Save the Day(light Savings)
As popular as the discussion of the upcoming strike may be (I have a feeling the comments will continue through the upcoming week), this story really caught my eye for a couple of reasons. Congress is contemplating extending DST by two months (expanding it so that it runs from early March to late November) to save energy costs.
First, I think it's a bit ironic that daylight savings came into existence at a time when people were using lamps to light their homes yet with the introduction of electricity we still have not solved that problem (unless you're crazy enough, like me, to believe that nuclear power plants actually would solve a lot of these problems).
Second, I think there are quite a few other costs associated with the concept of DST that we do not take into account, let alone measure, when discussing this odd feature. The 24 time zones were created for the sake of international uniformity (I think). With the growing global economy, predicting time is VERY important, but literally taken for granted. Yet the pressure to reduce oil consumption is forcing countries to adopt different DST standards to fit their needs. If I need to be in Paris by 9 AM for a meeting, it's really not efficient to spend an hour researching EU daylight savings time rules. Granted, this will not be a factor most of the time.
On the other hand, what are the odds that people will continue to function much the same way as they do now...land at Charles De Gaul then ask for the time.
UPDATE: Drum likes the idea but not the bill it is attached to.
First, I think it's a bit ironic that daylight savings came into existence at a time when people were using lamps to light their homes yet with the introduction of electricity we still have not solved that problem (unless you're crazy enough, like me, to believe that nuclear power plants actually would solve a lot of these problems).
Second, I think there are quite a few other costs associated with the concept of DST that we do not take into account, let alone measure, when discussing this odd feature. The 24 time zones were created for the sake of international uniformity (I think). With the growing global economy, predicting time is VERY important, but literally taken for granted. Yet the pressure to reduce oil consumption is forcing countries to adopt different DST standards to fit their needs. If I need to be in Paris by 9 AM for a meeting, it's really not efficient to spend an hour researching EU daylight savings time rules. Granted, this will not be a factor most of the time.
On the other hand, what are the odds that people will continue to function much the same way as they do now...land at Charles De Gaul then ask for the time.
UPDATE: Drum likes the idea but not the bill it is attached to.
posted by Armen Adzhemyan at 8:59 AM
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