5 ms·

Agree. Noon should be the moment when the sun is at its highest altitude in the sky, or a close approximation thereof.

mcny 9y ago
> Agree. Noon should be the moment when the sun is at its highest altitude in the sky, or a close approximataion thereof. I too want the same time worldwide but I guess the best we can do is UTC. I mean we could do it but I fear we'd just be sweeping the ugliness under the rug. I don't want this kind mess https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China > Currently, timezone usage within Xinjiang is roughly split along the ethnic divide, with most ethnic Han following Beijing time and most ethnic Uyghurs following Ürümqi Time.
- incompatible 9y ago
  We already have UTC when you want the same time worldwide. Using UTC in everyday life would be somewhat confusing when travelling. I guess it would take quite a while to get used to things happening at a different time on the clock.
rocqua 9y ago
I think the sunrise is a better fixture socially, and maybe the sunset is a better fixture biologically. Noon is just an easy to measure compromise for the above two. Social life and timing mostly revolves around how early you get up. "Its late" kind of means "I am behind schedule to get enough sleep before waking up". Biologically, we are programmed around sunlight. Whilst our mornings aren't really controlled by the biological clock (that is what the alarm is for), the evening really are. Besides, the for many people, the evening is what separates 'civil life' from 'private life'.
- racer-v 9y ago
  I agree, but sunrise and sunset have the disadvantage of not being fixed (unless you live on the equator).
  - rocqua 9y ago
    Ah, yes. The time between sunsets isn't fixed but the time between noons is.
austincheney 9y ago
Why? Noon is just a number on a clock. Midday is when the sun is half-way between dawn and dusk.
- normaljoe 9y ago
  Noon literally means midday. It predates clocks and solar noon would drive your sundial.

mcny 9y ago

> Agree. Noon should be the moment when the sun is at its highest altitude in the sky, or a close approximataion thereof. I too want the same time worldwide but I guess the best we can do is UTC. I mean we could do it but I fear we'd just be sweeping the ugliness under the rug. I don't want this kind mess https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China > Currently, timezone usage within Xinjiang is roughly split along the ethnic divide, with most ethnic Han following Beijing time and most ethnic Uyghurs following Ürümqi Time.

incompatible 9y ago
We already have UTC when you want the same time worldwide. Using UTC in everyday life would be somewhat confusing when travelling. I guess it would take quite a while to get used to things happening at a different time on the clock.

rocqua 9y ago

I think the sunrise is a better fixture socially, and maybe the sunset is a better fixture biologically. Noon is just an easy to measure compromise for the above two. Social life and timing mostly revolves around how early you get up. "Its late" kind of means "I am behind schedule to get enough sleep before waking up". Biologically, we are programmed around sunlight. Whilst our mornings aren't really controlled by the biological clock (that is what the alarm is for), the evening really are. Besides, the for many people, the evening is what separates 'civil life' from 'private life'.

racer-v 9y ago
I agree, but sunrise and sunset have the disadvantage of not being fixed (unless you live on the equator).
- rocqua 9y ago
  Ah, yes. The time between sunsets isn't fixed but the time between noons is.

austincheney 9y ago

Why? Noon is just a number on a clock. Midday is when the sun is half-way between dawn and dusk.

normaljoe 9y ago
Noon literally means midday. It predates clocks and solar noon would drive your sundial.