep doing this? . . . . Thoughts?

Short answer: get more work out of us.

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle I would agree except for the fact that you then have to put the lights on in the morning and don't really save energy since you now use more to cool your house because it stays warmer longer. And when you put the clock back in the fall, the sun goes down early and your furnace gets used more. In other words, leave the clocks alone, it all comes out in the wash.

Uh, I'm not quite sure how to respond to this... are you serious? "The sun goes down early...?"

The sun rises and sets at the same UT no matter what your clock says. Your house is just as warm either way; there isn't actually an 'extra' hour of daylight. You're just awake for more of it. It does not "stay warmer longer" -- it's not like the sun obeys your clock.

The sun would rise long before most people wake for the day if we didn't reset for daylight savings time. All it does is allow us to call "5am" standard time "6 AM" daylight time. You're more likely to be awake at 6 than 5. Why light your house with sunlight if nobody's awake? Why not have that sunlight available in the evening, when it's far more likely to be used?

As to the furnace being used "more" -- why? We're on standard time then, unless you live in the southern hemisphere. i.e., we don't muck with the clocks in the winter -- only in the summer.

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle I would agree except for the fact that you then have to put the lights on in the morning

Sorry, I forgot to address this statement in my last post. Again -- what are you talking about? Why would you put lights on in the morning if the sun is already up?

Methinks you're confused about how this works...

 

[Trawlerman]

BST (British Summer Time) was originally conceived to give more daylight hours during the Second World War so that the weapons output in the manufacturing factories could be given a boost by the extra daylight.

It was also useful as it made the roads and streets safer during the blackout due to their being more light.

Agriculture benefitted at harvest times as the Peace workers could stay out in the fields so much longer due to the increased light.

After the war ended BST was continued.



Personally, i've spent so much time working in GMT or UTC that it comes naturally to me to see GMT anyway.

 

[john_jcb]

If you are lucky enough to live North West of Seattle you would not argue against daylight savings time. It stays light until after 10:30, great for sailing after work.

 

[Serow]

Or you could live here in Saskatchewan, where we don't go on DST...

Actually, you probably wouldn't want to live here

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle Why do we keep doing this? Why do we still continue to screw around with the clocks twice a year?

I'll bet the people who always bitch about DST are the ones who can't figure out how to set the clocks back

 

[Duncan]

oh yes, here comes summer...

With my south-easterly facing room, and a big unit underneath this room that pumps out loads of hot air... yet again i'm due for a fun BST... or GMT+1

I think one summer night last year, that at midnight my room was still 38 degrees centigrade... normally in the summer its around about 30 though... whichever way, far too hot... and that is WITH the windows / doors open

 

[jibra]

Russ is absolutely right. It had nothing to do with farmers. I am in Indiana and we don't do day light saving. I am sure that all people in US knows that Indiana is famous with its corn. Endless corn field. Endless ... boring ... nothing to do except listening to tunes and get a glass of beer.

Jibra

 

[wallijonn]

jibra,

ah, another state with sense.

here in Arizona, DST is not observed.

you would think that it would be simpler to just come in an hour later if it's darker in the morning.

so instead of having a 9 to 5 job, you'd have a 10 to 6 job. lots of sunlight? (like arizona) - then you'd have a 7 to 3 job. (like June, July & August).

so there you'd have it: 1st Monday of the week in:

November, December, January, - 10 to 6
February, March, April - 8 to 4 (oooh, 2 hours "sleep lost" - nah)
May, June, July - 7 to 3
August, September, October - 9 to 5

it's much easier than using season ingress time (spring, summer, fall, winter - which usually falls around the 20th of the respective month).

it would definitely make it easier on us astrologers. hospitals are not supposed to use DST - so are you sure that you were born at that time that it says on your birth certificate?

remember WWII with England's "War Time"? instead of 1 hour DST, there was a 2 hour change.


Todd R, Quote:

I'll bet the people who always bitch about DST are the ones who can't figure out how to set the clocks back

No, they'd be the people who lost an hour of sleep when the time changes. Ever work a night shift when the time change takes effect? what happens if you punch a time card? guess the supervisor has to make changes to about 50 cards.