# Changing Clocks **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 19, 1999, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386 "1999-03-19T01:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 1999, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/21 "1999-03-26T16:15:00Z")
I suspect Ms. K already knows this, and may have been trolling and/or making a funny. Especially since we all know that the best way to deal with temperature extremes is to change the units of measurement to one with better numbers. In other words, 45°C is more comfortable than 113°F, and, conversely, 14°F is more pleasant than -10°C. (P.S. I, too, am trolling and/or making a funny.) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 1999, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/22 "1999-03-26T16:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > [[[I was always glad we didn’t have DST in Arizona… when it’s 110 degrees outside, you want the sun to go down as soon as possible.]]] > > Huh? The sun is in the sky the same number of hours; your clock simply reads a different time than it “normally” would. ## Right, but I think Opal point was that it cools off a bit after the sun goes down, and its better for that to happen around 7 or 8 pm, so people have time to enjoy it, rather than 8 or 9 pm. Just as we in the Northeast enjoy the extra hour of sunlight in the evening, people in Arizona would rather have the extra hour of relative coolness in the evening. - Mark ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 1999, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/23 "1999-04-04T05:24:00Z")
\<\< 1st weekend in April - I think Sunday is the 4th - at 2 AM, clocks move forward to 3 AM. * * * Sue from El Paso \>\> And fall back the last Sunday in October. * * * Murphy’s Law: “If there are two or more ways of doing something, and one of them can lead to catastrophe, then someone will do it.” - Capt. Edward A. Murphy, Jr., USAF, 1949 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/24 "1999-12-29T22:17:00Z")
Granted it’s kind of late to post to this, especially since we’ve already long since changed back to Standard Time–except for Arizona, Hawaii, the territories, and parts of Indiana (I’m from there) and other states where they don’t use Daylight Savings Time. But what I’d like to know is: What’s the best way to deal with changing back in autumn–on a _striking_ clock? We have a table clock that strikes quarter hours like Big Ben; I am afraid to turn the minute hand backwards past the quarter-hour point lest I damage something. So I gradually turn the hand back a little, without crossing such point. Incidentally, in the Time Life-Science Library book _Time,_ the preface comments about people who consider standard time to be “God’s Time,” in preference to Daylight Saving Time, which is somehow Satanic. The editor comments, “These people don’t realize standard time was created for the convenience of the railroads.” ---
**Author:** ![lovelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@lovelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelee)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/25 "1999-12-29T22:40:00Z")
As long as it doesn’t have one of those newfangled date thingys on it, just turn the hands forward instead of backward. You’ll have to listen to 11 hours worth of dinging and donging, but it’s following the clock’s natural movement patterns and shouldn’t hurt anything. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/26 "1999-12-29T22:43:00Z")
Dougie, that stuff about daylight savings time being satanic is a lot of BS. Everyone knows it’s the Godless commies who brought it about just like they did fluoridation. …stealing out bodily fluids, robbing our purity of essence… Satan has enough to deal with, with Rock and Roll being his fault. * * * They don’t call me the colonel because I’m some dumb ass army guy. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/27 "1999-12-29T22:47:00Z")
That’s a good one, Padeye. 😃😃😃😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/28 "1999-12-29T22:52:00Z")
It strikes me that you could just unplug it or take the battery out for the required time. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/29 "1999-12-29T22:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > It strikes me Ba-Bing! He’ll be here all week, folks! Tip your waiters and waitresses, and drive carefully. * * * Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/30 "1999-12-29T23:09:00Z")
No, I can’t, funneefarmer; it’s a winding clock; we take a big key once a week and wind up the mainspring and two smaller springs which drive the chiming mechanisms. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/31 "1999-12-29T23:12:00Z")
well since this thread is back at the top again, I’ll answer pld’s post from many many months ago: Being a night person, and therefore one to sleep until quite late, I don’t care if it is sunny in the morning. I’m asleep then. Once I get up, I want the sun to go down as soon as possible. I would rather be able to go do something before everyplace closes without dropping of heatstroke, etc. I live my life in the afternoon/evening/night and I’d rather have as little sun during that time as possible. I think that Phil is actually smart enough to have figured out what I meant though, and was just trying to be obtuse… * * * – Teeming Millions: [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions) “Meat flaps, yellow!” - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat O p a l C a t [www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com) ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/32 "1999-12-29T23:17:00Z")
Um, hide the keys. Find them the next time the clock is the right time. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/33 "1999-12-30T02:31:00Z")
Funny you should bring this topic back to light. I still have one clock I haven’t changed yet. It’s a main clock in my house (see it from upstairs, in the kitchen, living room and family) yet there it stays, reading one hour ahead… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/34 "1999-12-30T05:49:00Z")
The official clockmaker’s recommendation on all types of intricate, antique and gear-driven clocks is: Set the clock ahead one hour in spring and 11 hours in fall. By the way – can’t you turn off the “striking” function? I never had a grandfather clock, but I had a genuine German cuckoo clock that I could “turn off.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/35 "1999-12-30T05:50:00Z")
The official clockmaker’s recommendation on all types of intricate, antique and gear-driven clocks is: Set the clock ahead one hour in spring and 11 hours in fall. By the way – can’t you turn off the “striking” function? I never had a grandfather clock, but I had a genuine German cuckoo clock that I could “turn off.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/36 "1999-12-30T05:51:00Z")
The official clockmaker’s recommendation on all types of intricate, antique and gear-driven clocks is: Set the clock ahead one hour in spring and 11 hours in fall. By the way – can’t you turn off the “striking” function? I never had a grandfather clock, but I had a genuine German cuckoo clock that I could “turn off.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/37 "1999-12-30T05:52:00Z")
Sorry about that. My brwser is a little sluggish tonight. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/38 "1999-12-30T22:49:00Z")
As a matter of fact, kunilou, I can and do turn off the striking mechanism; but I _still_ hesitate to turn the hands backwards past a quarter-hour point. I don’t think the silencing control affects that. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 1999, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/39 "1999-12-31T01:32:00Z")
I heard somewhere that this was developed basically as a way to save factory owners money in the 19th C, to switch the time so that the sun is up ‘earlier’ in the dark months, hence fewer work hours needing costly lighting. Is this a UL or what? it sort of makes sense and supports my marxist theory that the time change is a horrible industrial relic. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386/40 "2000-01-01T06:27:00Z")
M.K., I understand it was first thought up in the _eighteenth_ century, by none other than Benjamin Franklin, when he was in France. He told the French government the country could save huge quantities of candle wax in the summer just by arising an hour earlier in the morning and retiring an hour earlier in the late evening, to take advantage of the longer daylight hours. They listened politely but took no action. (I wonder if the French Revolutionary Government considered the matter.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-clocks/12386.md?page=3)