Changing Times your feedback A big thank you to everyone who wrote. Newly updated April 18th Jonathan's Thought for the Day Friday 24th March, that began all this... (plus more from Jonathan 27th and 28th) Clocks changing and time restrictions The clocks go forward in Britain this weekend. What amazes me about this pointless, aggravating ritual is the way that we all take it so completely for granted. That timepiece on the wall rules our lives with merciless, unbending precision. People who are late for appointments are frowned on. If a TV or radio stations starts a transmission just a couple of minutes ahead or behind the published time, there is an outcry. Yet suddenly, because someone somewhere tells us we must, we all submit. "Oh, that's fine then. We will give up an hour. Fair enough. We weren't intending to do anything useful with it anyhow." This is a classic example of the lemming-like behaviour that characterised the 20th century. There really is no need for it now we have entered a new era. But then, there is also no need for a rush hour. Now that's an hour we COULD all do with getting rid of? I wonder when we will. But I do not intend to consult a horoscope on the topic. I rather suspect that I would be obliged to make a prediction I didn't like! Paula in Michigan is right behind a plan to rationalise our whole date/time system. The relief, she says, would be swift and immediate for book-keepers and many others.... "I recently heard about a young mathematics teacher, here in the US, who has worked out a new plan for the calendar of the year. He sees the year as 13 months, consisting of 28 days each. As a bookkeeper, I immediately recognized the 'relief', a system like this would be for us mere mortals. If, for example, a company's payroll always falls on a Friday, currently it can fall at the end of one month, or the beginning of another. Your monthly payment dates are always the same date but always on different days. This means a constant, extra step, in any equation. At home, I feel this could aid in making my mortgage and utility payments in a more sane, and timely fashion. Christmas Day would be the same 'DAY' each year. Imagine the relief in just eliminating that equation from your yearly plan each year. Imagine the implications for the retailers and advertisers. It's an 'advanced planner's' dream come true! My question to you is how do you feel this type of system would effect things 'astrologically speaking'? Almost every day I think of a new reason to shout about this system from the rooftops! My birthday would be the same day every year! There would be no more 'Leap Year' babies on an endless quest for their true birth-day, you know, the real one with cake and candles and gifts! Family and friends always joking: 'how old are you again?' 'We're not sure exactly when this one was born.' It must be a terrible burden for a young child trying to fit in. My only fear is that this might all become boring! But I think I might be willing to trade that for a few extra moments of peace a day." Australia in its Olympian year is going back to 'saving daylight', bemoans Loris in Sydney "We have just returned to normality and it is good to get up in the morning to light instead of pitch darkness. The bad news is that because of the Olympics they are going to reinstate Daylight Saving in August and the sun won't rise until 7.30am. We will all be going to work in the dark. Madness." Global consensus, reckons Barbara in the US, is rare enough for us to accept the inconvenience of the time change. "Your anger on this issue really feels misplaced to me. If one were to look at this same issue from another angle, we might see how this awkward clock moving business is actually a blessing. It is the one thing that the entire planet does. No, nobody really likes it, it's bothersome and as you pointed out it is inaccurate; and yet WE ALL DO IT! It is an amazing thing that we all actually agree on this one point in a world that seems to thrive on confrontation. It would be nice if we all agreed on more, more often." Joanna's mother comes up with a touching reason for the time change: "I recall my mother saying they changed the clocks so that the children didn't have to walk to school in the dark." Ginger seems to be suffering from TCD - Time Change Disorder: "I can't wait for our clocks to Spring Forward! It lifts my heart, the extra light, the birds singing, It's better than Christmas in my book. But I do feel like you, except it's in the fall, when the clock goes back. It feels like a darkness in my body and soul. and I feel so blue.. Why don't they leave the time alone? We need that extra light in the winter, and they go and put it back and make it even darker, as if it isn't dark enough anyway? Thanks for bringing this topic up. But what I can't understand is why don't you like the hour of extra light?" Abie has found romantic solace as the time change brings her closer - at least in time - to her fianc�: "I have just got engaged to my boyfriend and we plan to be married in August. Unfortunately we can't be together at the moment as he is working in Australia. When the clocks changed here, they also did so in Australia. However, as it is now autumn there the clocks were put back an hour. This now means that, although we are 11,000 miles apart, we are now closer together in time - nine hours as opposed to 11. It is a comfort to know that we are now closer together than we were last week - in every sense!" Debbie's grandfather once set the matter to right, but could not overcome the deadweight of the status quo: "I've laughed as you've lamented about the "day light savings" approach. Though I knew little about the man, and less about his efforts, my sister once showed me that my grandfather - an explorer and astronomer, I'm told - created a very logical and accurate solar calendar, that was documented in one of the 'Guiness Books of Records'. The family tale was that no one was interested in how accurate, friendly, and helpful it was; because so many Gregorian calendars were already printed, in use, that it had become the status quo." Karen brings a cyber-perspective to the topic "It's great now! We're two hours closer in time and much easier to catch up with all my internet buddies around the world since you've lost an hour and we've gained one!" For Brandi, it's more of a mixed blessing: "I agree with you about this ridiculous notion of moving clocks back and forth - and I think it's stupid for me to have to remember when to call family living in the eastern time zone (United States) - however - I absolutely LOVE being able to see the sun set at 8:45pm here in Texas. I don't get to see this happen six months out the year because of work - or being stuck on the freeways in rush hour traffic. You see, at least here in the United States I also think we take for granted the nine to five work day. Now isn't this a load of - well crap. Most jobs/companies have this standard and don't even question it - they just expect everyone to adhere to it, but things would be so much easier for grandparents, parents, students, volunteers, and single people if work schedules were more flexible." We suspect Janice from Victoria, Canada, to be a conspiracy theorist - and not without good reason. Read on: "Of all the crazy unimportant things we humans have to endure in our lives, changing the clocks around beats them all.Its absolutely ludicrous! I totally agreed with what you said regarding things to change in the new millennium. This has to be one of them, but how to do it? My understanding is that each country separately makes the decision to do it based on some prehistoric reason. I work for the Federal Government of Canada so I know it is decided on by the government but I cannot, for the life of me figure out which department it is. I've checked with all the obvious ones but no one seems to know. (Or no one will admit to it.) Is it possible that really nobody knows? And that it is a ritual unto itself that all of mankind just keeps on complying with for no reason at all? Maybe because in the relative scheme of things it is so trivial that no one has ever bothered to investigate its source in order to perhaps abolish it? If this is so, and/or if there is a particular government body common to every country, maybe someone out there may know who it is, so in this new age of technology we could start bombarding them with Emails asking it to stop." The future could be backwards, argues Tim from New Jersey: "I was surprised by the analogy used to describe the quest for some accurate keeping of time: that it is a bit like listening to 78rpm records as opposed to listening to cd's. The analogue process of recording a record allowed there to be a corresponding "groove" on the record for every sound wave that was picked up by the microphone. On the other hand, digital recording and playback is a binary process, and as such can only approximate (though with incredible closeness) the actual sounds that are recorded. Why mention this? Could it not be that we should forsake our mind-numbing race for a "modern", technological approach to finding a way to become more in tune with our world, and rather focus on the natural rhythms that actually guide us all? Maybe we should race BACKWARD to find our future. Close as it may be, the modern age has only given us more ways to approximate, however closely or accurately, the things that are happening around us." Seattle is making its name as a seed-bed for anarchists, and you can see why when you read what Kelly has to say - but all in the name of fun: "Time was invented by people who had a need to measure. That we cling to the idea of the 24 hour day is, in and of itself, confining and limiting. If we as a society could let go of the idea that everything must be measured and accounted for, and instead focused on the possibilities of what we can achieve, we might be more productive. And maybe, just maybe, we might have a little more fun." Jeff in the UK has been doing some surfing and found at least one benefit to adjusting for summer time. "Having searched the web for the benefits of this bi-annual ritual. Apparently the amount of money saved through us all not requiring as much energy for that one crucial hour is enormous. However, not one of the websites I visited made the slightest mention, particularly on an economic scale, about the number of people who FORGOT to adjust their clocks this weekend and arrived late for work this morning! I also understand that many fire brigades throughout the country choose to use this twice yearly observance as a time to remind people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. So at least there IS some purpose to it all!" From South Africa, Bev writes of a time museum whose founder worked in 'real' time: "I live 50 kilometres from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Now in Grahamstown there is a 'time' museum, where the original owner built many curious items, one of them being a means to measure the exact time. He built this quaint room, with wonderful cut outs on the walls of stylized suns, moons etc. Then on the floor of the room, are his painted markings, for measuring the sun. What he worked out, was that Grahamstown time, is actually seven minutes slower than the rest of South African time." If you have problems with your time-keeping, don�t go to Indiana. Alice explains why: "I thought you might like a different perspective on the twice yearly time change. During the late fall and winter months (end of October thru beginning of April) we are on Eastern Standard time here in the state of Indiana, with the exception of a few counties near Chicago. But, when the rest of the country 'springs forward', the lucky souls in Indiana stay on Standard Time, so the people with whom we share a common time throughout the winter suddenly are an hour ahead of us, and those slowpokes to the west of us catch up during the spring and summer months when they go on Daylight Savings Time. That is even more confusing! We spend a considerable amount of time just verifying what time it is wherever we are calling so there are no misunderstandings when you say you will call back at 10:00!" Faith in the UK seems to be feeling the effects first hand, coping with her grumpy dad: "You shouldn't complain too much! My father just flew from Paris to the US. He lost an hour over the weekend in Paris, but the time doesn't change in the US until next week! What with jetlag to boot that makes for one grumpy Dad!" Two people write from the land where 'time stands still' - Arizona, USA. First Slade: "I thought I should point out that not everyone plays along with the time changes. Here in Arizona, USA, we just keep going without ever adjusting our clocks. However, we have to remember what the rest of the world is doing..." And then an anonymous tourguide shares his frustration about the state 'not moving with the timezones': "Alas, I am working as a tour guide in the US and I am constantly confronted with changing time zones. The worst challenge is - to me at least - in Arizona. The state never changes time - so Pacific time is ahead in the winter but the same in the summer. However, the largest Indian Reservation (Navajo) in the US is located here and their time follows Mountain Standard time, but the Hopi Indian Reservation - surrounded by Navajo Land follows Arizona time, got it? The reason I mentioned that I am a tour guide is that until I got through this maze (only once) I called for wake-up times which were one hour off - and I had to buy breakfast for an entire group at a the next stop - an expensive but never forgotten lesson." Tammy in New York comes up with the most widely used generic explanation: "I thought day light savings time occurred,because at one time civilization was a farming community and the early morning light helped farmers. Of course that is not the case anymore, as it is rare to even find a successful farm today. But, I could be wrong so don't quote me on that." An aggrieved Gemini is still looking for an hour she lost when vacationing in the UK a decade ago: "I sympathize with your troubles over this �lose an hour, gain an hour� thing. I'm from the States and 10 years ago I travelled to England at Easter time unaware that the clocks got moved up an hour during my stay. Okay, so I lose an hour vacation, I'll deal with it, and get it back in the Fall. The week after when we got home, we had to move OUR clocks up an hour! Then I got real annoyed, because somewhere out there is an hour of mine. It seems as though the US and England had different weeks for this ritual. To this day I'm still hoping to get my hour back." News from Sandra in Saskatchewan, Canada, where the time does not change, is that a campaign there to move to daylight saving time is misguided: "We are lucky to be living in CST, Central Standard Time. We don't change our time. Well, there is a pocket around Lloydminster, west side of the province, that does change the time and I lived there for six and a half years. I agree, its silly. When I asked why the time changed, they said it was so we had more daylight hours. Believe me, in the middle of winter there is only about four hours of daylight so that one hour doesn't help at all. The livestock didn't know the time changed, they just knew when they were hungry and the cows knew when they had to be milked. Now there is a push from the east side of the province to change the time and I am just getting the feeling that their excuse, which is so that they can be the same time as Manitoba, is just a case of the �grass always being greener..." Back to Letters & Questions / Back to Thoughts for the Day