# StraightDope Clock: GMT? Huh?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [August 19, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114 "2003-08-19T02:54:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114/1 "2003-08-19T02:54:57Z")

</div>

I don’t understand why the bottom of the SDMB shows a clock which claims to be GMT, as I understand it…yet it seems to agree with ET? Huh? And, wouldn’t the SDMB pick CT, being out of Chicago, right?

Maybe it’ll look better in the morning…

- Jinx

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114/2 "2003-08-19T02:57:40Z")

</div>

Oops, I am sorry…I meant to say that the time agrees with Central Time - being 1 hour earlier to my ET clock. Sorry, I was a little drunk at the time the tone will be…

Anyway, why the mention of GMT?

- Jinx

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114/3 "2003-08-19T03:14:41Z")

</div>

The standard, international means of specifying a time zone is relative to GMT. So Eastern US time would be GMT -5 hours. Central US time is GMT -6 hours. You can set your time zone in your user control panel.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114/4 "2003-08-19T14:16:06Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Achernar \*  
> \*\*You can set your time zone in your user control panel. \*\*

And since only members have a user control panel, only members can set their time zone. Guests (or members who are not logged in at the time) automatically see time displayed as GMT, regardless of the time zone in which they are located.

Considering we have a lot of international users (both members and guests), many of whom may not know how far off Chicago time is from Greenwich time, it’s only fair to use GMT over CST/CDT.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gary\_the\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5ac83/32.png) [@Gary\_the\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_the_Goat)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114/5 "2003-08-19T21:32:21Z")

</div>

Is it me or is the GMT thing 10 miniutes out?

I make it 10:37 it says 10:27.

Have i mised something?

Oh and Hi.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straightdope-clock-gmt-huh/196114/6 "2003-08-19T22:02:54Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Gary the Goat_  
> Is it me or is the GMT thing 10 miniutes out?
> 
> I make it 10:37 it says 10:27.
> 
> Have i mised something?

Conjectures to explain the discrepancy are found in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203159Q).

And welcome to the board.