Posted on 08/08/2005 4:18:35 PM PDT by kingattax
WASHINGTON - The clock is ticking on a new Y2K-style techno scare in 2007 - thanks to Congress.
That's because legislators slipped a measure into the energy bill that President Bush is set to sign today extending daylight-saving time by four weeks - a change-up that machines already programmed for the annual hour jump may not be prepared to cope with.
Daylight-saving time would start three weeks earlier in the spring and last one week longer in the fall.
"Missiles won't be launching, but it's still going to cause a lot of hassle," said technology expert Lauren Weinstein, warning that the big risks will be to the technologically challenged who have come to rely on computers and electronic date books to help meet their appointments.
"Things advance to the point where you expect things to happen automatically and you expect it to be correct," he said.
The idea behind the bill is to save energy by giving people that extra hour of summer sun for another month.
But machines that work on the old system - falling back one hour on the last Sunday of October and leaping ahead on the first Sunday of April - cannot be reprogrammed as easily as politicians can rewrite a law. Congress last changed the system in 1987.
The biggest threat for most people is probably those missed appointments.
"It wouldn't be a society-wide catastrophe, but there would be a problem if nothing's done about it or we try to move too quickly," said Dave Thewlis, head of a group that promotes standards for calendar software.
And people who want their auto-programmed VCRs to record the right shows may have to pull out the instruction manual.
"It is unfortunately going to add a little bit of complexity to consumers," said Reid Sullivan at Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co
Now on your pregnancy problem. Oh, shut me up already.
I propose eliminating January and moving Christmas to December 55th. Think of the benefits to the retail industry!
Can a metric calendar be far behind?
"Are these people trying to obsolete a whole bunch of electronic equipment which is supposed to handle daylight saving time automatically? Why can't they leave well enough alone?"
It really should have been part of an economic plan instead of the energy bill. The answer to your question would be yes. Make everbodies affected electronic become obsolete so evryone has to go out and buy newer/corrected equipment, thus keeping the economy growing. LOL !Ya never know.
This is going to wreak havoc on international flight schedules.
Quit whining. More daylight means more golf. Period.
More like a Service Pack.
Then 3 or 4 "Hot Fixes".
Then a patch or two to close the left open doors for the time hackers.
Don't forget to reboot.
:)
LVM
In the central valley of California, the hottest time of day is around 5 PM PDT. So guess what we have to leave our air conditioned offices to fire up our car air conditioning to drive home and fire up the home air conditioning - all during the hottest part of the day. Real geniuses figured this one out.
More "bone head" legislation by MORONS. They want the voters to think they're actually doing something in Washington. We're at war for our survival and they're worrying about DST. What a joke!
what an excellent point you make ! they ARE totally worthless,but the more important point is WHY do we tolerate them ?
It seems backwards anyway - give the entire "extra" month in the fall when the days are getting shorter. The days in spring are lengthening on their own.
I can't believe so many people are against this. In Alabama where I am it gets dark at freaking 4:30 in the afternoon during the winter. I will gladly welcome another hour of daylight in the evening.
While I don't really care one way or another, you hit on the part I don't understand. It's not like we can extend the amount of daylight we have in any given day...so, what's the point? It's one end or the other.
I like Homer Simpson's idea, that it would work better to add a 13th month so every month has exactly 4 weeks. That is, with the 365th day left over for drinking. Viva la Smarch!
Spring Forward in the Spring;
Fall back in the Fall.
Winter forward, fall back???
I thought it was "jump up fall down." Or is it "fall down jump up?"
"Daylight-savings time is a stupid idea."
Not if it causes tomatoes to ripen sooner.
Late afternoon (4 to 7 PM) is the peak heat time here in southeast Idaho too. It is 6:30 PM and 95 degrees in the shade. Sunset is at 8:45 PM, so it won't start cooling off appreciably until around 9:30.
Why would I want that?
World Day
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