Forum Post Times

Is it just me...I have noticed that the times of the posts are wrong on the forum.  Is that one of my settings or a universal thing?

no, you're right.  It's happened before when we adjust the clocks back or forward, but you can always set the time offset so that the forum shows the correct time for your locale.

The forum is on a US server so it will all go right when the US switches.

I am in the US and the times are showing 5 hrs. different for me, too (Brit time- not showing US time...)

Funny thing is, my VCR at home must think it's British/European since it switched time automatically this past weekend!! It's driving me mad, since I keep thinking I have longer to get ready than I really do!   

Funny thing is, my VCR at home must think it's British/European since it switched time automatically this past weekend!!

The end dates were the same in the U.S. until last year -- Last Sunday in October.  That had been the fixed date for years, so the VCR may well have had the date hardcoded into the firmware -- Not good when the date is subject to change on a whim.

Australia is having a similar problem this year with the start of their summer time being moved forward several weeks from the usual date of late.

On the bright side though, despite the messing around with dates, at least the change in the U.S. is now on the same date throughout the nation.  Prior to the Uniform Time Act of 1966 there was no fixed date, with each state and in some cases county setting its own time to "spring forward" or "fall back."

On the bright side though, despite the messing around with dates, at least the change in the U.S. is now on the same date throughout the nation.  Prior to the Uniform Time Act of 1966 there was no fixed date, with each state and in some cases county setting its own time to "spring forward" or "fall back."

Check on that Paul and I think you will find there are exceptions. Arizona, for example doesn't change.

Check on that Paul and I think you will find there are exceptions. Arizona, for example doesn't change.

Yes, Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time, nor does Hawaii. 

Indiana is also complex, as some counties have moved between the eastern and central time zones over the years, and some counties observe daylight savings while others don't.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 specified that where daylight saving time was used the changes must occur on specific dates, but still gave states and counties the option of whether to change the clocks at all.  Prior to 1966, you could find that your county "sprang forward" an hour this Sunday, while a neighboring county to one side might adjust the following weekend, and another county to the other side might have already made the change a week or two earlier.

Edit to add:
Lots of background and history on the adoption of daylight saving time in both the U.S. and the U.K. here:

http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html

Interesting, Paul. I can't imagine different counties changing at different times. What if you lived in one and worked in another?? I seem to remember Europe and the US always changing at different times, though. When I studied in France back in 1994, I can remember having to deal with a 5 hour difference for a while instead of 6 hours.

I can't imagine different counties changing at different times. What if you lived in one and worked in another??

I imagine that life could get quite confusing during the changeover period!     

This quote from the site linked above illustrates it quite well:

Having rallied the general public's support, the Time Uniformity Committee's goal was accomplished, but only after discovering and disclosing that on the 35-mile stretch of highway (Route 2) between Moundsville, W.V., and Steubenville, Ohio, every bus driver and his passengers had to endure seven time changes!

If you think about it, there are still some time issues like this with interstate working, although to a smaller degree.  Consider somebody who lives in New Mexico and works in Arizona, or vice versa.  In winter his home time and work time are the same, but in summer there is an hour's difference.

I seem to remember Europe and the US always changing at different times, though. When I studied in France back in 1994, I can remember having to deal with a 5 hour difference for a while instead of 6 hours.

The ending dates for daylight saving had been similar for several years, but not the start dates (last Sunday in March in Europe, first Sunday in April in the U.S.).  Maybe that's what you're remembering?