What's this "set your clocks back" warning I heard all over the media yesterday?
What's a clock?
I wonder how archaic this advice really is. I also wonder why people raise so many objections to "changing the clocks" twice a year.
Yes, I know: I've campaigned against the time changing. But that's because I want to stay on Standard Time (aka real time, sun time, normal time) all year 'round and not use Daylight Saving Time—one of Ben Franklin's less reasonable ideas—at all. The change itself is trivial for one accustomed to dealing with time zone changes.
But when you woke up this morning, how did you know what time it was?
I'm betting most people checked their phones—phones which are smart enough to make the time change without our help.
If I had set my computer clock back an hour, it would now be wrong.
Yes, we changed our clocks yesterday—and I remarked that we have far too many of them that need changing. I can't help believing that they are an anachronism. Houses in the future may still have clocks, but I'm betting more and more of them will be smart enough to change themselves. And in any case, people will still rely more on their cell phones to wake them up in the morning and get them where they need to go on time.
The "change your clocks" sermons are being preached to an ever-dwindling congregation.
I am grateful I woke up early enough to make it to church today, God willing... (Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha).
Here's an interesting article about Benjamin Franklin and daylight saving. It appears that greatness attracts attribution, even where it is false.
https://www.fi.edu/benjamin-franklin/daylight-savings-time
Oh, what good news! I like good ol' Ben and was sad to think that DST was his fault. I trust the source of the article—I used to work for their research lab, and have probably spent more of my life in their museum than in any other. If you believe the article, Franklin was suggesting just the opposite of what we have done: adjust our habits to the sun, not the other way around!
Daylight saving time is one thing that Franklin did not invent. He merely suggested Parisians change their sleep schedules to save money on candles and lamp oil.
Go, Ben!
