Get a new DOTwatch !
The old one needs to be changed at least twice a year, more if you travel.
The DOTwatch will automatically show the correct time no matter where you are.
Keep the old one as jewellery, or as a remider of an earlier unenlightened era.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Daylight Optimisation
This site is dedicated to the Optimisation of Daylight worldwide, thereby saving maximum energy. This will be achieved by introducing a new way of managing time --- I call it Daylight Optimisation Time (or DOT).
If adopted, all future time would then be measured from the year DOT . . ;-)
The hugely popular Earth Hour is based on saving energy by reducing the use of electricity for one hour per year, mainly by turning off artifical lighting. Even governing bodies that are apparently opposed to daylight saving have embraced Earth Hour. Maybe it's the way daylight saving is implemented?
Well, here's a better way; in fact I would claim it is the best way.
What do you think? How could it be improved - post a commment.
==================
The details below were the subject of my original submission to Google's 10th Birthday competition (http://www.project10tothe 100.com). The idea was to find solutions that would help as many people as possible in the global communiuty, by offering a $10M prize pool to back the development of the chosen winners (which was won by public voting). Obviously my idea didn't get enought votes.
Here is the submission in full:
==================
Category - Energy
What (150 chars)
The dynamic optimization of global clocks for the efficient use of daylight, to achieve the maximum reduction in energy use with a minimum of effort.
Description (300 words)
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) is the dynamic optimization of global daylight-saving times. It is a digital replacement for the current Daylight Saving Time (DST) which is the localized, ad-hoc, once-per-year manual change to GMT and UTC that occurs now.
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) will use a standardized algorithm that needs to be developed and agreed, preferably as an open-source project supported by the relevant standards bodies. The algorithm is expected to be based on earth orbit, axial tilt, latitude, longitude, geography, borders, boundary transitions, climate, sunrise and sunset times, other agreed variables and optional user preferences.
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) will be freely available as a software applet for PCs and web browsers, on internet time servers for synchronization of other computers and will also be available as an integrated circuit (ASIC) for use in time-based appliances and mobile devices.
The implementation of the DOT algorithm will be a democratic choice of a geographic area and will be backward compatible with the current daylight saving times and the eighty or so existing time zones. It will also be possible for individuals and groups to opt out of automatically adjusting the clocks in any device.
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) will allow the human race to achieve the most efficient use of daylight possible throughout the whole year at every given location on the planet. This will in turn produce the maximum reduction in energy use, with a minimum of effort or change in human behavior as it will be a sequence of small, painless and essentially unnoticed time adjustments. DOT will in effect “smooth out” the DST curve. Also time-zone name changes, such as ‘summer time’ and ‘eastern daylight saving time’, would no longer be needed.
Problem it addresses (150 words)
The measurement of time has evolved to accommodate changes in human activities and communications, and it is still evolving not always in logical ways. The desire to improve the use of daylight has been evident for millenniums. Roman water clocks had different hourly lengths for different months of the year. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907.
The artificial extension of daylight requires additional energy that has both a local and a global cost. Benjamin Franklin noted Parisians economized on candles by rising earlier, thus “saving” daylight.
Daylight is often saved by adjusting clocks in localized geographic areas, hoping other areas take note. But these ad-hoc manual changes are highly inefficient, poorly coordinated and unwelcome due to dramatic one-off effects at the start and end of each cycle.
It is the intention of this proposal that the use of daylight be optimized so that the use of energy is minimized.
Who would benefit most and how (150 words)
Currently people need several reminders and must have the ability to carry out each daylight saving change. Automating regular small adjustments would eliminate any action on behalf of individuals (unless they continue to use analog timing devices). Current clock shifts correlate with decreased economic efficiency – the daylight-saving effect cost an estimated one-day loss of $31 billion on U.S. stock exchanges in year 2000. In 2007 a North American rule change cost an estimated $500 million. So initially there would be a significant improvement to the implementation of daylight saving and major cost savings.
Every user of personal computers, cell phones and other smart devices would benefit.
Travel would be much easier.
Ultimately every individual member of the human race, and the planet itself, will benefit from the estimated massive reduction in energy use achieved by this easy, unseen and efficient method of optimizing the use of daylight.
Initial steps to get the idea off the ground (150 words)
1. The initial step would be to seek involvement of relevant bodies such as :
At the same time the project would be defined (in parallel to 1.) as follows :
2. Plan and schedule the DOT project
Optimum outcome and how to measure (150 words)
The optimum outcome would be that world authorities adopt the DOT approach to optimizing the use of daylight, thereby facilitating the substantial saving of energy that would result from this. Therefore the principal measure would be the number of organisations that ‘sign up’ to DOT.
A second measure would be the number of people who upgrade their software to include the DOT algorithm (such as in their web browsers) and replace their analog time-based devices with digital devices that include the DOT chip and a communications (broadcast receiving) capability.
The ultimate measure would be the observed reduction in energy attributable to DOT.
Other measures would include:
If adopted, all future time would then be measured from the year DOT . . ;-)
The hugely popular Earth Hour is based on saving energy by reducing the use of electricity for one hour per year, mainly by turning off artifical lighting. Even governing bodies that are apparently opposed to daylight saving have embraced Earth Hour. Maybe it's the way daylight saving is implemented?
Well, here's a better way; in fact I would claim it is the best way.
What do you think? How could it be improved - post a commment.
==================
The details below were the subject of my original submission to Google's 10th Birthday competition (http://www.project10tothe 100.com). The idea was to find solutions that would help as many people as possible in the global communiuty, by offering a $10M prize pool to back the development of the chosen winners (which was won by public voting). Obviously my idea didn't get enought votes.
Here is the submission in full:
==================
Category - Energy
What (150 chars)
The dynamic optimization of global clocks for the efficient use of daylight, to achieve the maximum reduction in energy use with a minimum of effort.
Description (300 words)
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) is the dynamic optimization of global daylight-saving times. It is a digital replacement for the current Daylight Saving Time (DST) which is the localized, ad-hoc, once-per-year manual change to GMT and UTC that occurs now.
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) will use a standardized algorithm that needs to be developed and agreed, preferably as an open-source project supported by the relevant standards bodies. The algorithm is expected to be based on earth orbit, axial tilt, latitude, longitude, geography, borders, boundary transitions, climate, sunrise and sunset times, other agreed variables and optional user preferences.
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) will be freely available as a software applet for PCs and web browsers, on internet time servers for synchronization of other computers and will also be available as an integrated circuit (ASIC) for use in time-based appliances and mobile devices.
The implementation of the DOT algorithm will be a democratic choice of a geographic area and will be backward compatible with the current daylight saving times and the eighty or so existing time zones. It will also be possible for individuals and groups to opt out of automatically adjusting the clocks in any device.
Daylight Optimization Time (DOT) will allow the human race to achieve the most efficient use of daylight possible throughout the whole year at every given location on the planet. This will in turn produce the maximum reduction in energy use, with a minimum of effort or change in human behavior as it will be a sequence of small, painless and essentially unnoticed time adjustments. DOT will in effect “smooth out” the DST curve. Also time-zone name changes, such as ‘summer time’ and ‘eastern daylight saving time’, would no longer be needed.
Problem it addresses (150 words)
The measurement of time has evolved to accommodate changes in human activities and communications, and it is still evolving not always in logical ways. The desire to improve the use of daylight has been evident for millenniums. Roman water clocks had different hourly lengths for different months of the year. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907.
The artificial extension of daylight requires additional energy that has both a local and a global cost. Benjamin Franklin noted Parisians economized on candles by rising earlier, thus “saving” daylight.
Daylight is often saved by adjusting clocks in localized geographic areas, hoping other areas take note. But these ad-hoc manual changes are highly inefficient, poorly coordinated and unwelcome due to dramatic one-off effects at the start and end of each cycle.
It is the intention of this proposal that the use of daylight be optimized so that the use of energy is minimized.
Who would benefit most and how (150 words)
Currently people need several reminders and must have the ability to carry out each daylight saving change. Automating regular small adjustments would eliminate any action on behalf of individuals (unless they continue to use analog timing devices). Current clock shifts correlate with decreased economic efficiency – the daylight-saving effect cost an estimated one-day loss of $31 billion on U.S. stock exchanges in year 2000. In 2007 a North American rule change cost an estimated $500 million. So initially there would be a significant improvement to the implementation of daylight saving and major cost savings.
Every user of personal computers, cell phones and other smart devices would benefit.
Travel would be much easier.
Ultimately every individual member of the human race, and the planet itself, will benefit from the estimated massive reduction in energy use achieved by this easy, unseen and efficient method of optimizing the use of daylight.
Initial steps to get the idea off the ground (150 words)
1. The initial step would be to seek involvement of relevant bodies such as :
- ISO
- Royal Observatory, Greenwich
- BIPM
- NIST
- The UN
- Governments
- Microsoft
- SUN
- Apple
- Motorola
- RIM
At the same time the project would be defined (in parallel to 1.) as follows :
2. Plan and schedule the DOT project
- a. define milestones
- b. establish funding
- c. establish staffing
- a. Develop the DOT Algorithm
- b. Design and develop the ASIC chip
- a. Communications Plan
- b. Pilot Tests
- c. Roll-outs
Optimum outcome and how to measure (150 words)
The optimum outcome would be that world authorities adopt the DOT approach to optimizing the use of daylight, thereby facilitating the substantial saving of energy that would result from this. Therefore the principal measure would be the number of organisations that ‘sign up’ to DOT.
A second measure would be the number of people who upgrade their software to include the DOT algorithm (such as in their web browsers) and replace their analog time-based devices with digital devices that include the DOT chip and a communications (broadcast receiving) capability.
The ultimate measure would be the observed reduction in energy attributable to DOT.
Other measures would include:
- the number of users of DOT (organisations and people)
- the number of software applications using the DOT algorithm
- the number of manufacturers licensing the DOT chip
- the disappearance of ad-hoc daylight saving changes
- the absence of time-zone name changes
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