4 ms·
I've had the thought floating around for years to start the day at 8AM at sunrise each day, and allow for longer/shorter day durations by just jumping the clock
by zentiggr 10y ago
I've had the thought floating around for years to start the day at 8AM at sunrise each day, and allow for longer/shorter day durations by just jumping the clock to 8AM the next morning at civil twilight.
I know with 100% certainty it will never happen, but I might just build my own custom clock like that for when I retire and don't care who else knows if I'm up or not. ;-)
- dragontamer 10y agoThey used to do that. Then trains were invented, and it became a pain-in-the-ass when every damn city had 12:00 noon at a different time. And then time-zones were invented and life became sane for the east-west travelers.
- jloughry 10y agoRegarding trains, it was a safety issue. Standard Time (and time zones) were invented to keep train schedules sane. The reason is because two trains occupying the same section of track simultaneously causes loud noises and news articles and paperwork. It was safety, not passenger convenience. As long as engineers kept to schedule—and railroad pocket watches were legendary for accuracy—blocks of track over the horizon could be shared by trains even going in opposite directions at different times.
- Piskvorrr 10y agoAccuracy of railroad watches is a fascinating subject in itself: "a technology program that would require a level of innovative engineering that would not be seen again until the moon landings", to quote this excellent article: http://everything2.com/title/Antique+railroad+pocket+watches http://everything2.com/title/Antique+railroad+pocket+watches