Why I like DST
March 10, 2013 at 8:34 PM by Dr. Drang
I know I’ve said some of this before, but if bloggers didn’t repeat themselves where would their content come from?
I like Daylight Saving Time, and the advantages it brings more than make up for the slight disruption in my schedule. In fact, the most annoying thing to me about the DST changeovers is hearing people complain about them. The “lost hour of sleep” is especially rich. Who are these hothouse flowers who always get exactly the same amount of sleep except for that terrible day in March? To hear them talk, you’d think they never stay up late watching a movie or reading a book. Only prisoners have such regimented lives.
I am sympathetic to parents with small children, because their changing sleep patterns can mess up your day. That problem, though, is worse when we change back to Standard Time in the fall. On what my wife calls The Day That Never Ends, the kids get up according to their internal clock but insist on going to bed according to the clock on the wall. Still, that lasts only a day or two. (Special note to Jason Kottke: If your kids take two weeks to adjust to the change, you’re doing something wrong.)
So what’s good about DST? Go to this page run by the US Naval Observatory, enter where you live, and look at an entire year’s worth of sunrise and sunset time given in Standard Time. Here’s what I get for Chicago:
o , o , CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Astronomical Applications Dept.
Location: W087 41, N41 51 Rise and Set for the Sun for 2013 U. S. Naval Observatory
Washington, DC 20392-5420
Central Standard Time
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Day Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set
h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m
01 0718 1631 0703 1706 0625 1741 0533 1816 0447 1850 0418 1919 0420 1929 0445 1909 0517 1824 0548 1732 0623 1645 0659 1621
02 0718 1632 0702 1708 0624 1743 0531 1818 0445 1851 0418 1920 0420 1929 0446 1907 0518 1822 0549 1730 0625 1643 0700 1620
03 0718 1633 0701 1709 0622 1744 0530 1819 0444 1852 0417 1921 0421 1929 0447 1906 0519 1820 0550 1729 0626 1642 0701 1620
04 0718 1634 0700 1710 0620 1745 0528 1820 0443 1853 0417 1922 0421 1929 0448 1905 0520 1819 0551 1727 0627 1641 0702 1620
05 0718 1634 0659 1711 0619 1746 0526 1821 0442 1854 0417 1922 0422 1929 0449 1904 0521 1817 0552 1725 0628 1640 0703 1620
06 0718 1635 0657 1713 0617 1747 0525 1822 0440 1855 0416 1923 0423 1928 0450 1903 0522 1815 0553 1723 0630 1639 0704 1620
07 0718 1636 0656 1714 0616 1748 0523 1823 0439 1856 0416 1924 0423 1928 0451 1901 0523 1814 0554 1722 0631 1638 0705 1620
08 0718 1638 0655 1715 0614 1750 0521 1824 0438 1857 0416 1924 0424 1928 0452 1900 0524 1812 0556 1720 0632 1637 0706 1620
09 0718 1639 0654 1717 0612 1751 0520 1825 0437 1858 0416 1925 0425 1927 0453 1859 0525 1810 0557 1718 0633 1635 0707 1620
10 0718 1640 0653 1718 0611 1752 0518 1826 0436 1859 0415 1925 0425 1927 0454 1857 0526 1808 0558 1717 0634 1634 0708 1620
11 0717 1641 0651 1719 0609 1753 0516 1828 0435 1900 0415 1926 0426 1926 0455 1856 0527 1807 0559 1715 0636 1633 0708 1620
12 0717 1642 0650 1720 0607 1754 0515 1829 0434 1901 0415 1926 0427 1926 0456 1855 0528 1805 0600 1714 0637 1632 0709 1620
13 0717 1643 0649 1722 0606 1755 0513 1830 0432 1902 0415 1927 0428 1925 0457 1853 0529 1803 0601 1712 0638 1632 0710 1620
14 0716 1644 0647 1723 0604 1756 0512 1831 0431 1903 0415 1927 0428 1925 0458 1852 0530 1801 0602 1710 0639 1631 0711 1620
15 0716 1645 0646 1724 0602 1758 0510 1832 0430 1904 0415 1928 0429 1924 0459 1850 0531 1800 0603 1709 0641 1630 0711 1621
16 0715 1646 0645 1725 0600 1759 0509 1833 0429 1905 0415 1928 0430 1923 0500 1849 0532 1758 0604 1707 0642 1629 0712 1621
17 0715 1648 0643 1727 0559 1800 0507 1834 0429 1906 0415 1928 0431 1923 0501 1847 0533 1756 0606 1706 0643 1628 0713 1621
18 0714 1649 0642 1728 0557 1801 0505 1835 0428 1907 0415 1929 0432 1922 0502 1846 0534 1754 0607 1704 0644 1627 0713 1622
19 0714 1650 0640 1729 0555 1802 0504 1836 0427 1908 0415 1929 0433 1921 0503 1844 0535 1753 0608 1703 0645 1627 0714 1622
20 0713 1651 0639 1730 0554 1803 0502 1837 0426 1909 0416 1929 0433 1920 0504 1843 0536 1751 0609 1701 0647 1626 0714 1622
21 0712 1652 0637 1732 0552 1804 0501 1839 0425 1910 0416 1929 0434 1919 0505 1841 0537 1749 0610 1700 0648 1625 0715 1623
22 0712 1654 0636 1733 0550 1805 0459 1840 0424 1911 0416 1929 0435 1919 0506 1840 0538 1747 0611 1658 0649 1625 0715 1624
23 0711 1655 0635 1734 0549 1807 0458 1841 0423 1912 0416 1930 0436 1918 0507 1838 0539 1746 0613 1657 0650 1624 0716 1624
24 0710 1656 0633 1735 0547 1808 0456 1842 0423 1913 0417 1930 0437 1917 0508 1837 0540 1744 0614 1655 0651 1623 0716 1625
25 0709 1657 0631 1737 0545 1809 0455 1843 0422 1914 0417 1930 0438 1916 0510 1835 0542 1742 0615 1654 0652 1623 0717 1625
26 0708 1659 0630 1738 0543 1810 0454 1844 0421 1915 0417 1930 0439 1915 0511 1834 0543 1741 0616 1653 0654 1622 0717 1626
27 0708 1700 0628 1739 0542 1811 0452 1845 0421 1915 0418 1930 0440 1914 0512 1832 0544 1739 0617 1651 0655 1622 0717 1627
28 0707 1701 0627 1740 0540 1812 0451 1846 0420 1916 0418 1930 0441 1913 0513 1830 0545 1737 0619 1650 0656 1622 0718 1627
29 0706 1702 0538 1813 0449 1847 0420 1917 0419 1930 0442 1912 0514 1829 0546 1735 0620 1649 0657 1621 0718 1628
30 0705 1704 0537 1814 0448 1848 0419 1918 0419 1930 0443 1911 0515 1827 0547 1734 0621 1647 0658 1621 0718 1629
31 0704 1705 0535 1815 0419 1919 0444 1910 0516 1825 0622 1646 0718 1630
Add one hour for daylight time, if and when in use.
Sorry about the need to scroll horizontally; that’s just how the results are formatted.
If we stayed on Standard Time throughout the year, sunrise here in the Chicago area would be between 4:15 and 4:30 am from the middle of May through the middle of July. And if you check the times for civil twilight, which is when it’s bright enough to see without artificial light, you’ll find that that starts half an hour earlier.
This is insane and a complete waste of sunlight. Good for a nation of farmers, I suppose, but of no value to anyone in our current urban/suburban society except those people who get up and go running before work. And I see no reason to encourage them.
DST haters often point out “studies that prove” that the DST changeover costs us billions of dollars in lost productivity. There are three problems with these studies:
- First, they’re obvious bullshit and, like all bullshit studies, undermine the public’s confidence in real science and real research.
- Second, do these “studies” ever look into the productivity of people who can’t get a good night’s sleep from May through July because the sun streams into their bedroom at an ungodly hour and the birds start singing outside their window at three-fucking-thirty in the morning? No, they do not.
- And finally, even if it did cause a net loss of productivity, so what? Everything of value in life causes lost productivity: eating, drinking, talking with your friends, playing with your children, looking at the stars, everything.
If, by the way, you think the solution is to stay on DST throughout the year, I can only tell you that we tried that back in the 70s and it didn’t turn out well. Sunrise here in Chicago was after 8:00 am, which put school children out on the street at bus stops before dawn in the dead of winter.1 It was the same on the East Coast. Nobody liked that.
People complain about the complications DST causes in scheduling, especially in our connected world where international phone calls have to be arranged between people in countries whose time changes occur at different points in the calendar. This is a real problem, but only because our vaunted technology has let us down.
The set of rules for calendars, time zones, and clock changes is exactly the sort of thing computers should be good at handling for us, but because of programmer arrogance and incompetence, we end up with problems that shouldn’t exist. In the past few years we’ve had Zunes that wouldn’t boot, Playstations that wouldn’t play, and iPhone alarms that wouldn’t alarm (again and again and again).
Because the rules are already in place, programmers only have to learn what they are and implement them. This is where the incompetence and arrogance come in. Programmers don’t bother to learn the rules and think they can be tossed off in a few lines of code. We end up with devices that promise to keep us on track but are less reliable than a paper calendar and a windup alarm clock.
So instead of signing a stupid petition, agitate for better programmers. And then go have a nice walk after dinner tomorrow; it’ll still be light out.
-
And if you’re wondering why I’m not accounting for predawn light in this case, it’s because winter skies tend to be more overcast and don’t provide as much twilight as summer skies do. ↩
