[codex]

In an era of smart timekeeping, I would much prefer the opposite: minute DST adjustments every single day to ensure that sunrise is always at the same time of day, everywhere. This is how we evolved, after all: to awake with the sun.

This would imply two dimensional time zones (one per state?) with a non-trivial conversion function between zones. Once everyone's watch is GPS and Internet enabled this should be straightforward.

[henrikschroder]

Where I am, in the summer, the sun sets, sort of, a bit after midnight, and sunrise is about two hours later.

And in the winter, the sun rises at nine in the morning, and sets before three in the afternoon.

Your suggestion is hilariously myopic. Go live in Alaska for a year, and then come back and tell me if you've re-evaluated it.

[codex]

EDIT: By my calculations, even in Anchorage the average slew rate would be only two minutes a day, which seems practical enough to me.

With two dimensional time zones, each region could choose the strategy that works for them. If the slew rate is too great at peak, it could be smoothed.

Note that I am not suggesting that the hours in a day change (much), or length of an hour, or an attempt to keep both sunrise and sunset constant; sunrise would always be at seven, and sunset times would change. This way you maximize sunlight time while still going to bed at the same time each night. They would seem valuable for Alaaka.

To be honest, though, tus sounds a lot like an argument that humans are not naturally adapted to live in the arctic. Perhaps there no time system makes sense.

[riffraff]

The monks on mount athos do this[0], but they adjust weekly, and the time is set at sunset rather than sunrise. "Byzantine clock" makes a lot more sense now that I know this exists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos#Date_and_time_recko...

[drudru11]

Have you ever looked at date calculation code?

[handzhiev]

Why the heck do people want same time sunset every day? What's so great about it, I really don't get it. It's like dreaming to have 22 C and sunny all the time. Sounds cool until you really try it.

The nature is not equal every day. I see no point in trying to make it so.

[jzwinck]

People even now often prefer watches with no electronics at all. Hours in Japan a couple hundred years ago were variable in length. How did they manage to keep their clocks running properly then? Slaves.

[jvm]

> This is how we evolved, after all: to wake with the sun.

Is there any actual evidence of this? what about all the non- morning-people who seem to like to wake at noon?