24hr. Clock
- Thread starter mkillio
- Start date
Heh, "living where I am, it's pretty much impossible to know..", that is funny; I used to live about straight south of where you do and I still managed to see enough maps and globes to know where India and Texas were in relation to each other. Regardless, if you don't even know were a someplace is then why would you care if the sun is shining there at any given moment or not?
As for the seasons argument, it seems backwards to me. I mean sure we lable our seasons by how the climent shifts over the course of the year, but having time zones is like shifting our months around for the other side of the equator so winter is in the same months on either side; so when it is December in the North it would July in the south. But we don't do anything that absurd, and likewise there is no reason we should claim the time is different in India than it is in Texas simply because the sun is high in the sky in one location while it is the dead of night in the other.
Granted, I suppose the people of the world would be hard pressed to accept such a change at this point just like my fellow Americans are probably not going to adopt the metric system any time soon. But eventually we are going to start venturing far enough off this planet to where trying to tie our clocks down to our current terrestrial based concept of time will become far more trouble than it is worth.
As for the seasons argument, it seems backwards to me. I mean sure we lable our seasons by how the climent shifts over the course of the year, but having time zones is like shifting our months around for the other side of the equator so winter is in the same months on either side; so when it is December in the North it would July in the south. But we don't do anything that absurd, and likewise there is no reason we should claim the time is different in India than it is in Texas simply because the sun is high in the sky in one location while it is the dead of night in the other.
Granted, I suppose the people of the world would be hard pressed to accept such a change at this point just like my fellow Americans are probably not going to adopt the metric system any time soon. But eventually we are going to start venturing far enough off this planet to where trying to tie our clocks down to our current terrestrial based concept of time will become far more trouble than it is worth.
The solution is simple, we need to stop the Earth from moving all the bloomin' time. What with going round on its axis, then going round the Sun, and the spin axis wobbling all over the place it's a wonder we do't all end up dizzy with headaches.
Oh yeah, and a flat Earth too would solve the silly Australian "summer" problem. Good, honest British summers all over the world, that's what we need. (That'll wipe the smiles off ya faces
).
*cough* Anyway, local time exists because it's the least worst solution to the problem. Daylight saving time on the other hand exists because of a bunch of moaning Jockish farmers, and should be abolished (along with the Jockish farmers).
Oh yeah, and a flat Earth too would solve the silly Australian "summer" problem. Good, honest British summers all over the world, that's what we need. (That'll wipe the smiles off ya faces
).*cough* Anyway, local time exists because it's the least worst solution to the problem. Daylight saving time on the other hand exists because of a bunch of moaning Jockish farmers, and should be abolished (along with the Jockish farmers).
No no no the solution is, make Earth a cube.
Really, this idea sounded cool for the first 5 seconds, then the issues start to come up in my head and they make this whole idea very troubly.
In the end, nothing would change. Not only that, but without a relative time system (like we have today), we'd have to start memorising "at what time a certain part of the world is daylight and what time it's nighttime" instead of the simplest method - numbers.
Today, we have numbers to tell us when it's daylight in China and when it's not. 1pm in China is daylight. 1am is nighttime. Easy.
With this system, we'd have to memorise what time China gets the sun (could be anything, depending on what time they would decide to make "THE" time)...
Stupid idea. Might make some things better. I imagine computer systems synchronisations would work better somewhat, but in the end WE, the people, live on this planet and we should make things easier for US, not computers.
Really, this idea sounded cool for the first 5 seconds, then the issues start to come up in my head and they make this whole idea very troubly.
In the end, nothing would change. Not only that, but without a relative time system (like we have today), we'd have to start memorising "at what time a certain part of the world is daylight and what time it's nighttime" instead of the simplest method - numbers.
Today, we have numbers to tell us when it's daylight in China and when it's not. 1pm in China is daylight. 1am is nighttime. Easy.
With this system, we'd have to memorise what time China gets the sun (could be anything, depending on what time they would decide to make "THE" time)...
Stupid idea. Might make some things better. I imagine computer systems synchronisations would work better somewhat, but in the end WE, the people, live on this planet and we should make things easier for US, not computers.
That may be so, but you're not the general rule. Trust me on that one, okay?kyleb said:
Maybe because people have this annoying tendency to sleep when it isn't?
I know some of my internet buddies in far-off corners of the earth have strange sleeping cycles to say the least, but that isn't the way it USUALLY works.
In case it wasn't entirely obvious, perhaps I should say I wasn't entirely serious.
You're welcome to explain to the chinese and japanese (and the americans in general for that matter) why only the limeys should have noontime at twelve o'clock...
Like I said, you're looking for a solution to what is effectively a non-problem.
Guden Oden said:You're welcome to explain to the chinese and japanese (and the americans in general for that matter) why only the limeys should have noontime at twelve o'clock...
Like I said, you're looking for a solution to what is effectively a non-problem.
Hey hey hey watch yer language u crook!
j/kBesides, WE are the centre of the world, the centre of the Universe. Greenwich time is The Time. It's only fair enough if we keep OUR time as it is, and everyone else changes!!
I mean, do you want to be the one trying to explain this whole thing to the Royal Family, trying to make them understand why the Sun rises at 4pm?!?!? That would take enough money in tutoring fees that you could feed half the African continent.
ninelven said:
Saturday Night Live becomes Saturday Afternoon Live.
Friday Night Fever becomes Friday Morning Fever.... Not so hot huh...
Playboy Late Night Show becomes Playboy Early Evening Show... Ewww (@ the Playboy thing)
Good Morning America .... Night Night America...
Mariner said:To state the obvious, surely the Earth should be flat and riding through space on the back of a giant Turtle...
I think it should be shaped like a ring donut. Makes things more interesting
Nah, a mobius loop. 8)london-boy said:Mariner said:To state the obvious, surely the Earth should be flat and riding through space on the back of a giant Turtle...
I think it should be shaped like a ring donut. Makes things more interesting
digitalwanderer said:Nah, a mobius loop. 8)london-boy said:Mariner said:To state the obvious, surely the Earth should be flat and riding through space on the back of a giant Turtle...
I think it should be shaped like a ring donut. Makes things more interesting
But then the people in the wiggly bit would be all messed up! That's discrimination!
If everyone would do away with timezones, I think they should all get out of bed and start working at the same time as well. That would be much more convenient nowadays, with the global community and internet and such. And then you really need a 24 hr clock. I don't think anyone in Europe would complain against having to go to work an hour later, especially as they're already used to summer time and a 24 hr clock.
And it would be a good business opportunity for the US (and Asia) to sell lots of lamps and such, and energy is pretty cheap in the US anyway. So I don't think anyone here in Europe would mind it very much. They might even like it a lot. Good idea!
And it would be a good business opportunity for the US (and Asia) to sell lots of lamps and such, and energy is pretty cheap in the US anyway. So I don't think anyone here in Europe would mind it very much. They might even like it a lot. Good idea!
I do understand that, I just though the "pretty much impossible" was funny.Guden Oden said:
My point is that ditiching timezones doesn't destroy the ability to convey that information, you just have to know the aproximate lattitude instead of the timezone.
Understood, but all the same we don't claim it is a different month in the opposite hemisphere simply becuase that portion of Earth is leaning either closer or further away from the sun, and in the same sense there is no reason to claim it is a different hour simply becuase the that longitude of the earth is facing the sun or not.
Heh, it's not like I picked GMT becuase I am British; I have never even been on the island.You're welcome to explain to the chinese and japanese (and the americans in general for that matter) why only the limeys should have noontime at twelve o'clock...
I wasn't looking for a solution, It was presented and I have been pondering it with an open mind. If you care to notice, in my first post I plainly stated "I have never really been opposed to the 12hour clock or time zones"; and that is the truth but all the same this doesn't preclude me from being able to see the benifts of ditching them. People miss appointments all the time due to missunderstating timezones, both on the internet and when traveling. Then there is the trouble of being right on a split between timezones; "I'll meet you on the other side of the street at 2pm", "do you mean 2pm on that side of the street or this one?" If you travel to the north pole, how many hours should you adjust your watch? Obviously, some of those issues are less common than others, but all would be solved by ditching the timezones.
kyleb said:
okay, I am in Kotka, Finland. tell me what time in GMT I have normal office working hours? Basically I am asking you to solve when it's good idea to take business call here. I certainly do know this, but do you?? You make it sound so plain simple to know where other people is located.
...And tell me without watching time zone chart, because if you ditch the timezones, you don't have one.
Case scenario 1.
Dad in business trip for a week in Singapore. Mum is... dead.
PETE: Granma granma can i call daddy?
GRANMA: Darling sweetheart he might be sleeping... what time do they sleep in Singapore again?
PETE: Dont know granma, i think you have to calculate the approximate latitude relative to our meridian!
GRANMA: *ICTUS*..... THUMP
PETE: Granma...? Granma.....? GRANMA!!!!!!!
See, one family already devastated by the system.
Dad in business trip for a week in Singapore. Mum is... dead.
PETE: Granma granma can i call daddy?
GRANMA: Darling sweetheart he might be sleeping... what time do they sleep in Singapore again?
PETE: Dont know granma, i think you have to calculate the approximate latitude relative to our meridian!
GRANMA: *ICTUS*..... THUMP
PETE: Granma...? Granma.....? GRANMA!!!!!!!
See, one family already devastated by the system.
Nappe1, timezones or not I still have to guess. Do you all go to work earlier in the summers since the days are so long up there? I mean I'm sure you are around GMT+2 there, but that doesn't necessary tell the whole story.
Seriously, ditching time zones would not lessen the ability to figure out daylight hours or sleep hours of a given location, and approximate latitude is simple one way to figure such a thing out. We could easily refer to each current timezone as having a "noon hour" and from there it would be just as easy to approximate time difference.
Seriously, ditching time zones would not lessen the ability to figure out daylight hours or sleep hours of a given location, and approximate latitude is simple one way to figure such a thing out. We could easily refer to each current timezone as having a "noon hour" and from there it would be just as easy to approximate time difference.
Why insist so much!?
You'd need to see at how many problems you solve, and how many you create in their place.
You'd need to see at how many problems you solve, and how many you create in their place.
