As previously predicted, everyone’s in a frenzy this week (in the IT world, primarily, but expect many Y2Kesque DOOOOM headlines in the normal press in the next few days) over the impending New Improved Daylight Savings Time, which kicks in at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. This is the first nationwide change in DST in the US (plus, forced to follow along, in Canada) since 1986, since which time a
lot of systems have come into place that automatically “know” when DST starts and stops — and, of course, everything they know will now be wrong.
Pretty much anything that (a) keeps track of time, and (b) automatically and internally adjusts itself to DST based on the date will need some sort of patch, update, or manual intervention. That means, for most folks, PCs and PDAs. Manually adjusted items (clocks) and those that take their cue from external sources (mobile phones, cable boxes) will not need patches (but will be subject to user/broadcaster error in updating the time). Most vendors of operating systems/PDAs have put out patches
already, but doubtless a lot of people haven’t installed them.
Regardless of patching and alerts, I expect hilarity to ensue over the following three weeks as people arrive at or call into meetings and appointments an hour late (or will it be an hour early?). Ditto for things scheduled during the new extra DST this fall.
The best suggestions I’ve heard to deal with the mess are:
a. Manually confirm meeting times with organizers over the next few weeks that the time you think something is happening is, in fact, the time they think it’s happening.
b. If you send out meeting notices for the next few weeks, embed the time in the meeting subject (“XYZ Review – 8:30 a.m. MDT”) so that if folks do the math and come up with something different, they know to pursue the problem.
c. Write your congresscritters telling them to either get rid of DST, make it permanent, or stop screwing around with it.
As part of the normal DST brouhaha, this is also the proverbial good time to
As a regular (yet non-hectic-holiday) bi-annual event, clock changes are also when various activities get recommended, including:
- Change smoke alarm batteries, CO alarm batteries, etc.
- Check spare tire pressure
- Replace car windshield wipers
Have fun!
All I really care about is my DVR. If I miss the next episode of Heroes because of this…
I’m worried about my DVR too, but we have until April 23rd to figure out if it works or not before we miss Heroes. 🙁
Yeah, the DVR bummed me, too — will need to check the system time on Sunday and hope the schedules are in sync.
As to Heroes … somehow I managed to drop off the viewing subscription several eps back, so I’ve not been watching it — waiting for the season DVD set to come out … 🙁
Yeah, things have been all higgledy-piggledy here too. Shouts of doom and “What are we doing about this?!?” have denigrated into more shouts of doom and “What are YOU doing about this?!?!”
With any luck the computers will all explode and I’ll take the day off.
Yeah, but then I’d have to find something honest to do for a living.