Comments on: Abolish Time Zones http://smidg.in/2010/01/17/abolish-time-zones/ A Sporadic Blogger Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:48:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Jim http://smidg.in/2010/01/17/abolish-time-zones/#comment-4085 Jim Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:59:16 +0000 http://smidg.in/?p=644#comment-4085 Very good points. (Krista, see the footnote.) Perhaps what would be required is a sort of hybrid system. The actual o'clock hours would be standard, but you would have a way of saying "three hours after noon." Not as easy as 3 p.m., but it would solve the problem. Steve, I would disagree with your last bit. We'll eat at 11:30 would make perfect sense in any given place, because people would know that 11:30 is around the time for breakfast, for instance. Just like we now know that 11:30 is around the time for lunch. It's hard to think about it that way now, but I think the context of the hours would shift. You would only have a problem when out of the given context (like your news example.) Very good points. (Krista, see the footnote.) Perhaps what would be required is a sort of hybrid system. The actual o’clock hours would be standard, but you would have a way of saying “three hours after noon.” Not as easy as 3 p.m., but it would solve the problem.

Steve, I would disagree with your last bit. We’ll eat at 11:30 would make perfect sense in any given place, because people would know that 11:30 is around the time for breakfast, for instance. Just like we now know that 11:30 is around the time for lunch. It’s hard to think about it that way now, but I think the context of the hours would shift. You would only have a problem when out of the given context (like your news example.)

]]> By: Steve http://smidg.in/2010/01/17/abolish-time-zones/#comment-4084 Steve Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:09:51 +0000 http://smidg.in/?p=644#comment-4084 To elaborate on your "what would we lose", using universal UTC would have the side effect of removing all context-sensitive information from times. This could be very unhelpful in the context of, say, journalism or literature (especially past literature) -- anything read across time zones. For instance, a book that mentions that the protagonist "got up at 5 AM every day and was in bed by 9 each night" has a connotation of self-discipline now which would be completely lost. Compare, for example, "got up at 11 AM every day and went to bed at 3 AM". Nearly the same phrasing; totally different connotation due to the time shift. Or a news article that mentions that a fire broke out at 2 PM would instead have to specify the time and a context (eg. "2 PM, that is early afternoon here in ____"), since there wouldn't be any inherent local context for the time. (You could say the news could just say "early afternoon", but in the interest of specificity that wouldn't be ideal.) This could even impact business communication, as you would have to specify which shift (evening, morning, etc) when giving hours/meal times/etc if the time was important for giving context. (EG, "we'll eat at 11:30" would have to be "we'll eat lunch at 11:30" since 11:30 is arbitrary.) Etc. To elaborate on your “what would we lose”, using universal UTC would have the side effect of removing all context-sensitive information from times. This could be very unhelpful in the context of, say, journalism or literature (especially past literature) — anything read across time zones. For instance, a book that mentions that the protagonist “got up at 5 AM every day and was in bed by 9 each night” has a connotation of self-discipline now which would be completely lost. Compare, for example, “got up at 11 AM every day and went to bed at 3 AM”. Nearly the same phrasing; totally different connotation due to the time shift. Or a news article that mentions that a fire broke out at 2 PM would instead have to specify the time and a context (eg. “2 PM, that is early afternoon here in ____”), since there wouldn’t be any inherent local context for the time. (You could say the news could just say “early afternoon”, but in the interest of specificity that wouldn’t be ideal.) This could even impact business communication, as you would have to specify which shift (evening, morning, etc) when giving hours/meal times/etc if the time was important for giving context. (EG, “we’ll eat at 11:30″ would have to be “we’ll eat lunch at 11:30″ since 11:30 is arbitrary.) Etc.

]]> By: Krista http://smidg.in/2010/01/17/abolish-time-zones/#comment-4083 Krista Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:20:49 +0000 http://smidg.in/?p=644#comment-4083 "if, for example, the sun was always directly overhead at five o’clock p.m ..." If we're going to ditch time zones, than for goodness' sake, let's get rid of the 12 hour clock while we're at it! 17 hours, no 5 pm :) “if, for example, the sun was always directly overhead at five o’clock p.m …”

If we’re going to ditch time zones, than for goodness’ sake, let’s get rid of the 12 hour clock while we’re at it! 17 hours, no 5 pm :)

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