Re: DST and My Computers

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

EdwardATeller, Art Todesco & Robert Green wrote:

<stuff snipped>

> > I heard from someone this morning that
> > he heard a report of a "study" where it
> > was determined that savings would not be
> > anywhere near the original estimates.
> > They sited, extra driving during the
> > early evening and more lighting required
> > in the mornings.  I know for a fact that
> > this morning, with the clock set at 6:55AM,
> > I needed lights in the house, where last
> > Sunday I did not.
>
> Maybe no savings, but I am going to enjoy the extra sunshine in the
> evening, plus my boys will probably sleep later in the morning.  That
> means I get to sleep later.

There was a pretty thorough article in today's WaPo that talked about the
non-dollar benefits, and there certainly are some.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/     [  registration
equired )-:  ]

What I found interesting was who's been fighting hard to end DST: "That
leaves the opposition mainly in the hands of airlines, which say they have
trouble competing for arrival slots at foreign airports when U.S. time
doesn't match up with European time."

The article pretty much concludes what I've concluded: "Adding an hour of
sunlight at the end of the day is primarily a "lifestyle benefit," Prerau
says, but it's mainly the promise of energy savings that got this bill
passed in 2005."

Children appear to be safer when there's more daylight in the mornings when
they are on their way to school.  But by and large, I think the benefits are
really psychological, not financial.  Building HVAC systems and home
thermostats change their clocks, too, so it's not like the heaters or the
light fixtures of the world are being fooled by the switch.  (-:  DST is as
much of a way of trying to adjust our artificially contrived human 8 hour
workday ruled by the clock with the natural processes of the universe.  What
we *really* need to do is to change the tilt in the Earth's axis!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt

It's our 23° 27? tilt from perpendicular that brings about the long day in
summer, short day in winter business.   There's something that could keep
Congress busy - hearings on re-tilting the earth!  (-:

--
Bobby G.