# For f... \[can we swear in pit thread titles?\]..ck's sake - Synchronise UK and US DST! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 9, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761 "2008-03-09T21:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [March 9, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/1 "2008-03-09T21:06:36Z")
Every fucking year we’re caught out when Everything in the US is suddenly one hour earlier than normal a whole week before the same happens here. Every year we’re caught unawares. I admit we should be better prepared and we will be from now on, but wouldn’t it be easier in this era of globalization to, if not abolish DST, then at least have it occur on the same dates in the UK and US! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/2 "2008-03-09T21:08:24Z")
That’s a fine idea. You chaps are welcome to make the change at any time. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/3 "2008-03-09T21:12:33Z")
We invented time. You make the change. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/4 "2008-03-09T21:15:16Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] We invented time. You make the change. 😃 [/QUOTE] We’re not the ones complaining about it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/5 "2008-03-09T21:17:57Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Every fucking year we’re caught out when Everything in the US is suddenly one hour earlier than normal a whole week before the same happens here. Every year we’re caught unawares. I admit we should be better prepared and we will be from now on, but wouldn’t it be easier in this era of globalization to, if not abolish DST, then at least have it occur on the same dates in the UK and US! [/QUOTE] Chill out! Relax, have some spotted dick or something. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/6 "2008-03-09T21:44:03Z")
If you call someone overseas often enough to have their time zone difference relative to you memorized in the first place, then you call them often enough to know when their DST change occurs (if they observe DST at all). If you don’t, Google “Current time in [insert large city name here]”. Problem solved. Orbifold, who lives in Australia (Is it a fifteen hour difference between here and my family? Fourteen? Sixteen? Depends on the frickin’ date. What _day_ is it over there? God only knows) and has no damn sympathy for you at all. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/7 "2008-03-09T21:49:52Z")
I, like about ninetyfive percent of my peers, only ‘remember’ that the clocks need to go back or forward via little clues here and there, or the other five percent who are on the ball. Since I am barely able to KNOW when my own clock is supposed to go back, how the frack am I supposed to anticipate another country’s when it’s a week before I get any of the clues of my own clock change? ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/8 "2008-03-09T22:49:48Z")
[QUOTE=Orbifold] Orbifold, who lives in Australia (Is it a fifteen hour difference between here and my family? Fourteen? Sixteen? Depends on the frickin’ date. What _day_ is it over there? God only knows) and has no damn sympathy for you at all. [/QUOTE] Bathsheba, who lives in [Adelaide](http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/offsettimezones.htm), has no sympathy for anybody who doesn’t live in Nepal or the Chatham Islands. ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/9 "2008-03-09T23:58:08Z")
[QUOTE=bathsheba] Bathsheba, who lives in [Adelaide](http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/offsettimezones.htm), has no sympathy for anybody who doesn’t live in Nepal or the Chatham Islands. [/QUOTE] 😃 I grew up in Canada. “We’ll have that news report for you at twenty minutes past the hour…ten minutes to the hour in Newfoundland.” And of course not every part of Canada observes Daylight Savings Time at all (waves at Saskatchewan)…yeah, I’m sure Canada’ll get right on standardizing DST with the UK, right after Canada standardizes it with _itself_. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/10 "2008-03-10T00:07:18Z")
I think it was one of the reasons that we told your King George III to go pound sand was so that we could have our time set at whatever we damned well pleased. And since we won at Yorktown, we can do just that. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/11 "2008-03-10T00:14:00Z")
[QUOTE=bathsheba] Bathsheba, who lives in [Adelaide](http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/offsettimezones.htm), has no sympathy for anybody who doesn’t live in Nepal or the Chatham Islands. [/QUOTE] Hey, it’s easy --folks who live in Perth or Manila, it’s the same time as here … only the opposite “M” What you need to do is meet some Canadians from Halifax or Charlottetown! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/12 "2008-03-10T00:17:57Z")
We weren’t happy about the change last year. The guy that rammed it through congress said he didn’t know it would be such a problem. Yah the self correcting electronic devices are now screwed over. People had problems for some time getting the computers to set the correct time and stay set. I don’t know of anyone that likes the time change anyhow. Don’t tell me it saves energy because people can work when it’s light out. I haven’t worked in a windowed building for over twenty years. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/13 "2008-03-10T00:21:52Z")
I don’t get the need for Britain to ever change its time. Just stick to Greenwich, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/14 "2008-03-10T00:45:12Z")
[QUOTE=Orbifold] 😃 I grew up in Canada. “We’ll have that news report for you at twenty minutes past the hour…ten minutes to the hour in Newfoundland.” And of course not every part of Canada observes Daylight Savings Time at all (waves at Saskatchewan)…yeah, I’m sure Canada’ll get right on standardizing DST with the UK, right after Canada standardizes it with _itself_. [/QUOTE] The non-Saskatchewan part of Canada has moved to the American schedule for DST, so they all sprang forward this a.m. As a Saskatchewanian, I’m just happy when the time changes since the prime time schedule on cable television starts an hour earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dazzling_White_Diamonds)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/15 "2008-03-10T01:19:54Z")
I miss staying on EST. I hope Mitch Daniels is satisfied, that humongous freaking goofball. – Dazz (who lives in Indiana) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/16 "2008-03-10T01:24:46Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] I don’t get the need for Britain to ever change its time. Just stick to Greenwich, dammit! [/QUOTE] Something about farmers spending more time running over schoolkids, I think. I don’t get it either. Guy on the radio was talking about making a permanent shift to BST, then moving an hour ahead of that next year, then back to BSt for the winter - claiming that it will create a _whole extra hour of daylight_. No it won’t, you fucking lunatic, unless you plan to slow down the rotation of the planet or something. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/17 "2008-03-10T02:25:49Z")
If this whole mess isn’t confusing enough already, please be aware that there will NOT be a leap second in June this year. DO NOT adjust your clocks by one second. I was really hoping to get that extra second of sleep, but its just not going to happen. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/18 "2008-03-10T02:35:00Z")
[QUOTE=CoG888] If this whole mess isn’t confusing enough already, please be aware that there will NOT be a leap second in June this year. DO NOT adjust your clocks by one second. I was really hoping to get that extra second of sleep, but its just not going to happen. ☹ [/QUOTE] We already had a leap day; how much more do you _want?!!_ ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/19 "2008-03-10T03:36:53Z")
[QUOTE=Dazzling White Diamonds] I miss staying on EST. I hope Mitch Daniels is satisfied, that humongous freaking goofball. – Dazz (who lives in Indiana) [/QUOTE] Wait a minute…that “fast time/slow time” shit was for the birds. I really didn’t care which zone Indiana went with, but I’m glad they finally just picked one of the fuckers. Living as I do in SE Indiana, essentially a burb of the Nasty Nati, it works well for me. Those that live in say Indy maybe had a right to be pissed, as close aas Indy is to Chitown, which is on Central time. But that “fast time” half the year, “slow time” half the year…shove that crap. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761/20 "2008-03-10T03:42:26Z")
For the next two weeks, we shall be setting our clocks forward 3d20 minutes. Then backward on the weekends to allow time for a massive party. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-f-can-we-swear-in-pit-thread-titles-cks-sake-synchronise-uk-and-us-dst/440761.md?page=2)