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Conventional clocks can be misleading

Around here at least, many people phone TIGER11 [edit: that's 844-3711] to get the time to set their watches and clocks by. And joyous blessings from Verizon. I just tried it, manually synced my PC's clock, and the two were very close if not perfect.
 
For what it's worth, I just took the train from Toronto to Montreal today. Was surprised that the train took off at 1512 by my watch, when I thought it was scheduled for 1515. Turns out it was scheduled for 1510 and my watch was off from my cell phone by two minutes. So I reset my watch, and looked at it when arriving. The jerk of the train coming to a full stop came *exactly* as the second clicked over from ...:59 to ...:00 on the minute it was scheduled to arrive. So at least here, the phone company and the train company march to the same drum :) And my computer, which sets to an on-line time server, appears to be about 4 second off.
 
Meffy said:
Anything tighter than "a few minutes" seems silly for everyday timekeeping.
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True, but when you're into astronomy and are trying to track the ISS, for example, the difference between telephone time and atomic clock time...

In fact, I still haven't figured out the time source for the auto-email I get from NASA, giving me various rise-set times. I'll have to ask.

Lots of computers are equipped to sync to time servers. But I couldn't guess how many are configured right so they do it automatically at a sane interval.
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I use a handy little program called Atom Time Pro. It connects automatically to the atomic clock in boulder at 0100 every day and resets my computer. Interestingly, my computer has been off by as much as two seconds after the previous check.

I've never been able to use those clocks or watches that set themselves via radio signal; I guess we're too far from the source.
 
Speaking of wristwatches, I've been asked by some enthusiasts to try to make available on a wristwatch my java coded/displayed on a pc, cellphone,pda invention. I know that there are lcd watches. Does anyone know if there is a way to transform java and/or other computer software into wristwatches and clocks?

Meffy said:
I want a digital wristwatch that uses Nixie tubes for the display. =@.@=

http://www.cathodecorner.com/nixiewatch/watchhist/watchhist.html

Okay, so it doesn't connect to a net time server. It's a thing of beauty and a joy for as long as those CR2 cells last.
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Jackel said:
Does anyone know if there is a way to transform java and/or other computer software into wristwatches and clocks?
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IBM has a linux based watch: http://www.freeos.com/articles/3800

although I suspect it may not be a perfect match. The cost of downsizing the lcd and processor makes an LCD watch expensive and reduces its processing power a lot: running java on it might be a stretch.
 
Much of the world indeed has no clocks as we know clocks, at least the worlds of plants, of animals, of mountains, of oceans, of planets, of galaxies, of quarks...

God knows how these get along without clocks. And she/he/it/they ain't talkin! Or perhaps we ain't listen' to this s/h/i/t. :-)

tom m. said:
What if the world had no clocks? Wouldn't that be better? Hmmm..
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tom m. said:
What if the world had no clocks? Wouldn't that be better? Hmmm..
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Well, why don't we ask those people who live in societies that don't have clocks? I believe you'll find most of them in those areas that have the highest disease and malnutrition rates, among other things.

Now, I'm not saying that the lack of timepieces caused these conditions. I am saying, however, that timepieces of some sort are necessary to the logistical improvements that would alleviate such conditions. Clocks and such are among those tools which enable the the construction of other tools which improve the human condition.
 
Strong recommendation for everyone: Read Terry Pratchett's "A Thief of Time." Wonderful stuff, including a new and delightful meaning for the word "procrastinator." Also candy, really good candy, and a darned ingenious use for it. And the universe's coolest teacher.

While at it you could also read Tony Hillerman's "A Thief of Time," part of the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee series of police stories. But it's not particularly apropos, as the Pratchett is.
 
69dodge said:
What does the phone company have to do with the time people live by?
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In the US if you dial 853-1212 you will get the time. Many if not most people set their clocks by calling this number for time. I assume other countries do the same.
 
Jackel said:
Much of the world indeed has no clocks as we know clocks, at least the worlds of plants, of animals, of mountains, of oceans, of planets, of galaxies, of quarks...

God knows how these get along without clocks. And she/he/it/they ain't talkin! Or perhaps we ain't listen' to this s/h/i/t. :-)
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God? I don't know about god but science has made great strides to understand the relationship of various things to each other regarding time.
 
Jackel said:
Conventional clocks can be misleading.

For example for the City of Ottawa Canada which has a longitude of 75 degrees 45 minutes west and a latitude of 45 degrees 16.2 minutes north, on Feb 1, 2006 the time of local sunrise was 7:24 am EST and the time of local sunset was 5:10 pm EST. (The time of local sunrise on Feb 2, 20006 was 7:22 am EST.) What was the local time of mid-day/high noon for the day Feb 1 and what was the local time of mid-night for the night of Feb 1/Feb 2?
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I've spent a lot of time thinking about your question and I cannot think of a single instance where I would need to know either of those things. Would you elaborate?
 
You can find a list of servers to sync time against here:
http://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome

You can find more about why computer people are so paranoid about synchronized time here:
http://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome

Be sure to follow the rules of engagement for using time servers:
http://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Servers/RulesOfEngagement
D-Link recently got in trouble for configuring all it's routers to sync against some guy's time server in Denmark.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/11/d-link_time_dispute_settlement/
A lot of home routers can provide that time to local computers. Just set the computer to sync against the router.

Here's how to configure xp to sync time:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307897/en-us
 
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