Saving daylight
Well, it happened. We went & changed over (or, rather, sprang forward) to Daylight Saving Time. And I don’t think anyone’s world ended. An Outlook calendar or two might’ve gone supernova, but then that’s not really a bad thing, now is it? 
Not only that, but amongst all the sturm und drang generated by this government-mandated shift, even the usually level-headed Aardvark has weighed in on the side of DST being “Accursed“! 
I’m a little more sanguine about it, although that wasn’t always the case. Growing up, I was always a firm proponent of Standard Time. I couldn’t tell you why, other than possibly attributing it to the fact that I preferred late Autumn through early Spring more than the seasons traditionally encompassed by DST.
Within the past 5-10 years, however, my thinking has shifted slightly. I would now prefer to be on DST year round. My distaste is more for the actual shifting than it is for either of the times to which we shift. This idea that we can manipulate & master time is, let’s be honest, a prime example of the level of hubris of which we humans are capable. Time zones make infinite good sense, and are a sign of civilization. Time shifts/changes are folly, and show only our arrogance.
From a socio-historical standpoint, however, this whole topic is actually quite interesting. I think it’s indicative of the fact that we’re interconnected on a much larger scale than ever before. Time is much simpler when it’s purely a local convention. On a national/global scale, time is a much more complex & vexing variable/issue.
For now, though, I’m quite content with living in CDT…
-ghp
Comments
9 Responses to “Saving daylight”
Leave a Reply
-
Analytics & Hosting
Yep, it’s the switching that gets me. Having only moved back to Indiana five years ago, I am accustomed to changing the clocks, but I would love to stay on DST year-round. We had sun well into the evening last night.
Yup, we just moved to NWI almost six years ago, and over that time I’ve come to really like being in the Central Time Zone. It’s amazing what that one hour difference can make, although I’ve got to say that if it wasn’t for Tivo & the ability to time shift watching TV, I might not have become so fond of it…
“This idea that we can manipulate & master time is, let’s be honest, a prime example of the level of hubris of which we humans are capable. Time zones make infinite good sense, and are a sign of civilization. Time shifts/changes are folly, and show only our arrogance.”
No one is manipulating or mastering time, unless he has a vehicle with horsepower to approach the speed of light. Instead your elected officials (based on advice from a variety of people) have legislated the manipulation and mastering of the hands or digits on man-made clocks at certain times in the spring and in the fall.
The earth does not rotate one microsecond faster (or for you geocentrists - the sun doesn’t rise one microsecond sooner) when daylight saving time goes into effect, nor does the earth rotate one microsecond slower when daylight saving time ends in the fall.
Time changes are not folly nor show only our arrogance? Take for example those occasional leap-seconds at the end of a year. Don’t blame the astronomers or NIST scientists and their super-accurate cesium clocks. The fact is that the earth’s rotation is slowing down (because of the tides and the interaction of the oceans with the moon). So rather than being arrogant and trying, as a folly, to speed up the earth’s rotation to match the more precise time of the cesium clocks, scientists add a second to their (and your) clocks every few years to bring clocks more in line with the earth’s own time. Otherwise in a few millennia your descendents in Kansas would be seeing the sunrise at noon and the sunset sometime after midnight.
First, thanks for taking the time to comment, Carl — I appreciate it!
Second, measuring time accurately and making necessary adjustments strikes me as quite reasonable and fine. Leap seconds? Peachy. Leap years? Ok, though mayhaps a more logical calendar might be a more efficient solution. Both are rational reactions to an observable reality/phenomena.
Bouncing back & forth based on some perceived control, like is done with Daylight Saving Time? Not so reasonable & rational. It smacks of an irrational belief that time (or perhaps just its perception) can be controlled. You are most correct that the Sun doesn’t rise any sooner - but someone seems to think it better for us to pretend that it does, at least a few months out of the year.
It just strikes me as odd, is all…
“Bouncing back & forth…”?
Oh, c’mon!! The clock change is only twice a year. And it serves as a reminder to check the batteries in your smoke detectors. Beside, in the fall everyone usually sleeps the extra hour anyway.
“It smacks of an irrational belief that time (or perhaps just its perception) can be controlled. You are most correct that the Sun doesn’t rise any sooner - but someone seems to think it better for us to pretend that it does”
No, there’s no smacking of some irrational belief that we can control time, nor is there a malevolent conspiracy to make people pretend the sun rises any sooner.
The reasons for daylight saving time are due to the fact that 1) the earth’s axis is tilted with respect to its orbit around the sun, and 2) the continents in the northern hemisphere are not predominently located near the equator nor near the north pole. (Now, who do you want to blame for that?! ;-)). These facts mean that from the first of spring to the start of fall there are more daylight hours than nighttime hours in most areas of those continents.
Furthermore, in the industrial countries predominantly located between 30 and 60 degrees latitude most of the people spend more of their leisure time in the evening hours after they come from work rather than in the morning hours before they go to work.
Therefore, daylight saving time will result in more daylight during those leisure hours often spent outdoors. This saves energy because people won’t turn on the lights until later. It saves lives because people driving during those evening hours will do so with more daylight. And it reduces crime by delaying darkness in the evening. Of course, DST has some disadantages, such as to farmers, drive-in theater operators, ultra-orthodox Jews, and people with tendencies for sleep disorders.
The reason regions of the world near the equator or near the pole have no need for DST is left as an exercise for the reader.
You can read more about daylight saving time, its history, advantages, and who uses it, at http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/
Well, I don’t think that malevolence is the driving factor. I think ignorance and/or arrogance are better explanations.
If the intent is more daylight leisure hours and (arguably) greater energy savings, and DST delivers those benefits, in the form of more daylight at the end of a day, well… then why not just run on that time all year round? I’d be ok with that. And wouldn’t it, after all, give us those two main benefits in the Winter months as well?
I’m just not convinced that there is truly a need to, much less a benefit from, do the twice-a-year time cha-cha of springing forward & falling back. That’s all.
“I think ignorance and/or arrogance are better explanations [of the driving factor].”
These are alleged motivations. Do you have any substantiation for such accusations?
“If the intent is more daylight leisure hours and (arguably) greater energy savings, and DST delivers those benefits, in the form of more daylight at the end of a day, well… then why not just run on that time all year round?”
If you had read page 3 of the link ( http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/ ) I included previously, you would have seen the answer to your question:
“In the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time advantage is offset for many people and businesses by the morning’s need for more lighting. In spring and fall, the advantage is generally less than one hour. So, Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year, but it saves least during the four darkest months of winter (November, December, January, and February), when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise.
“In addition, less electricity is used because people are home fewer hours during the “longer” days of spring and summer. Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When people are not at home, they don’t turn on the appliances and lights.”
Perhaps the people who implemented Daylight Saving Time are not as ignorant or arrogant as you think.
Ok, one last time — I don’t dislike DST. I’d like to see it as “normal” all-year-long time.
My earlier argument would seem to stand, wrt to the daylight & energy savings — per the quote you listed (and, I did read the article, contrary to your accusation…)
Note: it still saves energy, just not as much. If that’s so, then why not reap those savings?
Like I said, DST is OK by me — I’m sold on its benefits. I like those benefits so much, I think we should keep & enjoy them all year round.
In the end (and I’ll take leave of the discussion here), I guess the main point for me is that I just don’t like having to make that twice-yearly change - I’d rather pick one and stick with it.
“I guess the main point for me is that I just don’t like having to make that twice-yearly change - I’d rather pick one and stick with it.”
Not liking the twice-a-year change is more understandable than alleging DST proponents with irrational beliefs, ignorance, and arrogance.
“Note: it still saves energy, just not as much. If that’s so, then why not reap those savings?”
Well, yes, there is still a slight energy savings even during the winter months. However, DST was tried during the winter months in 1974, during the “gas crisis”, but was eventually ended. The main reason for ending it was the objections from parents that their children were having to walk to school in the morning darkness (with fewer daylight hours, DST meant that in many places sunrise wouldn’t occur until 8:00 or 8:30 AM) Parents of school children carry a lot of voting power influence on politicians, even in a gas/energy crisis.
I think the same problem would exist today; thus I don’t see a year-round DST being likely.