This silly law doesn't work, it just screws up the US time from the rest of the free world

I should have slept in an hour today and blamed it on the premature time change.

Our Norstar phones set themselves back an hour over the weekend. I'm sure a software update will be $$$, if one is even available. I figured out how to set the clocks manually, so I guess we'll live with it.

I noticed that on the time clock at work today. The last time I was in at 6.45 in the morning was in August.

@LetMeGetTheManager: Except the clock goes the wrong way. If you set your clock back on Sunday, you'd have been an hour early for work today.

We have electronic locks on our doors at work. The electronic locks didn't get the memo that daylight savings time is a week later this year, and we were locked out of our building in the cold.

They extended DST as an energy experiment, and I see no valid reason for it to work. The cost and effort of changing a well established system will far outweigh the minimal (if any) gains. They would get better results by giving away CFLs. But that would cost the gov't money, where as this just costs people money, effort, and time.

@LetMeGetTheManager: No, you'd get to work an hour late. Let's say you usually set your alarm for 7am but your clock is an hour behind... your alarm will go off when it's actually 8am.

Err, that comment was directed B.

I am now completely freaked out. What time is it (EST)? My computer and cell phone agree, but they could both be wrong? OMGOMGOMGOMG...

Heres the current time: [tycho.usno.navy.mil]

Wow, Consumerist, thank you for helping me look smart at work just now *laugh* My boss called me this morning asking why his cell phone was wrong by an hour, and I just went and told him why. You guys get a gold star.

Does anyone have a link to the US gov't report which concluded that the DST change actually REQUIRED more energy due to the new chips which had to be made, software changes which had to be made, etc. to accommodate this change? It came out about a month after the last time change.

Dumb law overall, as lighting uses little electricity compared to computers, machines, heating & air conditioning. I'm all for dropping DST once and for all.

In the interest of correctness, it's "daylight saving time," not "daylight savings time." Just to nitpick.

On behalf of all the people in Arizona, I'd just like to say in my best Nelson Muntz voice: HA HA!

gee thanks Bush, i'm sure this whole thing is going to make for a very amusing experiment. feel free to join the rest of the world in laughing at our running around, trying to figure out what the hell time it is.

Ugh, last night around 10PM all my clocks changed. I don't know why it happened early either. My alarm clock was an hour behind and my cable box was an hour ahead, my cellphone and computer were the only clocks that didn't change. I didn't know if I was going to bed early or late.

My TiVo series 1 has the wrong time this week, made worse because it does not allow manual clock changes. And you have to wonder why they won't push out a simple software update to fix it.

Our Comcast box is off an hour. Imagine that, I know! Comcast!

For all the parents of young children who will be trick or treating this year, I thank you for that extra bit of light.

To be on the safe side, I set my husband's alarm an hour early for work Sunday morning. Sure enough, our clocks switched themselves over. Several of his emplyees were late to work, yesterday morning.

My router totally effed up last night. It had to be replaced.

@Outtacontext: What's the fun in that? Half the fun of trick-or-treating as a young kid was being outside after dark, with flashlights/lanterns!

My phone was fine but my clock was all screwed up. Weird.

my computer, cable box and verizon phone all say it's 1:45 Pacific. My T-mobile blackberry says it's 12:45. So I'm just gonna assume that T-mobile screwed up...

My work computer refuses to accept this change and it's about to get stomped on. It's very irritating to look down and see 3:51 and think, "Wait, I thought I was almost done."

Somebody tell the Feds about this, OK? Last night, I tried to since my PC against the atomic clock, and it kept telling me I was an hour off.

I had a bizarre moment yesterday - scheduled to meet ma-in-law for fine Indian cuisine. I think I'm on schedule cause the clock in the bedroom says 11:15. Look at the time on my computer and it's 12:15. Wh-what? Time on phone: 11:15. Time on lo-tech clocks, 12:15. After some shenanigans, we were :45 late. So much for our fancy atomic-clocks...

I can't tell you how bad my clocks have been messed up over the past 2 days...

Interestingly, I think we spend a greater proportion of the year on Daylight Saving Time than on Standard Time. Perhaps we should call the former "Standard Time" and the latter "Daylight Losing Time".

Yes... this screwed me up yesterday. My clock adjusts this automatically, and has no option for it to NOT do it. So what do the brainchildren who came up with this idea suggest I do with this clock now?

Just to be all servicey:

EDT does not equal EST. During Daylight Saving Time, we use EDT. When it's Standard Time, we use EST. Not the same.

They are 2 different times. During the summer, no area (since Indiana changed) observes EST (at least that I'm aware of).

I used to live in Indiana and talked myself blue trying to explain why it mattered if you were setting up a satellite broadcast during the summer.

That is all.

@MercuryPDX - On my clock that adjusted via the atomic signal, I set it to EST instead of CST where I am. I know stupid but it works.

The DST issue has reared its ugly head lately at the office as well. Desktops even with the MS patch are out of sync with servers.

Stupid law. Both parties need to be ashamed of such a idiotic tactic.

@mkechaz: No such luck on mine, and I'm pissed because that(and the full battery back-up) was a selling point. I haven't been late or overslept since I got it.

The manual says "The clock and calendar automatically adjust for DST and leap years. If you live in an area that does not follow DST, you will need to reset the clock when these adjustments occur."

Why not change Daylight Savings Time to 30 minutes ONE TIME and be done with whole silly thing?

Even with all the onslaught of media coverage on the night before the change, it seems many people still wind up late to work on Monday morning.

The problem is that "computer chips" don't get the news that the law was changed, but as soon as it was announced, all the electronics companies updated their chips to take into account the new law and dates affected.

As much as people bitch about the Daylight Saving time change, nobody seems to bother figuring out who's responsible. For that, we can thank Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), sponsor of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, along with Richard Pombo (R-CA) and William Thomas (R-CA). Interestingly, Joe Barton is the recipient of more campaign funding from the oil industry than any other Congressman in the 2004 election. Whether he did this out of the goodness of his heart for conservation or has ulterior motives, I don't have the answer. But it makes you wonder.

@gruffydd: I agree.

But, then again, not all states use DST. Not all states that use DST go forward/back an hour.