Spring FORWARD

Sunday, March 11, 2007, 2 A.M. SPRING FORWARD

http://www.belleville.com/mld/sunnews/2007/02/08/news/nation/16649801.htm

Yep! Don't over sleep!

DON'T FORGET TO ALL DOWNLOAD THE WINDOWS UPDATE FOR THE NEW DST CALENDAR!!!

Windows is still calibrated to think that 2007 will use the "old" DST calendar. Since it was changed starting this year, you have to download an update to fix your calendar. Your computer may do this automatically, but double check.

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst

John, not sure how it works, but do you have to fix anything for the CF to get it to change?

My PC is setup to automaticly download any windows updates. So I hope this is already done.

DST sucks............

Did I mention that I have no use for DST, it is one of the greatest jokes perpetrated on the public? There are people who actually think DST adds an hour of daylight to your day.

All the time wasted and money spent changing every clock in the world could be much better used doing something productive and beneficial for the world.

Pardon my ignorance, but does this "three week early change" happen in all states of your lovely country??

Idiots in Congress came up with a better idea to save energy so it affects every state that observes DST (which unfortunatley now includes Indiana).

Margret, Arizona stays the same time and never changes.

Hawaii (close to no one else) and Arizona (who needs more summer sun?) do not observe DST. Phenix City AL didn't use to because they were across the river from Columbus GA (Fort Benning) and closely tied to its business.

Personnally, I think DST is a hugh waste of resources. People in open America (farms, small towns, etc.) relate closer to sunrise and sunset than city evening events. Its a business thing. Come home from work at 5, see that there's 4 hours of daylight left, go to the amusement park or someother outside business. If you live in the South however, it's an extra hour of heat before you can go sit on the porch and enjoy the night, something few people do any more.

Try this: kill DST, move your 9AM activities to 8AM and 5PM to 4PM; forget the TV schedule, use TIVO or DVR, but there's nothing on anyway; go to bed earlier, get up earlier. We did this before 1966 (DST start) and people were saner, committed fewer crimes, had longer marriages, the drop out rate was lower, greenhouse gases were lower, and there was no rap music.

Thanks for clarifying that Bob.

Dan

P.S. I hate DST also.

... so it is only the visitors that do it? We love to, when we are in Ramona,CA visiting with Sue and John!
Nothing like having a nice glass of something and good company and an lovely night sky (didn't know there were as many shades of purple and blue!) and listening to the crickets ...
Sigh... Wish I was there. .......

IMHO, I wish it was never dark at 5pm!

Bob,
Why don't you just come out and state exactly how you feel?
Just kidding. I love your analysis.

bobo

I hate the time change and have a harder time adjusting the older I get.

Oh, did I mention that before DST lighthouses were actually mainatined and used as navigation aids.?

Sorry to inform you Margret, but absolutely no where in California is considered "The South"!

To be considered in The South, you must be in one of the following states:

Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Florida
Mississippi
Alabama
Louisiana

Also you may get an argument from some folks that consider The South in the following states (but I do not hold to that theory.):

Texas (very very close though)
Tennessee
Kentucky
Arkansas


And the reason you cannot "set" (a southern term that means to place oneself in the sitting position) on the front porch at 5:00 DST is it is still too darn hot and humid at that time since it is really 4:00.

I now recognize the ladies and gentlemen of the Forums from VA, NC, SC & FL to back me up....am I right? If not please correct me

Melody,

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Texas is, and always has been, considered part of the South. In fact, it is probably the main part.

bobo

The folks here consider Tennessee to be in The South. When I moved here they called me a Yankee and I am from Southern California. If I went any further south I'd been in Mexico.

Only in square miles Bobo!

And regarding TN, I stand corrected. However, regarding California, I hold my ground. "The South" is more than just geography.

And in reality, Florida south of Orlando is more New York than South. West of Austin, including San Antonio is not South but West. West Virginia withdrew from the South and became the poorest part of the Midwest. Kentucky is OK away from the Ohio River. Arkansas is welcomed back since Bill and Hillary put the wheels back on their trailer and left.

I was born in Florida and you can find people with southern accents there just as in GA and AL. And you can always get real grits in Florida! When I moved to Colorado there was a secretary that couldn't understand my dictation at times because she said that I had a southern accent which I really don't! I guess it is all relative.
Judy

No argument, I am a Southerner, and proud of my heritage AND my accent!

We don't sit outside to enjoy the night...we have to keep moving to challenge the bugs. DST just gives the bugs more time at us.

Judy

WHO in their right mind would enjoy sitting outside on the porch at night(anytime after it turns dark) when it is still 75 degrees with 90% humidity and all the mosquitoes, palmetto bugs and anything else that crawls or flies. That is the way of the south(Florida I mean).

It's not to bad with a screened porch and a ceiling fan. And a big pitcher of sweet tea.

Ummmmm... sweet tea.

OK, I stand corrected as far "the South" is concerned. :rolleyes:

But I still like to sit on the porch at Sue's, with a pitcher of ... hmmm??? .... beer, sweet tea, ice tea... what ever...

Maybe that is the advantage of Southern California ... not many bugs

I didn't have to download anything. My computer did it automatically. Is this because I have Verizon DSL and AOL?

Bob

My pc "sprang ahead" just fine and I don't have anything fancy, but the pc's less than two years old. Maybe that's why?

My cable company, Time Warner, however is still on the old time.

As far as sitting outside goes I was out last night trying to get some of the snow/ice off my deck and it was a balmy 36. No wind and compared with what we've had it really did feel nice. I could have gone for a nice long walk if I'd had the place to do it. Our road is just too slippery right now. I did manage a bit of a stroll, ok if you stay along the edge where the cars don't drive... I guess that extra hour of daylight just means I can wait an extra hour before firing up the wood stove???

My PC, cell phone and cable all "sprang ahead" just fine, too. Not sure I did.

Judy

If probably because you have Windows set for auto updates. This the best change Microsoft has made for Windows. No need to get Service Packs anymore. As soon as a new version comes out, you can upgrade if you want.

But auto updates is only for home use and small business. Large companies still have to use Service Packs and follow upgrade schedules set by there Networks department.

All cool here, our PC's and cell phones updated automaticly.

Seems to have automatically updated on my computer. I guess it did it in the background - I used the utiility my mom's IT company sent us, and it said everything was done.

Still have to check my cell phone and fix the hundred other little clocks around.

Can anyone explain what benefit we have received from the early move to DST. (Don't worry about explaining DST, I have already said how worthless it is.) Last week it was light at 0700, doesn't get light until 0800 now. And this helps us save energy how?

Kind of makes you wonder how voters across the country have managed to send so many idiots to DC all at the same time....

You've uncovered it Dave, In The Dark!

If, apparently like a member of Congress, you sleep in until noon and stay up way pass midnight that extra hour at happy hour causes margarita blenders to use less power. You people outside the Beltway have so much trouble understanding simple government explanations.

It's supposed to be something about how it's less energy at "peak hours" now or something like that. But I don't see how that worked.

So, real answer? So politicians can look like they're doing something "environmentally friendly" by reducing our energy use. Which doesn't happen.

Besides, the extra weeks are ones where usually you'd use the heat or whatever anyway all day.

BUT...do I like the extended DST? YES. But I like that it gets dark later - I feel like there's more day. And, quite frankly, my "off-peak hours" aren't affected one bit.

Nixon, and the Democrats in Congress tried this crap during the "energy crisis" in 1973-74. We went to DST in the dead of winter. No energy was saved. The only thing going to DST in winter did, was get many kids killed or injured while waiting for school buses, or walking to school in the dark.

I remember getting reflective tape at school to put on our lunch boxes and back packs after five kids were hit by cars in the county I lived in. Two of those kids died.

At the height of summer the sun starts to come up around 4:45am and goes down around 9:00 pm (times not exact) and that is during DST, if there were not DST we would have sunlight from 3:45 am to 8:00 pm

here are the calculations from for Chicago, IL June 22nd, 2007

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html

Friday 22 June 2007 Central Daylight Time

SUN
Begin civil twilight 4:42 a.m.
Sunrise 5:16 a.m.
Sun transit 12:53 p.m.
Sunset 8:29 p.m.
End civil twilight 9:04 p.m.

If you took back the hour we sprung forward, 3:42 to 8:04pm. Basically you have theoretically moved an hour of productive sunlight to when it would be more likely used (the evening)