# Straight Dope Clock **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 14, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364 "2003-03-14T16:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/1 "2003-03-14T16:08:13Z")
This has been making me nucking futs for years: Why is the SDMB clock 5 minutes out? That’s all, folks. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/2 "2003-03-14T16:21:03Z")
Since this is a question about this message board, I’ll move this thread to ATMB. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/3 "2003-03-14T21:25:20Z")
a few recent threads on this subject: [I think the time on this site is off](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122980) [Board time is a few minutes fast](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131794) [Timing out of sync](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=151434) ---
**Author:** ![LowerLip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@LowerLip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LowerLip)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/4 "2003-03-15T08:13:02Z")
flano1 my machine is set to the atomic clock in Denver Colorado every time I go on the net. The message board for me is always 3 minutes behind. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2003, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/5 "2003-03-15T11:09:14Z")
I don’t worry about a few minutes out, here and there. It’s when I have to mentally adjust an _hour_ or so either way, it gets a bit of a pain (there’s no timezone in the preferences which matches New Zealand Daylight Saving, which thankfully ends in just under four hours from now.) ---
**Author:** ![LowerLip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@LowerLip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LowerLip)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/6 "2003-03-15T11:37:30Z")
Ice Wolf The time either way isn’t a big deal, but the SDMB reports GMT time. Even when the page is refreshed, the time reported is in error; lagging by 3 minutes for me and 5 for flano1. This is a sync problem and I sink the SDMB folks should sink about this. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2003, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/7 "2003-03-15T11:43:38Z")
Causes bad puns an’ all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LowerLip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@LowerLip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LowerLip)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/8 "2003-03-15T14:40:33Z")
Ice Wolf And… what about the leading zero, as in 06:45 PM GMT . We’re either on international standard time – 24 hour clock or using Am, Pm without the zero. The message board combines both. I’m not sure whether to cook dinner or take the dog out for his morning leak. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/9 "2003-03-15T14:52:37Z")
I argued that we should use a stop clock, so that it would be right twice a day, but I was outvoted. ---
**Author:** ![LowerLip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@LowerLip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LowerLip)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/10 "2003-03-15T15:05:51Z")
CK I understand the stop clock, but that would be too expensive. Maybe they could use a sundial. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/11 "2003-03-15T15:18:02Z")
In Chicago? In _March_? ---
**Author:** ![LowerLip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@LowerLip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LowerLip)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/12 "2003-03-15T17:13:55Z")
Czarcasm Well… flood lights could help… ---
**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:** [March 15, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/13 "2003-03-15T20:35:16Z")
Eh, I’m still not overly fussed. When I first started posting here, I fell back onto GMT, but the confusion over AM and PM annoyed me so I try now to get as close to the actual timezone in preferences which matches mine as I can. And as today, I’m back in Standard Time, so th’ problem’s solved. As this isn’t the only messageboard with time errors by a matter of minutes, perhaps it’s a wider issue than the hamsters skipping a beat? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/14 "2003-03-16T06:37:45Z")
I’ve notified the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to let them know that, according to our server’s clock, they are three minutes ahead. They have not replied yet. I assume they are working on the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/15 "2003-03-16T07:00:09Z")
Currently, here in B.C. the time dispalys 10:59-11:00 PM as I am typing this. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/16 "2003-03-16T07:01:11Z")
And voila, it’s 11PM! I don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Phax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Phax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phax)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/17 "2003-03-16T14:08:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*I don’t worry about a few minutes out, here and there. > > It’s when I have to mentally adjust an _hour_ or so either way, it gets a bit of a pain (there’s no timezone in the preferences which matches New Zealand Daylight Saving, which thankfully ends in just under four hours from now.) \*\* And if you’re in New Zealand, then my today is your yesterday and your today is my tomorrow. Therefore, you are writing to me from the future! Have they invented flying cars in the future yet? ---
**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:** [March 18, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/18 "2003-03-18T06:06:05Z")
😃 Oh, I really do like your style, **Phax**. _Please_, please stay around, okay? 😉 Flying cars? This is NZ. We have enough probs with us folks being dusted with moth spray every few days, let alone worry about airborne dilithium guzzlers! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-clock/161364/19 "2003-03-18T13:36:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Currently, here in B.C. the time dispalys 10:59-11:00 PM as I am typing this. Well, that’s your problem, right there. These clocks only work in A.D., not in B.C., they get all screwed up when trying to do B.C. because there was no year zero.