All right, so assuming we have made any argument at all for the frivolousness of Daylight Saving Time (note the absence of a plural on Saving), should we stay on Standard or Daylight time? 

In some respects, which is trivial—do you want a little extra sunlight in the morning or the afternoon? Makes no difference, since you’ll be in twilight for another 45 minutes either way. 

Humbly, the Czar submits that Standard time be used, if for no other reason that noon will line up approximately with the point in the sky when the sun is directly overhead. It does not do this in Daylight Saving Time: the sun is 15° out of position during DST, which is a big deal if you can time and direction by the sun like the Czar can. Plus, it will synchronize all out GPS satellites and world clocks again to a nice 24-hour spread, which also goes out of whack when some countries use DST.

Now, Dr. J. is a visual learner, so he channeled his inner Veronique de Rugy, and whipped up this handy dandy figure during a meeting that he found rather boring this afternoon:

When you look at the graph, with DST, sunrise times are essentially flattened. The sunrise amplitude without DST is 2.4 hours while with it it is only 1.5 hours. Without DST the range is 4:30 AM to 6:55. With it, the range is 5:30 AM to 7AM. Runners and part-time farmers may not be happy with this. The sun rises a little later in March and October, but other than than that, the sunlight for the typical runner probably remains roughly even between the winter and summer months, so the change of the clocks should not affect a morning runner’s visibility horribly. Part-time farmers have less visibility during the warm months than they would without it, but that is a small majority of folks, including Dr. J.’s friend Pa Ingalls, whose opinion he will get when he sees him next.

So, in modern post-industrial society, having the additional sunlight at the end of the day during the warmer late spring, summer and early autumn days is a boon. Last night for example, after dinner, it was sufficently warm and sunny that Mrs. Dr. J. said, “Lets go for a walk, we haven’t had a chance to do that in a while.” Clan J. including little Lady J. enjoyed a nice mile long trek together that we wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to do on a school night with standard time.

Memorial Day weekend, the pools across New Atlantis open. Dr. and Mrs. Dr. J. would meet the kids at the NACC pool after work, and stay until close, enjoying a snack there or a late supper at home. In other words DST makes it easier for modern families to take advantage of the longer days of summer than standard time permits with little opportunity cost with regard to sunlight.

Given the added utility, things like the Sun being at a 15% angle at noon, and other similar arguments regarding technical aspects of GPS technology  do not hold water with Dr. J. If we can put a man on the moon, we can make sure the VCR clock changes with DST. Fortunately VCRs became obsolete at the same time Bush changed the calendar for DST, but Dr. J. remembers fussing with the pre-programmed clocks having to be adjusted as firmware updates and wifi connectivity were not standard in television recording devices. He’d also have to review the accident/injury/illness data carefully to make an informed comment with the number needed to harm with regard to accidents in contrast to the number needed to treat to see social benefits. But overall, Dr. J. is very much pro-DST. The walk with his family in itself made the 2-3 days of ‘jet lag’ worth it.

Dr. J. welcomes letters, but he may be snarky in response to any letters from avid joggers.

* Dr. J. rises at 5AM given the extensive list of chores he has to do before Mrs. Dr. J., the little J.’s and Lady J. arise at 5:30, 6:30 and 6:45 respectively. Unlike Pa Ingalls, his chores are almost exclusively of the indoor variety.