REMINDER ABOUT D.S.T. (extra entry)

The following is the text of a mass e-mail I sent out today.  I thought I'd also post it on the blog for any who have not received that mass e-mailing :

I wonder if you know that Daylight Savings Time begins EARLIER this year than it has in the past and will last until later in the year than in past years.

This is a front page story in today's (February 14, 2007) MetroWest Daily News
(you can find that on-line at www.MetroWestDailyNews.com )
and was also Charles Osgood's topic this morning on his CBS radio network program "The Osgood Files."

Between 1987 and 2006, Daylight Savings Time began on the first Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October.  In 2007 it begins on Sunday, March 11 and ends on Sunday, November 4.

The problem is not only that WE are not used to those weekends being time change weekends, BUT MANY OF OUR AUTOMATED DEVICES, COMPUTERS, ETC. are automatically programmed to change in and out of Daylight Savings Time according to the OLD schedule.  Thus, they will be out of sync for a few weeks.  The MetroWest Daily News article (as well as Osgood's radio piece) explain that in certain instances this could cause serious confusion and problems. It's along the same line as the old Y2K scare, although admittedly MUCH less serious.  The MetroWest Daily News states that the time change problem HAS been completely fixed in bank computers and recordkeeping, but may not be fixed with a lot of other institutions and entities.

If nothing else, WE need to be reminded to turn our clocks AHEAD one hour on Saturday night, March 10.  (That is, unless you're in Arizona which stays on Standard Time all year.)

I'd suggest you make a note of clock change which will take place on the March 10-11 weekend, and that you remind others about this!