Why do we still have time zones?

cowman

cowman

Final Approach
Joined
Aug 12, 2012
Messages
5,280
Location
Danger Zone
Display Name
Display name:
Cowman
I understand the mechanics of the earth being round and revolving around the sun meaning the sun rises/sets at different times around the world. However, why don't we just schedule our work times/meals/etc based on our local sunrise/set? Do everything on Zulu time, if the sun rises at 1500 where you are, then start work at 1800(or whatever). Whoever decided we have to eat lunch at noon or work 9-5?

Seems like with the world being more and more connected it would make more sense to just have one time standard for the planet.
 
Why do we still have metric and SI units?

Why do we still drive on opposite sides of the road?

Why do we still have different electrical systems?

Until there's a world dictator, inertia rules.
 
Because changing a clock every few hundred miles is easy.
Changing human cultures and conventions that have been in place for hundreds if not thousands of years, and doing it in an agreed-upon way worldwide, is hard.

We already have UTC. Those who benefit from using it, can and do. I like to have lunch around noon.
 
As someone who spends a lot of time traveling internationally for work, I would be happy with ONE currency. Next would be a single worldwide electrical plug, the currency of the electricity is a moot point with today’s technology
 
Last edited:
kath said:
Because changing a clock every few hundred miles is easy.
Changing human cultures and conventions that have been in place for hundreds if not thousands of years, and doing it in an agreed-upon way worldwide, is hard.

We already have UTC. Those who benefit from using it, can and do. I like to have lunch around noon.
Click to expand...

But you can still eat lunch at the same time of day, it would just be a different number on the clock based on where in the world you are.
 
I feel like it’s more of a logistical problem than anything. Having the whole world on the same time all the time would be challenging, because when it’s 12p here and the sun is up, it would also be 12p on the other side of the world where it’s dark, so those people would essentially have to flip their days and nights. 12a would have to be the new 12p and vice versa so they aren’t having to live their days in the dark and sleep during the day.
 
Ryanb said:
I feel like it’s more of a logistical problem than anything. Having the whole world on the same time all the time would be challenging, because when it’s 12p here and the sun is up, it would also be 12p on the other side of the world where it’s dark, so those people would essentially have to flip their days and nights. 12a would have to be the new 12p and vice versa so they aren’t having to live their days in the dark and sleep during the day.
Click to expand...
People wouldn't need to change the way they live right now. They would only need to get used to looking at a different number on their clock (phone) when they do it.
 
Ultimately this is a problem that impacts comparatively few of us - specifically those who cross time zones regularly and communicate with people in other time zones regularly. On here that's a large percentage, but when you consider that much of the world is made up of people who never leave their home town or within 30 miles of it, changing those norms would be hard for them to grasp.

To flip the coin around, let's say you use zulu. Well then you travel, what time does the day normally start in this part of the world so that I can do things like find breakfast/lunch/dinner, things like that? If I instead just set my watch to whatever time zone is at the airport and I automatically know that because of societal norms.

Now, daylight savings time? That I'd be happy to dump.
 
Everskyward said:
People wouldn't need to change the way they live right now. They would only need to get used to looking at a different number on their clock (phone) when they do it.
Click to expand...
I see what you mean... would definitely take an adjustment period, but it might be feasible.
Ted DuPuis said:
Now, daylight savings time? That I'd be happy to dump.
Click to expand...
So would I.
 
You can choose whatever time scheme you want. I don't care. I don't think I've looked at a clock ever since the COVID-19 imposed work-from-home order started.
 
So Monday Night Football would start at 1:15AM on Tuesday morning. Tuesday Morning Football doesn't have the same ring to it. Or is that Tuesday night? Wasn't it Monday evening just a little while ago?

I think the hardest thing to adjust to is understanding what 'time' of day it is in another timezone.

Now, someone says, 'What time is it in London?' and everyone understands what it means when the answer is 6:00PM. I guess you can say 'early evening' but how do you figure that out? Now it would be 6:00PM everywhere but what does that mean? 6:00PM has lost its meaning.
 
I’d be happy to list my weight in Stone or kg. Smaller numbers are good.

Cheers
 
It doesn’t solve the bigger problem of being “more connected”, which is the fact that a third of the world is asleep while the other two thirds are awake.
 
I believe they do that in China. Its a great way to fix something that isn't broke.

Besides, flying across time zones gives me a sense of accomplishment. It would be boring to fly for six hours and still be in the same time zone.
 
Remember when Swatch tried to introduce internet time with 1000 beats per day and the same everywhere and the prime meridian in Biel, Switzerland. I actually liked the idea but it never really took off.
 
Why have left and right, behind or in front, when we have an existing method for specifying direction that we can't do without? We should get rid of the redundant one and save some brain cells.

Namely the points of the compass of variations thereof.
 
Move to Russia. The whole country is one time zone, all 6.6 million square miles.
 
GaryM said:
I believe you are thinking of China. Russia has time zones, lots of them! Unless something has changed recently.
Click to expand...
And China does what @Everskyward suggested. So people in the eastern pat of China start work at 0900 Beijing time, and people in the western part start at 1100. Time zones give a hint about when people are at work (or not). Who decided it was a good idea to run a time zone 2/3rds of the way across NE and SD, heading west?
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Who decided it was a good idea to run a time zone 2/3rds of the way across NE and SD, heading west?
Click to expand...

At a guess it was done due to the location of population centers. Quite a few states have split timezones.

Some of Arizona doesn't appear to use Daylight savings!

upload_2020-9-4_17-22-22.png
 
Last edited:
Cap'n Jack said:
And China does what @Everskyward suggested. So people in the eastern pat of China start work at 0900 Beijing time, and people in the western part start at 1100. Time zones give a hint about when people are at work (or not). Who decided it was a good idea to run a time zone 2/3rds of the way across NE and SD, heading west?
Click to expand...

I was told one of the oil companies moved the time zone in ND so both of their offices on the western end of the state were in the same time zone. Never cared enough to fact check it...
 
Spring Ford said:
Some of Arizona doesn't appear to use Daylight savings!
Click to expand...
The State of Arizona does not recognize DST; it is Mountain Standard Time year-round (we don't need an extra hour of daylight in the summer, thenkyewverymuch). So from March to November our clocks are set the same as the folks in the Pacific Time Zone.

But aha! The Navajo Nation does recognize DST. But Hopi, entirely surrounded by Navajo, does not. And there's a section of Navajo that is surrounded by Hopi. If you drive the 106 miles of Highway 264 between Tuba City and Steamboat in the summer, you're resetting your watch six times.

ne_arizona_time_zones-4.jpg
 
Pilawt said:
The State of Arizona does not recognize DST; it is Mountain Standard Time year-round (we don't need an extra hour of daylight in the summer, thenkyewverymuch). So from March to November our clocks are set the same as the folks in the Pacific Time Zone.
Click to expand...
I suppose that's one way to keep the temperature from getting too hot in the summer:goofy::idea:
 
Pilawt said:
The State of Arizona does not recognize DST; it is Mountain Standard Time year-round (we don't need an extra hour of daylight in the summer, thenkyewverymuch). So from March to November our clocks are set the same as the folks in the Pacific Time Zone.

But aha! The Navajo Nation does recognize DST. But Hopi, entirely surrounded by Navajo, does not. And there's a section of Navajo that is surrounded by Hopi. If you drive the 106 miles of Highway 264 between Tuba City and Steamboat in the summer, you're resetting your watch six times.

View attachment 89561
Click to expand...

Which made flying into the reservations a lot of fun.

What time will you be here.??

Ummm....uhhhh..... an hour and a half.....
 
While on active duty, I always wore two watches. I later got a two time zone watch and later I worked in England. I thought I was done with all that until they went to daylight savings time as well.

We are moving from AL to WV next month and our biggest problem is going to be the time change.
 
cgrab said:
While on active duty, I always wore two watches. I later got a two time zone watch and later I worked in England. I thought I was done with all that until they went to daylight savings time as well.
Click to expand...
When I was working, I had to know 3 time zones, local, zulu, and mountain. For whatever reason, the company ran on mountain time (where they and my home were located), and that's how they wanted their logs filled out no matter what time zone you were in at the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top