[OT] times and habits

From: silverdr_at_wfmh.org.pl
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 13:10:30 +0200
Message-ID: <etPan.535a42a7.625558ec.1724@szaman.lan>
> The reason we have time zones here is because there are time zones.

You mean: there are longitudes. Time zones “are not”. It’s an (anachronistic) agreement.

> It
> simply isn't the same time here in Western Australia as it is in NSW.

It is the same. There is always one time (relativity issues aside), regardless of the location and regardless of the Sun’s visibility state and regardless of what the clock shows (accurately or not).

> If we changed our zone to one uniform time, we would put ourselves at a
> disadvantage with our trading partners in Asia as we would lose trading
> hours of the day.

Absolutely not. Nothing would change, except some habits (digits on the clock when you do your trades).

I’d have nothing against getting up e. g. at 23:00 and going to bed at 15:00 if I happened to live in a place where those hours (of universal time) would constitute a daylight time.

> Unless all of Australia changed to WA time but that would never happen.

Actually Australia spans smaller longitude range than China and pragmatic Chinese for some time already have one problem less to care about. And I don’t think anyone there feels at a disadvantage with their trading partners because of that.

Yeah - the foothold of “timezones are necessary” way of thinking is surprisingly strong, even in the light of evidence that it’s not only possible but also advantageous to use universal time. As already used in those fields where confusions and mistakes are too costly to bear.

> The idea of removing time zones makes sense in some regards. But it would
> mean that you might start work at 21:00 on Monday and your lunch break at
> 01:00 on Tuesday, while sitting out in the "midday" sun.

True. Which - if you think of it deeper - isn’t actually that bad at all.

The real problem would be with NY Party though. We would have to invent another methods of impressing the crowds as - you know - fireworks in full sunlight don’t always make for a good show.. ;-)

--  
SD!



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Received on 2014-04-25 12:00:08

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