You are not wrong about the differences being minor for most people in a city day to day and the solutions being achievable. And it is fun to think of the chall

You are not wrong about the differences being minor for most people in a city day to day and the solutions being achievable. And it is fun to think of the challenges and possibilities of doing it another way. :-) While for many the google maps dilemma in a city won't matter, there are always "edge cases" that google people would have to cover. I occasionally ask google maps for a 8 hour day drive. In my case, most north-south so not an issue, but for other people it could be. And maybe not using google maps: trains, planes, trucks - logistics in general - all want to be precisely on time while covering large distances. So I think this is not as easily waved aside as a societal problem if this "midday where you are" approach was taken. This clearly would require a fundamental change in mindset for the whole populace - so not an option we'd see coming soon! But maybe fun for a sci-fi setting. In the end though, if you accept the cost of the sun being not quite overhead at "midday", a time zone obviates the need for further solutions. Simpler all round.