Poll of the Day > How consistetntky did people tell time before the internet?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Was everyones watches like 1-3 minutes off of each other? Right now with everyones smart phones basically being synced in time, you know if someone is a minute late to a meeting or a movie or something.

Schools had bells, but not workplaces.

Were people always just 5-10 minutes early to things before the internet became accessible and portable instead of arriving last minute? Did everyone sync their watches to a tv broadcast?

Are more people just late now because everyone can now accurately tell if someone is late? Has it increased on-timepeoples anger about someone else being 2-3 minutes late? Does having an accurate time cause you to run later because you dont have that uncertainty built in?

Like only semi-consistetntky, I suppose.

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blu posted...

Are more people just late now because everyone can now accurately tell if someone is late? Has it increased on-timepeoples anger about someone else being 2-3 minutes late? Does having an accurate time cause you to run later because you dont have that uncertainty built in?

That would require me to use my phone for time, I do not.

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Never underestimate human ingenuity. Im sure they had a pretty accurate way to tell.

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WWV has been around since 1919. WWVB, which is used by most consumer "atomic" clocks, has been in operation since 1956.

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Nichtcrawler X posted...

That would require me to use my phone for time, I do not.

But you set your clocks or watch to an internet-controlled clock at some point as the standard, right?

captpackrat posted...

WWV has been around since 1919. WWVB, which is used by most consumer "atomic" clocks, has been in operation since 1956.

Oh yeah, radio clocks. People could have owned a radio controlled clock and set their watches to the radio controlled clock. That would would have been a good a way of getting people synchronized.

https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/radio-stations/wwvb/help-wwvb-radio-controlled-clocks

blu posted...

But you set your clocks or watch to an internet-controlled clock at some point as the standard, right?

But not to the second or perhaps even minute accurately.

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You could synch to tv and radio broadcasts times.

Going back further I imagine life wasn't as appointment based as it is now and you get up with church or work bells syncing communities that probably didn't commute as much.

Meh, we didn't have to worry about it that much. A few minutes off was normal.

You could always call time and temperature to find out.

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dedbus posted...

You could synch to tv and radio broadcasts times.

Going back further I imagine life wasn't as appointment based as it is now and you get up with church or work bells syncing communities that probably didn't commute as much.

I imagine they used the sun a lot as well.

I've learned most late people don't plan or don't want to be on time. It's hilarious how often people who are close to their destination, push their luck and will be late. I know I'll do it for casual things, but important appointments, I aim for like 15 minutes of being early.

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This is probably why old man Ed at the old shop i worked at would always show up 25 minutes early before his shift. everybody else would show up 5 minutes to or directly at shift start

Lol muggles.

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They could tell the time by looking at the position of the sun.