Tag: time
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British Columbia, Time Zones, and Postgres
In March 8, 2026, British Columbia moved their clocks to a year-round Pacific Daylight Savings Time, and doubtless broke a lot of software. Every time I work on better timezone support for Three Rings, this is the kind of story that terrifies me!
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Is midnight in the middle of the night?
Niki wondered whether "midnight" is actually the middle of the night and discovered that it pretty much is. I explain that this is because he's in Berlin, which sits very close (only about 6 minutes out) from the solar UTC+1
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Historical Tech Tree
Étienne Fortier-Dubois's excellent Historical Tech Tree is fun and informative, and worth an explore.
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Hour of Ambiguity
Waking during the "hour of uncertainty" at the end of European Summer Time, I find myself wondering why we no longer expect computers to tell us what they're doing about daylight savings, and when.
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[Bloganuary] Nostalgia vs Futurism
Do I spend longer thinking about the future or the past? Honestly, I think it's about equal...
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[Bloganuary] The Gift of Time
The best gifts I've ever received have been those that take me out of my routine (or give me the time and space to do so for myself!).
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Watch with Pride
With thanks to Shawn Rast of Pride Bands, my watch/fitness tracker proudly sports some new colours.
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Ireland and the UK Aren't In The Same Timezone!
Dan is surprised to find that Ireland isn't actually in the same timezone as the UK, and looks into how any why this is.
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Counting Down
I wasn't sure that my whiteboard at the Bodleian, which reminds my co-workers exactly how many days I've got left in the office, was attracting as much attention as it needed to. If I don't know what my colleagues don't know about how I do my job, I can't write it into my handover notes.
So … -
The 500-Year-Long Science Experiment
The 500-Year-Long Science Experiment (The Atlantic) In 2014, microbiologists began a study that they hope will continue long after they’re dead. In the year 2514, some future scientist will arrive at the University of Edinburgh (assuming the university still exists), open a wooden box (assuming the box has not been lost), and break apart a …
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Time
Some people are goldfish, and some people are midgets. Dan's a goldfish. What are you?
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Traveling In Time(zones)
Just when you think you've got them figured out (and the application you're working on is coping correctly with daylight saving time), something comes along and blows your little mind. Like this, for example:
Suppose you're chilling out in Hawaii on some lazy Sunday. Cocktail in hand, you check your watch - it's midday. Midday on … -
A Primer Puzzle
There's a film that I'm a huge fan of, called Primer. Since I first discovered it I've insisted on showing it at least twice at Troma Night (the second time just for the benefit of everybody who didn't "get it" - i.e. everybody - the first time). If you haven't already seen it, this post …
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Kissing At Midnight
In a fleeting thought, as I passed the greengrocer hanging our mistletoe outside his shop this morning, I found myself thinking about the unusual situation I'm in, in that I'll this year be spending New Year's Eve with both of mygirlfriends.
Who do I kiss at midnight?
Thankfully, the solution is clear - this year at least …