Legislating Daylight

I’m not a big fan of legislation of any kind but this one is a doozy. Apparently a new energy bill passed by Congress will also add 4 weeks to Daylight Savings Time. This should not be a big deal

Still, no one in the industry is expecting Y2K-bug-like chaos and expense. Representatives from research firms Gartner and Forrester Research said none of their analysts are studying the impact of a DST schedule change, while several major vendors says the effects would be slight. “We view the proposed change in DST as minor,” says Computer Associates spokesman Bob Gordon. “Most of our products rely on the operating system DST determination. When the operating systems are updated to recognize the new dates, most of our products would automatically use the updated information.”For savvy developers, the looming DST change could even present a business opportunity. A discussion on technology news site Slashdot about DST effects drew hundreds of comments, including one from a consultant who, having missed the Y2K gravy boat, was determined to snag a piece of the DST market. “You might say there is nothing to really worry about here, but all the more reason to sell yourself to clients,” the poster wrote. “If there is no real threat, there is no danger you will fail.”Time change poses no Y2K replay by Stacy Cowley and Idg News Service, Network World, 08/01/05

but may produce some interesting ‘inconveniences’ and/or perks.Mike DeMaria of Network Computing, says that we may have to ‘set the clock manually, just like [we] did in the 1970s’, and Anick Jesdanun says “Cell phone companies could give you an extra hour of free weekend calls, and people who depend on online calendars may find themselves late for appointments.”Of course, many people have expressed an opinion on the matter,

Frankly, I wish they’d just cancel Standard Time and switch to Daylight Savings Time year round. I always prefer more light late in the evening to less light. Any economic or other social benefit that would also occur is just gravy. More Daylight Savings Time by James Joyner

That’s right, the companies that already are making billions of dollars in profits on rising energy costs are being given a $10 billion “bonus” by the government. And, the taxpayer, who is paying through the nose for gasoline and energy costs, gets more time to garden.Kukla: National energy bill will make us all feel ‘sunnier’ by Myron Kukla

but my favorite idea was posted by Mitch Tulloch

But instead of passing legislation to extend daylight savings time, why not legislate something really useful instead? Like making pi exactly equal to 3.14? link

Finally, here are two interesting points from More Daylight Savings: Energy Boon or Scheduling Snafu? by Brian Handwerk.

“In addition to the benefits of energy saving, less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity, day light saving just brings a smile to everybody’s faces,” Congressman Markey said in a press statement.

Some of the bill’s boosters cite U.S. Department of Transportation studies from the 1970s.

The 1970s ??