Kayaker
April 4th, 2006, 00:23
"An immense sum, that the city of Paris might save every year."
Benjamin Franklin
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin.html
Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun. We've learned to save energy and enjoy sunny summer evenings by switching our clocks an hour forward in the summer.
OK this may be
1. waaayy off topic, or
2. Not so way off topic..
Like many others in North America, the European Union and possibly Lower Slobovia, I changed my clocks ahead the other day for Daylight Saving Time (DST). In fact it was my computer clock and the automatic DST setting that reminded me I had to do this. Yes, yes, the usual twice yearly resetting of every flipping timepiece inside or outside the house. You know the drill, Spring forward, Fall back. The DST 'equinox' is also a great time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors, recharge the fire extinguishers, and change your undershorts after the long winter.
Beginning in 2007 both Canada and the US will be changing the dates for DST. DST will begin 3 weeks earlier on the second Sunday of March, and end one week later on the first Sunday of November.
Here are the new settings:
What is going to happen on March 11, 2007?
Oh NO, this is going to break Windows automatic DST settings code! Oh what shall we do?, it's Y2K all over again!! Aaaah.. panic in the streets, the stock market reacts, people leaping from tall buildings, cats and dogs living in sin, it will be terrible just terrible.
So what can we as reversers do about it? Ah, glad you asked. Should we wait for MS to issue a patch or should we design our own? I did a small amount of research into this pressing problem ;-)
Windows controls the DST settings through the timedate.cpl Control panel extension. The information is kept in the registry, the code determines how it is used.
Heh, this was just going to be in the Off Topic forum but I think I'll leave it as a Project. Let's call it a mental or practical challenge - as to the best approach if you were assigned the job of creating a patch for this soon-to-be issue. Someone at Microsoft is probably already thinking about it.
One could change the registry settings, but what do you change and how? How does the timedate.cpl code use TimeZone / Locale information with the various registry settings to determine when to reset your system clock for Daylight Saving Time? Is there a 'hardcoded' list of the "normal" dates of DST (or Summertimeperiod) for various parts of the World, either to be used during first install or afterwards?
In short, how would you fix YOUR computer, or does anything really need fixing? This also affects software such as the vBulletin php code used to run this board, some members may have noticed it changing your DST settings the last time you logged in.
Top prize wins...?
Cheers,
Kayaker
Benjamin Franklin's
Essay on Daylight Saving
Letter to the Editor of the Journal of Paris, 1784
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin3.html
Brilliant reading btw. Ol' Ben was a clever writer. I'm not sure if he's dead serious or writing with a sardonic wit of the times. It seems that Ben, party animal and man-about-town that he was, rarely woke before Noon. One day he got woken up early and, well...
"I was pleased to see this general concern for economy, for I love economy exceedingly.
I went home, and to bed, three or four hours after midnight, with my head full of the subject. An accidental sudden noise waked me about six in the morning, when I was surprised to find my room filled with light; and I imagined at first, that a number of those lamps had been brought into it; but, rubbing my eyes, I perceived the light came in at the windows. I got up and looked out to see what might be the occasion of it, when I saw the sun just rising above the horizon, from whence he poured his rays plentifully into my chamber, my domestic having negligently omitted, the preceding evening, to close the shutters.
I looked at my watch, which goes very well, and found that it was but six o'clock; and still thinking it something extraordinary that the sun should rise so early, I looked into the almanac, where I found it to be the hour given for his rising on that day. I looked forward, too, and found he was to rise still earlier every day till towards the end of June; and that at no time in the year he retarded his rising so long as till eight o'clock. Your readers, who with me have never seen any signs of sunshine before noon, and seldom regard the astronomical part of the almanac, will be as much astonished as I was, when they hear of his rising so early; and especially when I assure them, that he gives light as soon as he rises. I am convinced of this. I am certain of my fact. One cannot be more certain of any fact. I saw it with my own eyes. And, having repeated this observation the three following mornings, I found always precisely the same result."
Benjamin Franklin
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin.html
Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun. We've learned to save energy and enjoy sunny summer evenings by switching our clocks an hour forward in the summer.
OK this may be
1. waaayy off topic, or
2. Not so way off topic..
Like many others in North America, the European Union and possibly Lower Slobovia, I changed my clocks ahead the other day for Daylight Saving Time (DST). In fact it was my computer clock and the automatic DST setting that reminded me I had to do this. Yes, yes, the usual twice yearly resetting of every flipping timepiece inside or outside the house. You know the drill, Spring forward, Fall back. The DST 'equinox' is also a great time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors, recharge the fire extinguishers, and change your undershorts after the long winter.
Beginning in 2007 both Canada and the US will be changing the dates for DST. DST will begin 3 weeks earlier on the second Sunday of March, and end one week later on the first Sunday of November.
Here are the new settings:
Code:
(due to U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005)
N.A. (DST begins/ends) 1 a.m.
2006 April 2 October 29
2007 March 11 November 4
E.U. (Summertimeperiod begins/ends) 2 a.m.
2006 March 26 October 29
2007 March 25 October 28
What is going to happen on March 11, 2007?
Oh NO, this is going to break Windows automatic DST settings code! Oh what shall we do?, it's Y2K all over again!! Aaaah.. panic in the streets, the stock market reacts, people leaping from tall buildings, cats and dogs living in sin, it will be terrible just terrible.
So what can we as reversers do about it? Ah, glad you asked. Should we wait for MS to issue a patch or should we design our own? I did a small amount of research into this pressing problem ;-)
Windows controls the DST settings through the timedate.cpl Control panel extension. The information is kept in the registry, the code determines how it is used.
Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation]
"Bias"=dword:0000012c
"StandardName"="Eastern Standard Time"
"StandardBias"=dword:00000000
"StandardStart"=hex:00,00,0a,00,05,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
"DaylightName"="Eastern Daylight Time"
"DaylightBias"=dword:ffffffc4
"DaylightStart"=hex:00,00,04,00,01,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
"ActiveTimeBias"=dword:000000f0
Heh, this was just going to be in the Off Topic forum but I think I'll leave it as a Project. Let's call it a mental or practical challenge - as to the best approach if you were assigned the job of creating a patch for this soon-to-be issue. Someone at Microsoft is probably already thinking about it.
One could change the registry settings, but what do you change and how? How does the timedate.cpl code use TimeZone / Locale information with the various registry settings to determine when to reset your system clock for Daylight Saving Time? Is there a 'hardcoded' list of the "normal" dates of DST (or Summertimeperiod) for various parts of the World, either to be used during first install or afterwards?
In short, how would you fix YOUR computer, or does anything really need fixing? This also affects software such as the vBulletin php code used to run this board, some members may have noticed it changing your DST settings the last time you logged in.
Top prize wins...?
Cheers,
Kayaker
Benjamin Franklin's
Essay on Daylight Saving
Letter to the Editor of the Journal of Paris, 1784
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin3.html
Brilliant reading btw. Ol' Ben was a clever writer. I'm not sure if he's dead serious or writing with a sardonic wit of the times. It seems that Ben, party animal and man-about-town that he was, rarely woke before Noon. One day he got woken up early and, well...
"I was pleased to see this general concern for economy, for I love economy exceedingly.
I went home, and to bed, three or four hours after midnight, with my head full of the subject. An accidental sudden noise waked me about six in the morning, when I was surprised to find my room filled with light; and I imagined at first, that a number of those lamps had been brought into it; but, rubbing my eyes, I perceived the light came in at the windows. I got up and looked out to see what might be the occasion of it, when I saw the sun just rising above the horizon, from whence he poured his rays plentifully into my chamber, my domestic having negligently omitted, the preceding evening, to close the shutters.
I looked at my watch, which goes very well, and found that it was but six o'clock; and still thinking it something extraordinary that the sun should rise so early, I looked into the almanac, where I found it to be the hour given for his rising on that day. I looked forward, too, and found he was to rise still earlier every day till towards the end of June; and that at no time in the year he retarded his rising so long as till eight o'clock. Your readers, who with me have never seen any signs of sunshine before noon, and seldom regard the astronomical part of the almanac, will be as much astonished as I was, when they hear of his rising so early; and especially when I assure them, that he gives light as soon as he rises. I am convinced of this. I am certain of my fact. One cannot be more certain of any fact. I saw it with my own eyes. And, having repeated this observation the three following mornings, I found always precisely the same result."
