Who Started Daylight Saving Time?

[WickedKitchen]

I've been thinking about this all day. I'm not sure that waking up earlier would make much sense. I mean I get the point but in general people have routines. Sure, I guess we could change them but you've got work to deal with and business hours and everything else. People have things that the do in the morning and things that the do in the afternoon. Those things aren't always interchangeable. In theory I could wake up an hour earlier in the summer, say 5:15 or so but I can't mow the lawn then. My neighbors would take issue with that. Also, I wouldn't go on a bike ride at that time for nearly as long as I would after work. Also the amount of productivity that would be realized would be greater after being awake for many hours rather than first thing...at least that's what I'd guess. So far as saving energy I kinda don't think that's really in play much anymore. Take note of where you go in the morning. Usually the lights are on regardless of the sun. Maybe this isn't so in your house, but at a place of business they usually are. I think that more light in the evenings keep the kids outside more. Hell, it keeps me outside more too. Earlier darkness contributes to more indoor activities and most parents stick their kids in front of the tube or a video game or something, but even if you're reading to them you'd have to turn the light on for this. You could use candles too, but energy is energy.

Not like it's going to change anything though...just sayin'

[lxskllr]

A couple counterpoints...

The "mow the lawn" time shouldn't change due to light conditions. AFAIC, if you're mowing the lawn before 9am, you're an asshole :^P

Businesses have different operating hours anyway. Some open at 7am, some at 9am, and others at 10am. If they wish to be open during sunny hours, they're free to seasonally change their business hours to utilize that.

[snusgetter]

Damned ... now I remember why I hate this 'change-the-clock-back-an-hour' crap......


Woke up a few minutes ago ......... looked at the clock ........... 4:30 ............... and thought 'wow, I actually got 3-1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep' ................ took care of nature's call .............. plugged in the coffee maker ................... by now I'm half awake ...................... so I end up at the 'puter that's now yelling at my blurry eyes that .......................................

IT'S ONLY 3:30 IN THE FRICKIN' MORNIN'!!!

My mind is now fully awake ........ and the coffee's brewing...

Yep, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood and sunrise is still 3 hours away.........

Looks like it's gonna be a great day for power-naps!!!

[WickedKitchen]

Hahaha. Sorry to laugh at you getter, but I think this year I finally beat it. In the past I would change the clocks after dinner on Saturday and inevitably I'd stay up an hour later that night thus getting an extra waking hour rather than an extra sleeping hour. This time I didn't change them...now that I think about it I'm not sure it makes a difference. I've just pushed the saved hour to today...to right now actually.

@ lx...you're right about the lawn mowing. Actually, that example doesn't even make sense for me in New England cos I don't mow the lawn in the winter anyhow. The lights though I still bet would be on in a place of business regardless of the sunshine. I think it's a productivity thing. It's been proven that bright lights increase this significantly.

[Frosted]

We've got a new government over here and I think there will be changes trialled next year.
Personally I'd have it on British summer time all year rather than reverting to Greenwich Mean Time in winter.

[jagmanss]

Damned ... now I remember why I hate this 'change-the-clock-back-an-hour' crap......


Woke up a few minutes ago ......... looked at the clock ........... 4:30 ............... and thought 'wow, I actually got 3-1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep' ................ took care of nature's call .............. plugged in the coffee maker ................... by now I'm half awake ...................... so I end up at the 'puter that's now yelling at my blurry eyes that .......................................

IT'S ONLY 3:30 IN THE FRICKIN' MORNIN'!!!

My mind is now fully awake ........ and the coffee's brewing...

Yep, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood and sunrise is still 3 hours away.........

Looks like it's gonna be a great day for power-naps!!!

Yep! It got me too.. I didn't change my clock in the bedroom, My wife changed half of them in the house last night and it didn't even dawn on me until I saw this thread that I was looking at 2 different times around the house until i just looked at the computer time and the wall clock i have been looking at for the past 2 hours that she couldn't reach to change and what we always go by... Just went around and changed the rest.. What time is it...lol

[snusgetter]

Yep! It got me too.. I didn't change my clock in the bedroom, My wife changed half of them in the house last night and it didn't even dawn on me until I saw this thread that I was looking at 2 different times around the house until i just looked at the computer time and the wall clock i have been looking at for the past 2 hours that she couldn't reach to change and what we always go by... Just went around and changed the rest.. What time is it...lol

I never change the clocks till Sunday morning but usually fall asleep
telling myself to subtract an hour when reading the time.

But not last night... oh no!! Total screwup.

Now, I've gotta go around resetting all the clocks, including the
Atomic Clock 'automatics' which don't work 'cause the signal from
the satellite never can find the clocks -- so much for technology.
At least the computer resets itself so right now that's my official
clock. (Actually, since I've retired I need to check the computer
to know the day of the week!!)

Life goes on ........ until it doesn't!!

[WickedKitchen]

then the clock just plain stops...it gets stuck on that time forever

[c.nash]

Um... I didn't read the WHOLE thread, just most of the first page of posts.
But from I know I believe they are slowly phasing out DST...

[WickedKitchen]

The just made it longer, well recently

[justintempler]

http://energy.ca.gov/daylightsaving.html

Congress and President Reagan Change Daylight SavingTime

Daylight Saving Time was changed slightly in 1986 when President Reagan signed Public Law 99-359. It changed Daylight Saving Time from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. No change was made to the ending date of the last Sunday in October.
This was done ostensibly to conserve energy during the month of April. Adding the entire month of April is estimated to save nationwide about 300,000 barrels of oil each year.
Changed Again in 2007

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed by Congress and then signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005. Under the new law, Daylight Saving Time begins three weeks earlier than previously, on the second Sunday in March. DST is extended by one week to the first Sunday in November. The new start and stop period began in March 2007.
The original House bill would have added two full months, one in the spring and another in the fall. According to some U.S. senators, farmers complained that a two-month extension could adversely affect livestock, and airline officials said it would have complicated scheduling of international flights. So, a compromise was worked out to start DST on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November.
Enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 did not alter the rights of the states and territories to choose not to observe Daylight Saving Time.

[Roo]

Here we go again... Every year everyone bitchin' about DST. I especially hate it before Summer when people whine about exchanging 1 hour of sleep on 1 single day for BBQing at twilight when it's 9 or 10pm for a couple months. Personally I like daylight at 8am in the Winter and 9pm in the Summer. It's also good that states can opt out if they so choose... In China the entire country operates on Beijing time so for people in Kashgar the sun is up 3am and down at 4pm. That would be something to bitch about