Friday, March 6, 2009

Daylight Saving Time = Superhero: Spring Forward!

We're all going to lose an hour of sleep tomorrow evening (not like that is anything new for me considering my sleeping patterns as of late), but what's the dealio with DST - Daylight Saving Time?

After a little research, I found out that DST dates back to the early 1900s as a way to conserve energy during WWI. It wasn't a very popular suggestion at first, however. Here's the dealio: by implementing DST the beautiful sunlight would not be wasted and the amount of electricity used during "working hours" would be significantly reduced.


Why the controversy? Changing the clocks, which actually doesn't happen everywhere in the world, can make scheduling a bit more complicated. Broadcasts, travel itineraries, computers, medical equipment, etc...can all be negatively affected by springing forward or falling back one hour. Not only does DST save energy, but studies have shown that DST actually saves lives by reducing crime and car accidents! More details in my research link above.


Personally, I've always enjoyed falling back more than springing forward.

What do you think about DST? Remember, spring forward at 2 am this Sunday, March 8th! Interested in learning more about the history of time? Click HERE.

2 comments:

  1. I don't want to lose another hour of sleep... Sniff.

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  2. It always takes me a day or so to fully trust all the multitude of clocks and time pieces around my house that they are all correct and that yes, it is indeed earlier than I had hoped.

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