Time

[Verum]

I would love to abolish time zones altogether and have a single global time, but that’s an argument for another thread

So, at this moment (11:16 AM) it's 03:16 Hrs Zulu ?

11:16AM PDT is 18:16 UTC

[Omnitheo]

I won’t get into it in too much depth here, but time zones and times are completely arbitrary. 9-17 is just something we’ve made up, likewise some people work 8-16, or others 15-23

We could all operate on one time zone, and people would still work the same 8 hours, those hours might just be called 16-00.

Of course I would never expect anything to change in terms of time zones. Can’t even convince <5 percent of the world’s population to join the rest of the world in adopting metric.

[alanjh595]

I won’t get into it in too much depth here, but time zones and times are completely arbitrary. 9-17 is just something we’ve made up, likewise some people work 8-16, or others 15-23

We could all operate on one time zone, and people would still work the same 8 hours, those hours might just be called 16-00.

Of course I would never expect anything to change in terms of time zones. Can’t even convince <5 percent of the world’s population to join the rest of the world in adopting metric.

For many, the 24 hour time system is just too difficult to convert. Just like the metric system when it was 1st introduced to Canada. Similarly, converting Imperial to US. Those Americans resist just because they are close minded and hate change.

[my5cents]

So, at this moment (11:16 AM) it's 03:16 Hrs Zulu ?

11:16AM PDT is 18:16 UTC

Yup, 100% Verum.

I subtracted 8 instead of adding 8, AND because of DST I should have added 7, except on Tuesdays......

Yup, one time might just work.

I do like, in the least the 24 hour clock.

In fact as long as we're discussing it, what about dates ?

I'm always confused when I see Birth Date : 1/3/1956, is that January 3rd, 1956, or March 1st, 1956. It's easy when it's 1/17/1956.

Generally we put the month behind the day and the US the opposite, unless the software is from the US (or is it the other way around ??) See, still confused.

Metric 1956 01 03 or 56 01 03 Year Month Day.

Or keep going 1956 01 03 16:52:01 January 3rd, 1956 at 4:52 and one second, PM.

[Fancy]

The government goes year, month, day to follow the ISO

[Urban Cowboy]

Month day year makes far more sense as that's how most would speak it aloud.

[Verum]

Month day year makes far more sense as that's how most would speak it aloud.

Year, month, day is sortable without mangling things as, as with numbers it goes from the most significant to least significant. Day, month, year, while not sortable without mangling, it is consistent (least significant to most). Month, day year is, like the English language, inconsistent and unsurprisingly, mostly in my experience, a North American thing.

[GordonH]

Since the need to switch clocks back & forth is no longer, leave it on DST and be done with it.

[Piecemaker]

More daylight year round makes much more sense to me.

The amount of daylight we receive year round is the same regardless of what time we set our clocks.

[Woodenhead]

DST or leave it as-is, for me. Gimme those later sunsets in the summer. And complaining about changing clocks twice a year is so first world-y it makes my eyes roll. But it's the same thing every time it rolls around, innit?

[Urban Cowboy]

Month day year makes far more sense as that's how most would speak it aloud.

Year, month, day is sortable without mangling things as, as with numbers it goes from the most significant to least significant. Day, month, year, while not sortable without mangling, it is consistent (least significant to most). Month, day year is, like the English language, inconsistent and unsurprisingly, mostly in my experience, a North American thing.

Not trying to be obtuse here, rather attempting to learn something, why is sorting an issue?

[Verum]

Year, month, day is sortable without mangling things as, as with numbers it goes from the most significant to least significant. Day, month, year, while not sortable without mangling, it is consistent (least significant to most). Month, day year is, like the English language, inconsistent and unsurprisingly, mostly in my experience, a North American thing.

Not trying to be obtuse here, rather attempting to learn something, why is sorting an issue?

Basically, I have had to optimise systems for people working in offices. One common task in work flows is to have to compare two dates to see which comes first, this is the basis of sorting. Being able to read the date in a consistent order, left to right or somewhat less ideally, right to left, generally simplifies things and reduces the chance that mistakes are made. Basically, the operator doesn't have to even think about the data as if it is a date and can just treat it as either an in-order list of numbers, or a reverse order list of numbers. Either works, though of course year, month, day is significantly easier. The month, day, year representation, being out of order of importance is just harder to process and slower, though of course if it is what you are used to, it may be easier for you than actually changing to more consistent formats.
Other office work flows often involve using software tools which are not specifically tailored to working with dates. Dates written in the ISO format can be sorted by tools which use alphabetical sorting (technically ASCII code value order). This doesn't apply to either of the two other formats mentioned.
Personally, as a bit of a fan of efficiency, order and consistency, I find the ISO order as somewhat comforting, and find month, day, year format as just feeling wrong.
Anyway, we should get back on topic.

[flamingfingers]

^^Yes. Year, month, day is much more consistent and easier to remember. As is the 24-hour clock.

[GordonH]

BC Driver License is... year/month/day
Birth Certificate is... month/day/year

[Time4t]

"Time" has long since passed to ditch the archaic practice. There is no such thing as extra daylight, our perceptions, and obsession with time management is the issue. The change cycles are well established to cause more problems than they are worth. Perhaps our respected new trial premier would be so kind as to remove one more nuisance from the mix.