# What time is it? No, seriously **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631 "2008-10-26T14:44:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/1 "2008-10-26T14:44:55Z")
My computer’s clock decided to subtract an hour from the current time. Going to the ‘internet time’ dialog box and syncing to [time.microsoft.com](http://time.microsoft.com) and [time.nis.gov](http://time.nis.gov) leaves it where it is. The daylight saving time is not upon us already… right? (USA) ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/2 "2008-10-26T14:48:35Z")
> [@iwakura43](#): > > The daylight saving time is not upon us already… right? (USA) It is in Europe. Maybe you should be asking “Where am I?” ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/3 "2008-10-26T14:53:13Z")
I think England (Europe) changed back last night. Not yet in the US though. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/4 "2008-10-26T14:56:46Z")
If you’re running an older version of Windows, you may need the [Daylight Saving patch](http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_DST), since the US extended the dates for the switch a couple years back. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/5 "2008-10-26T15:20:49Z")
**Q.E.D.** , that explains it. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/6 "2008-10-26T23:07:54Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > If you’re running an older version of Windows, you may need the [Daylight Saving patch](http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_DST), since the US extended the dates for the switch a couple years back. My Win98se laptop also decided to change the time of its own volition. I may “need” the patch but MS does not provide such a patch for such an old OS so I’m stuck. No big deal though. I have been thinking of installing XP on this laptop for some time now and I may get around to it. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/7 "2008-10-26T23:20:40Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > My Win98se laptop also decided to change the time of its own volition. I may “need” the patch but MS does not provide such a patch for such an old OS so I’m stuck. There’s a (presumably) third-party patch available [here](http://www.intelliadmin.com/Downloads.htm). Scroll down to “Windows 98/ME Daylight Saving Time Fix.” ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/8 "2008-10-26T23:30:47Z")
My DVD/VHS player changed its clock too, but I go by the PC and the cell phone so I’m still on daylight savings time. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/9 "2008-10-27T01:40:41Z")
My atomic clock changed back this morning. It’s been confused for a couple of years now. Hopefully I’ll remember that it’s an hour early for the next week. (I could just set it to Eastern Time, but that takes, you know, effort.) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/10 "2008-10-27T14:53:03Z")
Last time the clocks changed, my gf and I were caught unaware. In the morning, I was surprised to see my cellphone said it was an hour later than the alarm clock by the bed. We both thought that the clock was wrong. Then we saw the clock in the kitchen matched the bedroom clock. I theorized there had been a sixty minute power failure overnight. My gf pointed out that the clock in the kitchen was battery operated. We eventually figured it out, but it is funny how long two reasonably intelligent people were duped. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/11 "2008-10-27T15:17:40Z")
Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/12 "2008-10-27T16:15:08Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Does anybody really know what time it is? I do! (Hands up high) I live in Greenwich! (UK). I can see a clock from my bedroom window and if THAT one ain’t right, then there’s no hope for any of us. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/13 "2008-10-27T16:21:00Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I do! (Hands up high) I live in Greenwich! (UK). I can see a clock from my bedroom window and if THAT one ain’t right, then there’s no hope for any of us. Except that you didn’t have GMT until last night 😉 (And how weird is that) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/14 "2008-10-27T16:29:27Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Except that you didn’t have GMT until last night 😉 > > (And how weird is that) Good Point. And really bloody weird. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/15 "2008-10-27T18:23:34Z")
We still don’t, if you want to be picky. GMT has officially been replaced by UTC. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/16 "2008-10-27T18:37:29Z")
Crap, I really liked being on GMT the whole year round. UTC isn’t even a proper abbreviation (being a french/english bastardisation). _mumble, grumble_ ---
**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:** [October 27, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/17 "2008-10-27T18:53:15Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Crap, I really liked being on GMT the whole year round. UTC isn’t even a proper abbreviation (being a french/english bastardisation). > > _mumble, grumble_ Universal Time (Coordinated)? 🙂 (I’ll _make_ it fit!) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/18 "2008-10-27T18:54:37Z")
Mr. Neville’s alarm clock decided to pull this one morning last week (fortunately not on a day when he had his class to teach). He didn’t believe me until I went over and got my cell phone and showed him that his clock was, indeed, an hour behind. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/19 "2008-10-27T19:07:10Z")
Time to buy a new watch? ::groan:: ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631/20 "2008-10-27T19:13:36Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > My laptop also decided to change the time of its own volition. So you don’t like your computer’s own volition, huh? Well, here’s a way to get some revenge: Re-set your computer’s time zone to any zone that is one hour different from where you live. \* The omnipotent bastards at Microsoft may be trying to mess with your clock, your lifestyle, your very existence…But even though they _think_ they control you, you can still fool 'em— 'Cause no matter how much they try, they don’t know where you live until you decide to tell 'em. (And, hey, you can even make it a political statement. I recently had to re-set my computer from Jerusalem time to Cairo time. It’s my private plan for bringing peace to the Middle East… 🙂 ) \*(in Win XP, you click on the control panel, then “time and date”) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-is-it-no-seriously/469631.md?page=2)