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Thread: Internet Time -- A new standard

  1. #1
    Senior Member roswell1329's Avatar
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    Internet Time -- A new standard

    While searching through some perl examples, I came across a conversion utility for Internet Time. Apparently, Swatch (the old goofy watch manufacturer, popular in the 80s) has come up with a new time standard they're calling Internet Time. Basically, they're removing all time zones but 1 which will be the International reference for Internet Time -- the Beil Mean Time (headquarters for Swatch International). The days are divided into 1000 time increments they're calling .beats. Each .beat is equivalent to 1 minute 26.4 seconds. The time is then stated in .beats with a unique syntax. For example, 3:30pm August 8th would be written

    @897
    09.08.2002

    However, if you were to convert @897 09.08.2002 into standard time, it would be:

    Sometime between 15:31:40 and 15:33:07 August 8th, 2002.

    I think a new way to tell time would be kind of cool, but this seems woefully inaccurate. It would be nice to know that the time is the same everywhere, and there would be no need to convert anymore between time zones. Maybe they're planning to further subdivide that 1 minute 26.4 seconds into an additional 100 or 1000 increments so we could have time like:

    @897.3421
    09.08.2002

    That might be a bit better. I dunno...Thought you all might get a kick out of it, anyway.

    Here's the link to their project: http://swatch.com/fs_index.php?haupt=itime
    /* You are not expected to understand this. */

  2. #2
    Old Fart
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    I read this post and now my head hurts...somebody call Swatch, find out who came up with this inane formula, and have him shot before Arthur Anderson hires him as a 'Creative Accounting Consultant'
    Al
    It isn't paranoia when you KNOW they're out to get you...

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    GAH! I don't want to have to learn another time formula, I already have enough problems in my life as it is I would be so confused that I would never know what time it is. Right now my time telling method consists of roaming to the front of the building I work in to see if it's light outside or not. If it's light I stay at work, if it's dark I go home.

    What time is dark in that forumla?



    This will go down just like the metric "conversion" in the US did. It will die a quiet death that no one will remember.





    El Diablo

  4. #4
    Member
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    or before bush hires them.. just imagine the added impact they would have on america.. *winces*
    \"One wonders what would happen in a society in which there were no rules to break. Doubtless everyone would quickly die of boredom.\" -Susan Hawatch

  5. #5
    Banned
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    Sounds like a cool new thing to learn multiplication and
    division with...

    (time in h+difference to Beil mean time in h)/24h*1000@

    ...and perhaps to keep your uncool friends more confused
    than ever...

    Friend: what time is it?
    You: wait an @...

    After two minutes of calculating
    You: it's @697
    Friend: ?!?

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    Swatch had been this idea 4 or 5 years ago. They have even created a serie of watch with this time numerotation. But it has never worked.

    In theory the idea is great but nobody will learn a such system if he isn't obliged to do it.
    See the USA (and GB), the international system is Kilometer but all americans I know use the mile (USA had even lost a satellite because a scientist has not convert miles in kilometers).

    So... convince a lot of differents people all around the world to use this time system only because it's universal and could be more useable...
    Life is boring. Play NetHack... --more--

  7. #7
    Old-Fogey:Addicts founder Terr's Avatar
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    Yeah, this is old, but personally I don't see it being very useful or helpful in the near future. Besides, it still doesn't help (and in fact may make it much harder) the situation of dealing with time zones... Due to the spread of the 'net. No in-your-head-calculating-time-zone support = No Good.
    [HvC]Terr: L33T Technical Proficiency

  8. #8
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    I like the idea of Internet time, but I think it should still go in minutes, hours...etc

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    What do we do when we have a home-base on the moon?

    I think that time should not be something to worry about on the internet. The internet is supposed to be realtime (I think), so that time really doesn't matter.

    It might be better than telling a friend "Be on Tomorrow at the same time" when they live on Mars, and you're on Earth, due to difference in the planet's rotational speed... It might be useful, but there are easier ways to do this. Just say that at this moment, the Universe as a whole is at 8:30.01 PM, Sunday, August 11, year 2002.... Or something like that... You might work weird hours, etc., but it is probably better than having to compute a new formula for every new chunk or rock we land on.

    -Tim_axe

  10. #10
    Junior Member
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    Just think about the possibilities of manipulating time:
    When your home-time is processed and displayed through the internet someone just has to click one button, enter a new value and the internet-time-clocks all over the world would display the new time. think about the possible dangers...

    just a thought about this
    This post has been [shadow]sledged[/shadow]

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