h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This evening we put the clocks back and next march we will put them forward a ritual which we carry out every October and March
personally once they go forward next March i would like them to remain so all the year

What are your Views?

I think I'd rather have the extra hour of light in the evening. Other than that I don't have much of an opinion. Have you noticed that every year it sparks off a debate over whether we should stop doing it?

I think they should change it back at the end of September like they used to do for many years. Now, we left for work in the dark, and will still do so next week, so where's the use in that ? It was said it was all about saving energy, but we would only have saved energy if we had had this month to leave when the sun was up, this way, we had to switch the lights on - waste of energy,if you ask me.

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Yes thats why i would like to know members views on this and other MB's i am a member of

I think the politicians shouldn't have mentioned Europe. Can of worms.

I think time-zone changing is a bit more of an annoyance than shifting my timetable would be.

Does this mean an extra hour of drinking tonight before the clubs close?

Er? No. Only if the license extends beyond 02:00.

When I w*rked in the Casino trade, it meant we w*rked until 02:00 which then became 01:00, and w*rked until 02:00 GMT so we worked an extra hour. When it came to BST, when it reached 02:00 it became 03:00, except that the casino closed at 02:00, so we never got back that hour, or got paid for it.

Personally I think the clocks should stay as they are now, since this is "real time".

Personally, and a view I know to be, or at least to have been, held by a good many people in the past, is that British Summer Time (BST) is an abomination to the marvel that is Grenich Mean Time (GMT). As for GMT represents a great priveledge long ago bestowed on our nation and for which during many many years has served every sailing vessel well as both navigational and chronological 'Gold Standard'. BST demeans the greatness that is GMT. Though it was fun, when we finally crawled out of bed at 6 AM, both setting our watchs to GMT before going to sleep

I like GMT. Read Dava Sobels' book, Meridian, to find out the full story behind time as we know it (Jim).

However, I am also quite pleased not to have to get up in the dark for the next few weeks...and then the nights will start getting shorter again...summer's a-comin'!

RF

What happens to sun dials then ? Do you have to reposition them, and how do they change the permenant type that are cemented into walls?

Never forget to wind your sundial, otherwise they start slowing down...

RF

Mine aways grinds to a halt just after dusk anyway.

Sundials are indeed important. My old astronomy teacher helped make a very large sundial, which in ways I'm not aware of, build it so it took into account the swith to summertime. Then a year or so after the EU told us (Denmark) to move the change from summer to winter time and back by one month each. So now the sundial is one hour wrong for two months each year.

I wouldn't mind getting one of these: http://www.digitalsundial.com/

Bit too large for my non existing garden

Well... I know a couple of my friends like having the extra hour to drink at the bars on the night of the change. It doesn't phase me one way or the other, it's still dark when I leave for work in the morning and when I leave work for home in the evening.

And I don't think the farmers it was originally intended to help need it much any more.