Another month of daylight

New York Daily News ^ | August 8, 2005 | MICHAEL McAULIFF

[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

[Atlas Sneezed]

We have the technology to have electronic clocks run at different rates, so why not have every sunrise be at 6AM, and every sunset at 6PM, with the minutes simply longer in the summer time. Of course, clocks would need GPS facilities so that they could know the local sunset and sunrise time (we'll keep it simple, and assume flat horizons and clear weather) and correct accordingly. There would be no problem with people from different areas having meetings, because the time set is the time at the meeting location. MS Outlook can handle it. And if you have a conference call, Outlook can simply know where the other caller is located, and advise accordingly.

OK?

[Atlas Sneezed]

Can a metric calendar be far behind?

How about the "Decibet"?:

[Alberta's Child]

I'm taking this opportunity to ask all Freepers to join me in my "Eradicate Daylight Savings Time" crusade next year. My goal is to leave all my clocks set on Standard Time and spend the entire spring and summer doing things on my own schedule.

[GretchenM]

Not to slight the other actually problematic issues listed above, but this part surely indicates that the sky is falling!

And people who want their auto-programmed VCRs to record the right shows may have to pull out the instruction manual.

[Nathan Jr.]

Three weeks earlier will technically make it a wintertime change.

[ngc6656]

Quit whining. More daylight means more golf. Period.

How's this for an idea: set the clock back 12 hours, then you could work all night and play golf all day? :)

[puppypusher]

Thank You Uncle Sam for making all of our auto-setting watches and clocks obsolete. More junk for the local dump.

[Nowhere Man]

Sure, let's save a little energy, but send our children to school in the dark.

It's 1973 all over again. I remember when they did this then, we went to school in the dark. I remember when I was in first grade then, we played "German Spotlight" at the bustop with our flashlights. B-) They ought to do away with DST alltogether.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Well d@mn... I was hoping that Congress would add another five hours or so to my day instead.

[SnuffaBolshevik]

I am afraid my Circadian rhythms will be off and I will get pregnant as a result.

Always available to help a fellow Freeper in need.

[ngc6656]

The idea behind the bill is to save energy by giving people that extra hour of summer sun for another month.

I never imagined Congress had the power to move the summer sun into the spring and autumn months. Such arrogance.

[Nowhere Man]

No kidding. My 11 year old will be going to a new school this year. He will be waiting for a bus at 6:45. This just ticks me off.

Teach him how to play German Spotlight! B-) Also at that time, we used to play Star Trek and use our flashlights as phasers at the bustop. I ended up being Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy although I did double as Chekov time to time. B-) I know out parents were concerned about DST and sending us to school in the dark back in 1973 but I admit we had our fun. Still though, I think DST needs to be dumped.

[Nowhere Man]

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.

Call me weird, but I like it when it gets dark early in the fall and winter. I must be part vampire. B-) Plus when it gets dark that early, I can AM DX from here in Pittsburgh and hopefully get Mark Levin on 770 WABC from New York. B-)

[Nuc1]

That extra hour of daylight is what is responsible for global warming, this must be stopped!;)

[GR Freeper]

Reminds me of the Seinfeld where Kramer set his watch ahead early.

[GR Freeper]

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?

Yes, and the same goes for the HDTV standards soon to take effect. To hell with the cost. You wouldn't want to stand in the way of progress, would you?