# All times are GMT -6 hours. The time now is 08:47 PM. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 27, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184 "2003-07-27T01:52:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/1 "2003-07-27T01:52:13Z")
Something wrong with the SDMB atomic clock? MY clock reads 9:57. The one hour difference, I can understand, with the different time zones. But what’s with the 10 minutes off? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/2 "2003-07-27T07:11:06Z")
Off the top of my head – I believe there’s been discussion on this before. The SDMB clock is usually “off” by a few minutes, so I’ve found. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/3 "2003-07-27T10:08:53Z")
Testing. Posted at 8:17pm. GMT +10 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/4 "2003-07-27T10:37:04Z")
Time weirdness noted before: [Board time is a few minutes fast](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=131794) [Timing out of sync.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=151434) [Straight Dope clock,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=169615) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/5 "2003-07-27T11:15:08Z")
So’s the clock on my board. Re-setting the clock can cause issues, as if you have to go back in time, it can make posts do funny things with their ordering in threads (even though it’s not supposed to). So the server has to be shut down for a wee bit if you are setting the clock back. However, if you are moving it forward, it’s not _usually_ a problem. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/6 "2003-07-27T11:20:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*Off the top of my head – I believe there’s been discussion on this before. The SDMB clock is usually “off” by a few minutes, so I’ve found. \*\* The board’s definition of GMT is also incorrect for 6 months of every year. This is a personal bête noir of mine. It doesn’t _really_ matter, but it’s just plumb wrong, and those in charge of the board don’t seem to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/7 "2003-07-27T18:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > and those in charge of the board don’t seem to understand. Oh, the mods here are quite anal and nitpicky enough to understand. It’s just that that particular phrasing was set by the vB people, not the SDMB people, and fixing it is approximatly number 4,673 on their list of priorities. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/8 "2003-07-27T18:15:47Z")
I don’t think it’s the name “GMT” but the offset number. Technically, the SDMB is at GMT-5 now, but shows GMT-6. That is the thing that has jjimm concerned. Of course, so does my board, which is in the same time zone as the Reader. And I’ve had other people pick on me about it too there. I think now I’m just not changing it out of being stubborn. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/9 "2003-07-27T20:34:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*Time weirdness noted before: > [Board time is a few minutes fast](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=131794) > [Timing out of sync.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=151434) > [Straight Dope clock,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=169615) \*\* Okee dokee. Humble apologies extended for having done no prior research, and cordial thanks for Dopers’ input. P.S.: **jjimm** , it’s _bête noire_. PP.S.: The preceding wasn’t a _bête noire_, just a little nit-picking.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/10 "2003-07-27T21:07:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > \*\*Okee dokee. Humble apologies extended for having done no prior research, and cordial thanks for Dopers’ input. \*\* Unnghh. No, **omni-not** , I didn’t post those links as a “Hey, it’s been talked about before, for pete’s sakes” kind of thing. As you saw in them, there have been variations of a theme as far as the time difference is concerned. No need for “humble apologies” and that sort of jazz. I was just certain it had been mentioned before. I _should_ have added, “Hey, it’s happened before but with different time lapse, check these out!” It is me who owes you a humble apology. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/11 "2003-07-27T22:11:39Z")
Not a prob, **Icy**. The fact remains that I should have done a bit of research before posting. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*It is me who owes you a humble apology. \*\* The **real** problem is that we’re too fucking civil around here!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/12 "2003-07-28T21:49:54Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think it’s the name “GMT” but the offset number. Technically, the SDMB is at GMT-5 now, but shows GMT-6. That is the thing that has jjimm concerned. For almost all of the year, the SDMB is at British time -6 hours (the Brits change over to summer time at a slightly different time than Americans, so the match still isn’t exact). It seems to me that the mistake is in assuming that “GMT” and “British time” are synonymous, which they are not. GMT always refers to the time unadjusted by the summer time shift. So if you look during the winter, when both the U.S. and U.K. are on “standard” time, the GMT offset will be correct. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/13 "2003-07-28T22:59:08Z")
I work at an internet betting firm (you could say I am an ‘administrator’ but they won’t let us call ourselves that. we’re ‘operators’) Our main server is 8 minutes out. And the reason is no-one has ever bothered to correct it. I am sure that’s not the reason the SDMB time is out though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/14 "2003-07-29T04:12:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*For almost all of the year, the SDMB is at British time -6 hours (the Brits change over to summer time at a slightly different time than Americans, so the match still isn’t exact). It seems to me that the mistake is in assuming that “GMT” and “British time” are synonymous, which they are not. GMT always refers to the time unadjusted by the summer time shift. So if you look during the winter, when both the U.S. and U.K. are on “standard” time, the GMT offset will be correct. \*\* Chronos, my dear, I feel we are saying essentially the same thing but from different approaches. I guess one can either change the “GMT-6” to say “British Time-6” which would be right most (but not all) of the time, or else change the “-6” to “-5” when the we have CDT in place. Personally, I think calling it “-5” is easier because it requires no knowledge of when BST (British Summer Time) takes effect, only when CDT does, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/15 "2003-07-29T10:07:50Z")
**Chronos** is indeed correct, but for “almost all” of the year, read “just under six months” (I think there’s only a week’s disparity in changine to summer time each side of the Atlantic). **Anthracite** sums it up perfectly: someone there doesn’t seem to understand the difference between British local time and GMT. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/16 "2003-07-29T17:29:10Z")
There _is_ only a week’s difference. America goes to SUmmer time a week after Britain. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-times-are-gmt-6-hours-the-time-now-is-08-47-pm/191184/17 "2003-07-30T08:03:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*There _is_ only a week’s difference. America goes to SUmmer time a week after Britain. \*\* There is only a week’s difference, **Lobsang** , in when the UK and the Eastern United States change into Summer Time. The problem is that instead of changing the SDMB server from GMT-5 to GMT-6, they change the definition of GMT so that the server continues to say “GMT-5”. This is just 100% big fat plum wrong. I’m turning into a one-trick pony on this trivial subject. I think I should shut up about it now.