Richard, No global meeting was ever missed. The meeting you were referring to was merely missed because of a computer error (changes in the Outlook calendar). You can make up your own idea of how the time changes go (those who change their clocks and in the northern hemisphere). However, the facts are:

Shu listed 27 countries, besides Europe, and of those, Europe, the UK and Chile change on March 30. That is not overwhelming to me, though it may be to you, Richard.

If your own company's computer malfunctions meant that meetings were missed - be they local national or international, that is a cost to the organisation. And if it happened to your organisation then it probably happened to others. Clock changes have always created difficulties; clcok changes that are out of synch. with others' will create even more difficulties.

Clock changes cause many problems and there are those (including me) who consider that the benefits of time change are outweighed by its disadvantages.

Those of us who live in that minority of countries that change our clocks might believe that there's something inevitable about the practice but it is far from being a natural or even logical thing. "Official" clock changes only became necessary once the concept of universal time was accepted; until everyone had access to accurate time, most people would rise at sunrise and retire at sunset - thus making the best use of the daylight hours. Once everyone had access to accurate time and most labour moved from the fields to factories, people began to work for set hours, more of less regardless of what the sun was doing (aided, of course, by artificial light). During the early years of the last century it became clear than many people were "wasting" daylight hours and the idea was mooted that the clocks should advance by an hour in the summer to persuade people to rise earlier. This idea was first suggested in Britain since Britain at that time was still the world's pre-eminent industrial country and, being at the latitude it is, also had significant diurnal variations - which made the idea worth considering.

Countries in the tropics have little variation in day length - it gets light at 0600 and gets dark at 1800 - give or take a few minutes - the idea of twilight is a very strange one to someone who grew up in Nairobi. Had the premier industrialised country in the early 20th century been located in the tropics it is highly unlikely that the idea of clock change would have ever been considered.

However, at that time most of the world's industrialised countries happened to be in the northern hemisphere - Britain and the USA being probably the most important - so the idea was adopted and we still have it.

However, most countries DO NOT change their clocks, even now. Indeed the vast majority of the world's population leave their clocks well alone - and good for them. For tropical countries there is no point and settlements in the Antarctic (where there are no days and nights in the normal sense) use an artificial time based on the time of their "parent" country. Only in the latitudes shared by Europe and North America (and the comparable latitudes in the southern hemisphere) does the idea make any sense at all. And many countries in these latitudes eschew the idea, presumably believing it to be more trouble than it's worth. China does not change its clocks, neither does most of Asia.

Those northern hemisphere countries that do observe DST mostly change their clocks from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October - as did the USA until 2006. There are some slight variations for reasons I have explained but, on the whole, that is what happens.

With the advent of the 24/7 society and our increasing independence from the wiles of the sun, there seems less and less point in clock changes - and that point of view is likely to be shared by those whose job it will be, next Sunday, to go around and adjust the many clocks that now exist in most British people's houses, domestic machinery, vehicles and personal gadgets. Plus of course those who work in the travel industry who will have to placate those who have missed their flights, and persuade those who can't understand why their apparent journey time has inexplicably altered by an hour.

DST? Get rid of it say I!

<sigh>

quote:

<sigh>

As one who lives on the Prime Meridian, Arnie, you should maybe have more of an interest than most!

Who can accurately and reliably interpret a "<SIGH>" ??

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jerry thomas,

interpret a "<sigh>" ??

Nice site, JT. I especially like their pages on conspiracies and such like. Always like using ALLCAPS for emphasis (link).

[Fixed link.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,

Wordcrafters, believe it or not, tomorrow is another chat. Listen up, though, Americans! It will be one hour later than normal for those in the U.S. because Wordcrafters in England have been bearing with us for the last 2 weeks. Next week we'll be back on track.

Tomorrow's chat will be at 1800 GMT, which is 11 am PDT, 12 noon MDT, 1:00 pm CDT, and 2:00 pm EDT. If you happen to be lucky enough to be in Hawaii, you'll log in at 8:00 am HST.

I hope to see lots of you tomorrow!

quote:

As one who lives on the Prime Meridian, Arnie, you should maybe have more of an interest than most!

For those of us in the west 120s, however, the issue is largely irrelevant.

I will be there from around 1800 to 1830. Then we have to go out to an Edwardian Evening at the local history club.

quote:

For those of us in the west 120s, however, the issue is largely irrelevant.

Whether you have an interest in the topic or not is your decision; but like it, loathe it or treat it with boredom, the issue is relevant to all that use time (which is probably everyone except a subterranean, cave-dwelling, hermit).

quote:

I will be there from around 1800 to 1830. Then we have to go out to an Edwardian Evening

Wouldn't 1900-1910 be better?

I like India which is UTC+5.5 and Nepal which is UTC+5.75. In China, which just spans four time zones, the entire country coordinates on the time in Beijing: UTC+8 (link). Whenever somebody tells me what time we're meeting and uses their local time, I go to the Web to find out what time it is here on the Left Coast of Vespucciland (link), but then I have the great misfortune of not living in the British Empire during the reign of the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as some do. (Also, sorry to be pedantic, arnie, and I'm sure it was a typo on your part, but Eddie's reign was 1901-1910.)

quote:

In China, which just spans four time zones, the entire country coordinates on the time in Beijing

China isn't the only country that eschews both the idea of having internal time zones and the idea of DST - but it is probably the largest (if one ignores Antarctica which is a special case).

Until quite recently all railways in the USSR ran to Moscow time - even though this was around 8 hours different from Vladivostok time. So the clocks on the Trans-Siberian Express kept the same time throughout its journey towards Vladivostok and became steadily more out of synch. with local time as the train got nearer to its destination.

When the concept of standardised time was first created (by the railways) many countries and regions kept to local time and referred to "railway time" when they needed to make the point that it was standard time that they meant. So far as I know, Russian Railways was the last example of this.

quote:

the issue is relevant to all that use time (which is probably everyone except a subterranean, cave-dwelling, hermit).

But why would it be more relevant to someone who lives on the prime meridian?

quote:

But why would it be more relevant to someone who lives on the prime meridian?

I never suggested it was.

quote:

As one who lives on the Prime Meridian, Arnie, you should maybe have more of an interest than most!

Why would someone who lives on the prime meridian have more of an interest than most?

If you lived at the very place from which all time is calculated, would you not, just maybe, have more than a passing interest in that place's significance and history? I would.

You're right. Shame on you, Arnie.

<snore>

My own site

Well, that definitely vindicates you, arnie.

I love the fact that GMT is based on a "hypothetical mean sun," necessary because the earth's orbit is elliptical.

That means Chicago was right: Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?

Wordmatic

quote:

Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?

Everyone could know but only those who wish to live in modern society need care. A couple of centuries ago time mattered very little to 95% of the population - as it would matter little to today's hermits.

Richard, you did realize she was referring to the song, right?

quote:

Originally posted by Richard English:
...A couple of centuries ago time mattered very little to 95% of the population - as it would matter little to today's hermits.

And retirees! Ah, the enviable existence of those who get to sleep late every morning, and who do not need absolutely to care what time it is!

Sigh.
Envy.

Wordmatic