Daylight Savings Time: The Clock That Time Forgot

Daylight Savings time did NOT end this past weekend.

You may recall due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 -- daylight savings time is now typically three weeks longer each year. Instead of setting clocks back the last weekend in October (2006 and earlier schedule), we will now move our clocks back by one hour on Sunday (2am) 4 November 2007.

If the change (or in today's case, lack thereof) caused you momentary confusion -- you're not alone. Today on KXL we talked about phones that (if not patched last Spring ahead of the first schedule change) were displaying the wrong time.

Then there's the inexpensive... (under twenty bucks, mine shown at right) clock that you wouldn't think knew which weekend to "Spring Forward" or "Fall Back" -- yet, in fact it does.

The clock maker Chaney Instrument Company refers to this product with the brand name AccuRite and boasts a (patent-pending, though perhaps now patented?) Set & Forget® technology. You can read the Jan. 2004 press release heralding this new time-saving (if you'll pardon the pun) device here.



Sounds great, right?

Problem is -- the clock's internal pre-programmed calendar is hard-coded to the old daylight savings time with apparently no way for it to be upgraded. This means, you've guessed it -- now I am forced to set the clock FOUR times a year.

Sometimes technology isn't all it's cracked up to be... might be time for a new wall clock. ;-)

I've sent an inquiry into the manufacturer and will post updates here when I hear back...


1:30 PM -- Update 1: A very gracious (and helpful) Customer Service Manager tells me, "The clocks are not technically defective." Fair, I suppose. I've been referred to the marketing department for additional information, I'll post an update when available.