Things I have in common with Dr Sheldon Cooper #2265

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1736006]

Comments

[meaningrequired.livejournal.com]

I would never reset someone else's clocks because you never know why they have been set for that time!

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

I think that "flashing '12:00'" over and over again qualifies as incorrect. Even twice a day.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

A wrong clock is a slight disfavour to all who see it.

[call-waiting.livejournal.com]

I answered "no" to the poll, and have a reason somewhat related to this.

In a somewhat anti-Sheldon philosophy, I've always accepted that clock drift is a fact of life, and treat almost every clock reading with a pinch of salt (except for those on the BBC and those on computers I know have reliable NTP).

For those clocks I see often (including those I have no power to change, eg. high wall clocks in shared areas) I tend to gradually learn what the offset of that specific clock is, and apply that when I want to know the real time.

It's because of this that I managed to go for several years with many of the clocks in the house reading noticeably different times without actually realising that Dorothy was deliberately setting some of the clocks to different times to fool herself into being on time. Bedroom alarm clock, kitchen clock, car clock were all set noticably ahead of the correct time.

It did, however, occasionally lead to stress -- when trying to get out of the house in a hurry, and looking at an unfamiliar clock, I'd be stressed out and trying to rush out while Dorothy would take it easy because she knew she had 10 more minutes than I thought we had.

[kerrypolka.livejournal.com]

Yes, my clocks are set ahead on purpose so I never assume I know better than the people who actually own the clocks!

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

For some flavour of "someone else's" -- the microwave was in the kitchen of the local s-f club's building and presumably had bet set at random after a power-outage (or possibly, considering the nature of fans here in the Los Angeles Area, by someone who wanted to see if anyone would correct it).

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Make that "see how long it would take for someone to correct it, and how accurate the correction would be".

[tysolna]

Wait, isn't it our job to right all wrongs?

[alextfish.livejournal.com]

If the company kitchen microwave clock counts as someone else's, then yep, definitely. (Where setting clocks certainly ain't in my job description.)

[khoth.livejournal.com]

No, but someone else has set the (incorrect) clock on my oven.

[dougs.livejournal.com]

Years ago when I was living in Bracknell, our local church had a number of clocks. Whenever British Summer Time started or finished, all of the clocks got changed by someone, but no-one knew who had done it.

A few years ago Mervyn Jackson died. A couple of months later British Summer Time ended, and all of the church's clocks were wrong.

Mystery solved, well done Mervyn.

[dougs.livejournal.com]

I found out later this happened in two different local churches.