OT: Household Daylight Savings Time Simplified

[Texas Mac Man]

The old battery-powered clock in our kitchen has not been keeping the correct time. Replacing the battery did not help.

I was in the Frys Electronics store and saw a 10-inch diameter battery-powered wall clock that has the latest technology. It's time is set automatically via a WWVB radio atomic time signal (originating from Ft Collins, CO) and the box states "Accurate to one second per million years". Also, the clock automatically adjusts for Daylight Saving Time. The clock is from Lacross Technology and cost $7.95. It only works in North America.

[Bruce_F]

Those things have really come down in cost! When I looked at an atomic clock at Fred Meyer it had a $69.95 price tag.

[Gregg]

I thought the atomic clock was in Boulder. I used to live there. There is a big U.S. Dept. of ...er, something... facility on the south side of town. I thought that's where the nuculer, um nuclear, er... atomic clock resided.

[Paddy]

Clock (atomic oscillators) may be in Boulder, but the radio station that broadcasts the time signal is in Fort Collins.

http://tf.nist.gov/timefreq/index.html - everything you ever wanted to know and more!

Those synchronizing clocks are great - we have one that also has a transmitter for the temperature outdoors, and shows the temp indoors as well. Got it at Macy's on sale for $49 or so a couple of years ago.

[Xairbusdriver]

Paddy, why are you so interested in the temperature in Ft. Collins?

BTW, are you finished packing?!

[Highmac]

All you could ever want to know about atomic clocks...
http://www.atomicclockrugbymsf.co.uk/Atomic-clocks.htm

QUOTE

The second is defined as 9,192,631,770 periods of the caesium-133 atom, and is currently realised at NPL to an accuracy of one second in 15 million years. Scientists are currently working on technology to increase this accuracy to 1 second in 10 billion years

Well I wish they'd get a move on - I'm fed up with missing the bus

[Gregg]

QUOTE(Paddy @ Mar 7 2007, 02:07 PM) [snapback]121212[/snapback]

Those synchronizing clocks are great - we have one that also has a transmitter for the temperature outdoors, and shows the temp indoors as well. Got it at Macy's on sale for $49 or so a couple of years ago.

Yeah, we have a "weather station" too. It doesn't synchronize with the "Bomb" but it does the indoor/outdoor thing. Got ours at Target. (that's Tar-zjay to the Macy's crowd)

[Paddy]

Well, Jim...it's a heck of a lot warmer in Ft. Collins than it is here right now!!! (58 is the predicted high for today, only 21 here!!!)

And no...I haven't finished packing! Haven't even started as a matter of fact. The movers will pack us. It's getting rid of all the STUFF that is the problem. The new house is smaller and it doesn't have junk storage space like we have here. No attic, no garage and no unfinished basement. So, instead of stuffing things away and avoiding making decisions about the fate of these things, I now have to decide what to do with ten years of avoided decisions!

But at least I know that our atomic clock and weather station is coming with us!! I find it interesting how dependent one can become on having this sort of info at all times. My Dodge Grand Caravan has a temperature/direction (and if you change the display, distance to empty and a couple of other things) display which I find myself looking at constantly. I get in our Toyota and glance at the top of the windshield and am disconcerted to find nothing there! I find myself making this a high priority for the next car (which can't be all that far off as the Dodge is now 11 years old and the Toyota 14) - even though it has not the slightest thing to do with how the car operates, though here in New England it could be argued that a compass is a necessity, since our roads are badly signed and appear to be laid out according to the whims of some long-ago cows.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

here in New England it could be argued that...our roads...appear to be laid out according to the whims of some long-ago cows

Not as far from the truth as you might think! Nor were clocks of as much importance back then. The more 'advanced' we get, the more we are controlled by our invention of the time keeper.

[Highmac]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Mar 8 2007, 03:12 PM) [snapback]121285[/snapback]

The more 'advanced' we get, the more we are controlled by our invention of the time keeper.

Apparently, every town and village in the UK had its own time on the church clock - set according to the sun - until the railways came along and needed a standard time for the whole country for timetables to work properly.

[Johanbgoot]

A truly simple solution:

Move to saskatchewan, they do not have DST!

Drives Air Canada, Via rail, and other carriers nuts!

TTFN,

Johan


 

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

Drives Air Canada, Via rail, and other carriers nuts!

Only when printing schedules. The use of Zulu/GMT/etc. became obvious and required when those trains started running between time zones. The need for exact times came about when the train conductors needed to know when the next train would be coming down the line in the opposite direction. It really became a requirement when those trains crossed the Atlantic where there were very few sidings one could 'hide' in when meeting that opposing train!

Can you believe they ran trains without track-side signals/telegraphs/telephones/radios much less computers! "What a way to run a railroad!"

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Paddy @ Mar 8 2007, 06:06 AM) [snapback]121278[/snapback]

It's getting rid of all the STUFF that is the problem.... I now have to decide what to do with ten years of avoided decisions!

"Been there, done that" so to speak - only ours was 31 years of avoided decisions. Whoa! Even as we unpack, we discover we don't have room for all we brought and it's the old "Why did I pack that?" routine.    I wish for you better decision making.

QUOTE

But at least I know that our atomic clock and weather station is coming with us!!

We have several of these and we're addicted. In fact, our ships clock sits at 7:53 - right where it stopped several weeks ago because I can't remember to wind it.    Wonder if I can have it updated?

When we moved we brought our 2 atomic clocks with us - never took the batteries out, just laid them in the back seat of the car. We set up the weather one in the living room, and the other one we used in the bedroom. Good thing too as there was only one old clock in the rental and it actually TICKED!

It will be a grand day when all clocks are atomic and DST is no more.

[Xairbusdriver]

Minor point, your household clocks are not atomic in any sense of the word ( except they are made up of atoms. The "Atomic Clock" is in Boulder ( among other places ) and merely sends a signal, via radio, to your local clock.

Nor do I see what the type of clock, atomic, wind up, wind-powered, etc. has to do with politicians and commercial interests, who are responsible for the development and implementation of DST.

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Mar 8 2007, 04:11 PM) [snapback]121332[/snapback]

Minor point, your household clocks are not atomic in any sense of the word

Mine is. Says so right on the back of the clock.  

QUOTE

Nor do I see what the type of clock, atomic, wind up, wind-powered, etc. has to do with politicians and commercial interests, who are responsible for the development and implementation of DST.

Well, a "radio controlled" clock that reads the atomic clock in Boulder adjusts itself for all the goofy time changes. The rest of the clocks the user has to re-set. Of course your internal body clock is gonna groan and complain about the time change; and farm animals and pets don't reset easily - if at all. I will wake up right around sun rise, no matter what time is on the clock.

Wonder if we can reset politicians and CEO's via the Boulder Atomic clock. Now wouldn't that be interesting?