Wrist Sundials vs. Wrist Watches

Sundials were used well into the Middle Ages as timepieces and people measured time based on the position of the sun. Prior to 1883 , towns in the US recognized local time relative to 'high noon'. THEN came the railroads, and standardized time and time zones became important for train schedules. And because we love our recreation time, we just adjust our clocks a bit in the summer months and voilà... we're 'saving' daylight time!

This coming Sunday, we Spring Ahead! In previous years, in the US, DST began the first Sunday in April and lasted until the last Sunday in October. But beginning in 2007, we're 'saving' even more! DST starts the second Sunday in March and continues till the first Sunday in November, thanks to the the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Every time zone in the US switches their clock according to local time. Some states choose not to switch. The state of Arizona doesn't recognize DST, but the Navajo Nation within Arizona does. Worldwide, it's kind of like the Tower of Bablel syndrome for time... national policies for saving daylight vary widely, often from year to year and may even be disposed of for 'special occasions'. Japan, India and China don't incorporate any form of daylight saving time. Equatorial and tropical countries don't need it. In Antarctica, there is no daylight in the winter and 24-hours of daylight in the summer, yet research stations there observe Daylight Saving Time anyway.

However we measure it though, we aren't really 'saving' any daylight, we are just adjusting our frame of reference. It's an arbitrary practice which, tho' well-established, still caues confusion to many . One woman laments that if she gives birth to twins 10 minutes apart, with one child born 1:50 AM just prior to the end of DST (Fall) ... the birth order of the two children would be reversed. Likewise, on the day we Spring Ahead no children are born between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 A.M. And, in order to keep to their published timetables, Amtrak trains in the U.S. that are running on time stop at 2:00 A.M. and wait one hour before resuming. BTW, if you play the game, Mind Trap... I just gave you big clues to solve three of the puzzles!

Through the 1960's, the observance of DST was mainly left up to individual communites (except during WWI & II) until the problems overcame the precedence:

• Travel on the 35 mile stretch of highway between Moundsville, WV and Steubenville, OH entailed changing time zones seven times.
• For five weeks each year, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington D.C., Cleveland, or Baltimore, but Chicago was.
• Minneapolis and St. Paul were on two different time zones for part of the year.

Thus, a federal law was passed in 1966 establishing the parameters of DST, with states being permitted to opt out by state legislation.

So while the passage of time is established by Divine Design, the measurement of it is a human endeavor for convenience of commerce, government, or entertainment purposes. This due. in part, to the invention of spring powered clocks/watches in 1500 A.D., has enable us to 'manipulate time' to fit our collective lifestyles. It's also a much better fashion statement... Wrist sundials, while having that 'vintage' look, could be somewhat clunky, and it would certainly alter the time display on our cell phones.

Oh, and... we'd need some other way to remind us to change the batteries our smoke detectors.