Book Report

Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time - Michael Downing

I saw this book at the library this afternoon and had to get it. More on why after the report.

The book is basically about the history of Daylight Saving Time in America. The thing was added and repealed twice before being added for the third and final time. I used to think it was for the farmers. (It wasn't for the farmers) The farmers over the years have always been opposed to it. The reason we have daylight saving time today, is that the last time it was repealed, New York City decided to stay on it. It turns out the extra hour helped them trade stock and commoditites with London, and without that hour, the markets were not open at the same time.

The author makes sure to point out that all along this grand clock changing experiment, proponents say one of the benefits of the time change is that it will save in fuel costs, but no one has really gotten good hard data that shows this. (It still gets just a cold in the Winter, it's not like a shift in the day makes the house warmer...)

This is a quick read, and is a very interesting look at what got us where we are today. It details some of the crazy things that happened along the way. (Once, a 25 mile trip from Ohio to West Virginia crossed 7 different times.) People seem to think moving the clock gives them more time. I'm still not sure how that works, although a 25 hour day might be nice...

Now for comments by me:

A couple of years ago, I decided not to go onto Daylight Saving Time at home. I did not change the clocks ahead. It stayed that way for a couple of weeks until Tara said it had been driving her crazy, and she really wanted me to fix the clocks. I figured it was just an artifical thing anyway, why move the clock just because everyone else was?

Now Congress for 2007 makes Daylight saving an extra month longer. (3 weeks into March, 1 week into November) I live directly West of a mountain. In the winter, the sun comes up over that ridge very late into the day. (much, much later than places that do not have a mountain directly East of them.) What will this mean for walking the girls to school and then going to work? Will we be walking in the dark, just so daylight can last a little longer at night? Will we have to continue to bundle up in the Springtime nice and warm, then have to carry our coats home, just because Daylight Savings has it colder in the morning longer into the year? What's the point?

If I had it to do it my way, I would make one universal time. (It's not like it's not already there...) I wouldn't even make people calculate it from Jan 1, 1970, but provide that for them. :) There would be no timezones, no Daylight Saving mess, just one time. The clock would go in a 24 hour format. 11:00 in New York City is 11:00 in London, Is 11:00 in Tokyo, etc. The only difference would be that 11:00 in London may be a hour before the sun is directly overhead, but 11:00 in New York City would be 3 hours until sunrise. It would be nighttime in Tokyo. People would base their schedules around when they wanted or needed to. Normal Business Hours in NYC may be 15:00-01:00. What would the big deal be? If the NYSE wanted to be open for an hour while the London market was open, make the Lodon hours be 08:00-16:00 and the New York market be open 15:00-01:00. I would never have to ask what time it is in France, the time is the same. (I just have to remember when people are awake over there.)

What would be the harm in that? I have always thought Daylight Saving Time was silly. (It's not like you save anytime.) End of rant.