Daylight saving time

[rem736]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I find the human manipulation of what time it gets light/dark to be a very silly practice, but it doesn't really physically affect me at all. Clocks/computers that update themselves are a godsend in that regard. They allow me to completely ignore that time is being "changed."

i'd go one step further and would prefer to use a single universal clock for everyone on earth (and using military time as well). by default, this would be GMT. people will complain about it being confusing to say that noon in california is 20:00. but it's just a matter of getting used to it. the benefit of this is that there is no confusion and no clarification needed when someone in the u.s. mentions the time to someone in europe (or anywhere else to anywhere else for that matter).

[eschwartz]

I don't see why military time should be necessary, though.

It isn't all that difficult to say "8:00 PM", which is just as unambiguous as "20:00".
People who say "8:00" are clearly just lazy.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I don't see why military time should be necessary, though.

It isn't all that difficult to say "8:00 PM", which is just as unambiguous as "20:00".
People who say "8:00" are clearly just lazy.

I say "I don't know". It's easier than trying to figure out where Mickey's hands are pointing.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I say "I don't know". It's easier than trying to figure out where Mickey's hands are pointing.

Do kids even learn how to tell time on an analog clock anymore?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by issybird

Do kids even learn how to tell time on an analog clock anymore?

Good question. Digital clocks, velcro shoes, thumb typing... today's skill sets.

[copyrite]

Hubby's a retired firefighter... the kids learned military time very early on from the scanners that are all around the house.

School teacher daughter has taught analog time, but said it doesn't seem to be used much at home from the (very informal) surveys she's done.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I don't see why military time should be necessary, though.

It isn't all that difficult to say "8:00 PM", which is just as unambiguous as "20:00".
People who say "8:00" are clearly just lazy.

Why do you call it "military time"? The 24h clock is used in virtually every country in the world as being clear and unambiguous. There's nothing "military" about it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why do you call it "military time"? The 24h clock is used in virtually every country in the world as being clear and unambiguous. There's nothing "military" about it.

Because the military was pretty much the primary user of the 24 hour clock here in the colonies.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Because the military was pretty much the primary user of the 24 hour clock here in the colonies.

Just seems exceedingly odd to me not to use the 24h clock for things like timetables. I travel all over the world, and US airports are the only ones I've ever been to where the departure screens show times as "am/pm" rather than in 24h time.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just seems exceedingly odd to me not to use the 24h clock for things like timetables. I travel all over the world, and US airports are the only ones I've ever been to where the departure screens show times as "am/pm" rather than in 24h time.

Then maybe it's the rest of the world that's out of step?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just seems exceedingly odd to me not to use the 24h clock for things like timetables. I travel all over the world, and US airports are the only ones I've ever been to where the departure screens show times as "am/pm" rather than in 24h time.

Well, it's not the only thing we do differently.

All you can say, really, is that the inconsistency leads to confusion -- particularly for, say, foreign travelers.
It's not that I have any particular objection to the idea of using it (beyond "darn you to heck for making me have to learn a new way to tell time"), but I had to say something once @rem736 suggested it was as important as a universal time period for the sake of avoiding confusion...

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Then maybe it's the rest of the world that's out of step?

Also this.

[glos]

I've never understood (and remembered) if you (USA people) say 12AM or 12PM for noon. same for midnight. If i think about it it probably should be 12M for noon precisely.
still, i'm constantly confused by it. Just like I'm confused by the date system. 9/11 to me is november, it drives me crazy

[eschwartz]

AM is the first half of the day, PM is the second half of the day.
So 12AM is the start of the day, and 12PM is Noon.


Dates are hopeless though.
BOTH 9/11 and 11/9 are valid, in different locations...

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by glos

I've never understood (and remembered) if you (USA people) say 12AM or 12PM for noon. same for midnight. If i think about it it probably should be 12M for noon precisely

Conventionally, 12PM is midday and 12AM is midnight. But to avoid confusion(!) it's probably best to use 12 noon and 12 midnight instead of AM/PM.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

AM is the first half of the day, PM is the second half of the day.
So 12AM is the start of the day, and 12PM is Noon.


Dates are hopeless though.
BOTH 9/11 and 11/9 are valid, in different locations...

Do you mean that for the 9th of November, parts of the US use 9/11/15 and others use 11/9/15?