Monday, April 03, 2006

Isn't it appropriate?

...that the "spring forward" of Daylight Savings Time comes right with April Fools' Day? We "save" an hour of time "and tons of electricity" that we instantly proceed to give back by staying up an hour later each night, and by delaying closing time at bars.

It's time to give up Ben Franklin's joke at the expense of the French--he noted that Paris candlemakers could be put out of business if French elites were subjected to a clock that told them to party during the day. About a century later, Woodrow Wilson made it public policy.

11 comments:

Shawn said...

seems like a fine idea to me; the bulk of our 'living' gets moved more into daylight, instead of darkness?

i walked out of church, at 8:00 last night, and it was still very light outside, whereas the week before it was dark; seems like a winner to me.

Bike Bubba said...

....or is the fact that you get out of church at 8pm your church's accomodation to daylight savings time?

Keep in mind that workdays are centered around high noon--7 to 5 a century ago, but 8 to 6 today. Coincidence that daylight savings time resets noon at 1pm?

Shawn said...

not quite sure i follow you. when, in the summer, it stays light out later, we just move more of the day to be sitting 'in' that daylight...how is that an accomodation to anything, other than the tilted axis?

Mark said...

I prefer "Standard Time."

I was looking forward to being able to run, in sunlight and warmth, before breakfast, taking my daughter to school, and work. Now, "they"'ve taken that hour away and I'm going to wait until almost summer for my plan to be feasible. Bah.

Bike Bubba said...

Shawn--you've got it. Given that we accomodate to the sun, why not simply use the clock that corresponds with where the sun is? Why bother shifting schedules for the sake of some bureaucrat?

Mark said...

Yeah, I like that, Bert!

With the advent of GPS, we can now compute what the local "noon" is just like in the old days when people set their pocket watches by the clock at the train station as they traveled across the U.S.

It would make getting to meetings a bit harder, but maybe people would be more gracious and a little more relaxed. Hmmm... Nah. Nope. Never. :^/

Bike Bubba said...

I was actually thinking that the time zone approximations would be an appropriate way of doing this...this technical Luddite is not ready to go GPS yet. :^)

Mark said...

What is a time zone approximation? Do you mean something like the train station clock where the whole town and probably county would us it as a reference?

My idea is much less subjective - and wouldn inconvenience almost all people with somewhat equal opportunity. ;^)

Should clocks run very slowly in Alaska during summer and winter?

(And you're blogging how? On the back of a shovel? ;^)

Bike Bubba said...

I'm fine with saying, for example, that all of Colorado should be in the "Mountain" time zone on standard time. Yes, more subjective than GPS, but more uniform.

So you like what I can do on a shovel, eh?

Mark said...

Yup. Pretty good, but you're probably going to have to petition for a refund of your CCML dues. (Chaska Chapter of Minnesocold Luddites) Sorry. ;^)

Bike Bubba said...

That'll be tough, since even they require that it be done online. :^)