Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

When I first began my career in radio broadcasting, we were told to “double-time”.

Not the military “haul your backside” but rather, give two versions of the time.

For example, “7-52, 8 before 8” or “6-13, 13 after 6”.

The theory was when people heard your first mention, they’d think “What?” and you’d be right there with another reference point.

Now we just say the time minus the “before” or “afters” since most time pieces are digital.

Did you know the language you speak affects your perception of time?

English speakers see time as in front of or behind them; a horizontal line moving left to right.

Mandarin speakers see time as a vertical line and “down” represents the future.

The Greeks see time as a three dimensional entity that is “big” or “much”.

There’s a group of indigenous people in Australia that perceive time arranged East to West.

So, does anybody really know what time is is?

Not Chicago.

In October of 1970 they sang;

“And I was walking down the street one day.

Being pushed and shoved by people

trying to beat the clock, oh no.

I just don’t know. I don’t. I don’t, oh.

And I said, yes I said,

Does anybody really know what time it is?

(Care) Does anybody really care?

(About time) You know, I can’t imagine why

(Oh, no no) We’re all got time enough to die.”

You know, when we switch to Daylight Savings Time, there’s an uptick in heart attacks and car crashes.

In Great Britain, William Willett proposed DST and pushed the country’s leaders to to make the change during WWI, due to a coal shortage.

Longer daylight hours in the summer meant less coal was needed for coal-powered electricity to keep the lights on.

The Brits thought it was such a great idea, they went to “Double Summer Time” for awhile during WWII.

Then, thanks to the railroads, the continental U.S. has 4 time zones.

But, in much bigger China, it’s Beijing Standard Time which means, in some parts of the country, the sun doesn’t rise until 10:00am.

By the way, days are getting longer.

The Moon is spinning away from us at the rate of 1.5 inches per year.

Since the late 1600’s, we’ve added 1.09 to 1.78 milliseconds per century.

A billion years ago a day was only 18 hours long.

Twenty-four hours in a day you say?

No!

Twenty three hours, 56 minutes and 4.0916 seconds for the Earth to rotate on its’ axis.

And, when astronomical and atomic clocks don’t synch up, we add a “leap second.

Our most accurate clock is at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado.

Time is not only at the center of the way we organize life, but the way we experience it.

A life of repetitive and routine activities seems to make time move faster.

Which is longer?

An hour in a dentist chair or an hour with friends?

It’s still an hour.

The Chambers Brothers, Joe and Willie used 11 minutes of recording time when they released a single in 1966, “Time Has Come Today”.

“Now the time has come (Time!)

There are things to realize (Time!)

Time has come today (Time!)

Time has come today (Time!)”

The clock is ticking.

So, what time is it?

Does anybody really know?