Why Do We Have Daylight Saving Time?

We have all just finished the annual practice of "falling back" with our clocks. Why do we have Daylight Saving Time after all? CBS News composed this piece giving the history of the practice. The story also questions whether or not Daylight Saving Time really saves anything.

So Why Do We Have Daylight Saving Time?

CBS News composed this piece giving the history of Daylight Saving Time. The piece also questions whether or not the practice really saves anything.

Extended Daylight Saving Time...One More Reminder

Thank goodness for all of our electronic devices which are smart enough to know when Daylight Saving Time kicks in. They simply adjust themselves. That's all great and wonderful...until Congress steps in and changes when that "kick in" is going to be.

That's exactly what happened in 2007. Electronic devices manufactured after that pose no problem. They change according to "Extended Daylight Saving Time," this year which occurs on November 7.

But what if you still have some electronics that are pre-2007? Don't be surprised if they "fall back" on a week too soon. If that happens to you, take a moment to read some suggestions as to what to do.

Extended Daylight Saving Time One More Time

If you are noticing any of your digital devices suddenly being an hour behind, read this. Today used to be the day that we would leave Daylight Saving Time and "fall back" an hour. These days, that event happens the first Sunday in November, not the last Sunday in October.

Extended Daylight Saving Time Once Again

About this time a year ago, I first wrote about the challenges posed by Extended Daylight Saving Time. That post is here, and dealt primarily with the need for those who have smartphones with any age on them at all to download a patch. Without the patch, the time would "spring forward" several weeks late.

Yes, the starting time for DST changed a year ago. It used to change on the first Sunday of April. Now, DST kicks in the second Sunday of March.

We all need to think in terms of two elements:

1. What clocks and other devices are we going to need to "spring forward" this Saturday night?
2. What clocks and other devices are programmed to "spring forward" on their own, but won't be doing so until the first Sunday of April?

The second question is the one for focus. We are going to have to manually set those devices. That's only half the battle. We are then going to have to come back in several weeks and set them back an hour when they automatically jump ahead.

Clock's not right? Leave it alone!

This morning was a little perplexing. The alarm clock beside the bed said one time. The VCR in the same room, however, read one hour earlier. Likewise, the time on the security system also displayed a time one hour earlier than the alarm clock. Extended Daylight Saving Time strikes again! The makers of our VCRs, computers, security systems, and the like did us a favor by programming them to automatically adjust for Daylight Saving Time. But then, Congress came along and changed the starting and ending dates for DTS!

I have written about this new wrinkle which entered our lives in the spring with posts here and here which talk about preparing ourselves. What if we didn’t prepare? What if we wake up and find clocks displaying the wrong time? I have an easy answer for you---do nothing! Let me clarify that one: Do nothing--at least for now.

Yes, you could go and manually roll the time forward on these various time pieces and have every clock in your world in perfect sync. Guess what will happen in exactly one week? When DST does kick in, you are going to have to turn right around and set each of these timepieces back one hour. So, “Part 1” of my three-part advice is to simply leave well enough alone. In one week, those time pieces are going to be reading the correct time. You will probably also find that your newer electronic devices will self-adjust.

My second piece of advice applies to those of us who live by digital calendars such as the one on Outlook, BlackBerry, or Palm. Be aware that the appointments for the next one week may be an hour off. In addition, since the time displayed may be an hour off, any alarms you have set are also going to chime an hour too soon. My point is that for exactly one week you need to double-check appointments so that you know which entries are the "real deal" and which are the imposters.

Finally, you can steps to prepare so that when arrives March, the Extended Daylight Saving Time bug does either does not strike, or its effects are minimized. (Remember, in March, DST kicks in 3 weeks earlier than before.) The earlier links in this article describe a patch for the BlackBerry which fixes the problem. Microsoft has addressed the issue concerning computers in articles such as this.

The good news is you don’t have to do any of this now. You have until March (but be sure to jot something in your signature tool now, while you are thinking about it). Who knows, by March, you may have replaced that VCR, computer, coffeemaker, security system, or fancy wristwatch anyway!

Extended Daylight Saving Time Revisited

The Daylight Saving Time Problem is still for real! I had written about this problem back in the spring. That post is here. The idea is this: Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time starts 3 weeks earlier and ends 1 week later than in previous years. This year, Daylight Saving Time ends on November 4th.

What that means for many handheld users is that they will need a "patch" in order for the time to show correctly on their handhelds. Without the patch, the time on the handheld will "fall back" a week to early.

Are you a victim of the Extended Daylight Saving Time demon? To find out, look at appointments you have on your handheld between October 28 and November 3. Look at the same appointments on Outlook. Are the times the same? If so, your device is OK. If the two are an hour off, you will need a patch.

1. For BlackBerry users, to get the patch, do this:
2. Close BlackBerry Desktop software
3. Disconnect Blackberry from computer.
4. Go to http://www.blackberry.com/DST2007/patch/index2.shtml
5. Scroll down until you come to a link labeled "DST Patch Loader" and click the link.
   You will get a message asking you to install an Active X Control. Click on the yellow strip at the top of the page to allow this to happen.
6. Connect your BlackBerry to your computer.
7. A button will appear that says "Install DST Patch." Click on it.
8. The patch will download. Be patient. The process will take several minutes and the little "progress bar" may appear to be frozen, but do not worry. Just give it some time.
9. When the process finishes, you are returned to the the screen that has the button asking you to install the DST Patch. It sure would be nice if you got some sort of message telling you that you were finished, but you don't. I am sure there are going to be many people who hit the button again, but at least YOU won't be doing that.
10. You can now disconnect your BlackBerry from the computer. You will find that a little hour glass is spinning on the screen. It may spin for 15 minutes. Don't worry. When it finally stops spinning, you are done!

At this point, the appointments on your BlackBerry and those on Outlook will at the least be the same. It does not mean they are correct. You will need to look at each one to determine if it is correct or an hour off. Make corrections as needed. The next time you sync, the corrections will transfer.

Daylight Saving Time Patch and the BlackBerry

The Daylight Saving Time problem is for real! A couple of days ago, I noticed that an appointment I had entered on my BlackBerry for March 11 was showing up an hour too late on Outlook! As I started looking at other appointments, and found that every one of them between March 11 and April 1 was one hour later on Outlook than on the BlackBerry.

If you are syncing your handheld (BlackBerry, Palm, or whaetver) to your computer, you might want to take a look at appointments during that little three-week window. Also, you might want to simply add an appointment for a day in mid-March and see what happens when you sync.

If you find you are a victim of "DST," the first thing to do is look at the appointments from March 11 through April 1 and decide which one is correct. If in doubt, one thing that will help is if you can remember whether you entered a particular appointment on your handheld or on your desktop. Everything I entered on my BlackBerry was correct on the BlackBerry and an hour late on Outlook. Everything I had entered on Outlook was correct on Outlook and an hour too early on the BlackBerry.

Once you know where the errors are, you can download a patch. For BlackBerry users, do this:

1. Close BlackBerry Desktop software
2. Disconnect Blackberry from computer.
3. Go to http://www.blackberry.com/DST2007/patch/index2.shtml
4. Scroll down until you come to a link labeled "DST Patch Loader" and click the link.
5. You will get a message asking you to install an Active X Control. Click on the yellow strip at the top of the page to allow this to happen.
6. Connect your BlackBerry to your computer.
7. A button will appear that says "Install DST Patch." Click on it.
8. The patch will download. Be patient. The process will take several minutes and the little "progress bar" may appear to be frozen, but do not worry. Just give it some time.
9. When the process finishes, you are returned to the the screen that has the button asking you to install the DST Patch. It sure would be nice if you got some sort of message telling you that you were finished, but you don't. I am sure there are going to be many people who hit the button again, but at least YOU won't be doing that.
10. You can now disconnect your BlackBerry from the computer. You will find that a little hour glass is spinning on the screen. It may spin for 15 minutes. Don't worry. When it finally stops spinning, you are done!

At this point, the appointments on your BlackBerry and those on Outlook will at the least be the same. It does not mean they are correct. You will need to look at each one to determine if it is correct or an hour off. Make corrections as needed. The next time you sync, the corrections will transfer.