When You Own 40 Watches and 30 Radios, Daylight Savings Sucks

I'm all for getting rid of DLS.

Comments

[Bob C]

LOL!! I couldn't agree more! Even worse when you have to rise for work at 5 am. That hour seems precious indeed when the alarm goes off.

Especially when they've whittled standard time down to a mere 4 months of existence. We're at the point where I wonder why we bother at all.

[Gordon C]

Agreed! I don't care which but pick one time and stick with it! If you are silly enough to believe it is "about the children" waiting in dark bus stops, then you are naive.

It is about consumers buying more when it is light later in the day.

[Bill]

If standard time is better, let us stay on standard time. If daylight time is better, let us stay on daylight time. If our self-appointed betters can't decide which is better, then set our standard time to the half-hour between the two. In any case, set it to something and leave it the hell alone thereafter.

[Doug T.]

Why not divide your watches and radio into two groups: standard time and daylight time. When the time-switching weekend comes, simply switch between your two groups. That way, you'll rotate your equipment and never have to adjust the time. And, after all, it is not as if you don't have enough watches and radio to cover you for both seasons.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Doug, if you knew me, you wouldn't test my obsessive ways. I've already thought of having 5 radios in each room, each one tuned to a different station based on its performance specs and thus used as a "preset." My wife wouldn't allow it. But regards to daylight savings . . .

[David]

Jeff, interesting idea, yet Carrie is already kind enough to allow you 30 radios... no reason to push her too far.

[Jim Tedford]

I just block out two hours on my Outlook calendar on two Sundays each year to reset the clocks on my 45+ radios, 15 watches, 30+ clocks, many of which are set to times in various cities.

And I change the batteries in the smoke alarms in each room of my house.

Just part of who I am. (And who is grateful that I have this kind of chore.)

[Keith Beesley]

Sticking to daylight or standard time year-round would be more logical--those who want an "extra" hour of daylight should just wake up an hour earlier. But, like Jim T., I enjoy the twice-yearly ritual of resetting everything. Very proud of myself that this time I remembered the stove, coffeemaker, and thermostat--I usually miss one of those three for another week :-)

[Stephen A]

I'm one that would rather have DST year round, or even shift a bit later than DST. I would like to be able to have enough natural light for outdoor activities to about 7pm in December / January, for example.

I found an online calculator, and used it to simulate what would happen where I am (near 32.7611°, -116.9472°) if we shifted 2 hours forward of standard time and 1 hour forward of DST. (I used Central time without DST as a reference.)
In late December, morning civil twilight (during which it's possible to do outdoor activities without artificial lighting, but the sun isn't up) starts around 8:20am and sunrise is around 8:50am. Sunset is around 6:45pm and civil twilight ends around 7:15pm. (Do kids really need to go to school at, say, 7:30 or 8am? Any reason why they couldn't wait till more like 9am, or even 9:30 or 10am?)
In late June, morning civil twilight starts around 6:10am, and sunrise is around 6:40am. Sunset is around 9pm, and civil twilight ends around 9:30pm.
After looking at the data, I'd even be fine with going an extra half hour or an hour later than the previous examples. BTW, disclaimer - I only calculated for my own location, which is fairly far south. Results will be vastly different in the northern USA, Canada, etc.

Or would it be easier for everyone to just get up earlier, for example starting school at 7am and work at 6am?

[Angelo]

Let's just split the damn difference----spring ahead or fall back half an hour and let's just leave it alone forever! It's a freakin' nuisance