Tech: Show local time in Forum?

Subject: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Howard Jones
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 10:52 AM

The times I see against Forum messages appear to be on American time. Is there a setting somewhere I can change so that they appear in my local time?

I've tried a search of the archives on this but couldn't find anything.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 11:04 AM

The times you see are what we call "Mudcat Central" because they are set from where Mudcat is located. It is in the Eastern time zone of the United States. As far as I know there is no way for you to change that display, so it helps to know how many hours off you might be and just do the math.:-)

Welcome to the Mudcat!

kat

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Jeri
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 11:12 AM

Mudcat displays Eastern Time (US & Canada) (see bottom of page) because Mudcat's located in this time zone. It's GMT - 5 hours.

There currently isn't a way for each member to set it to their own time zone. I believe the dates/times are indexed, so it wouldn't be possible to change them.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 11:32 AM

I just add 5 hours but it would be more convenient if it could be shown. Sometimes its nice not having to think!

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 11:45 AM

This is another example of a forum feature that people expect because other places offer it. However, Mudcat was one of the first forums designed on the internet. As such, it runs by a unique programming approach that continues to develop according to its own unique evolution.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 12:09 PM

Also, I think it is more user friendly generally than a lot of other forums.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: artbrooks
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 12:39 PM

Besides, there are 8 times zones in the US, not counting Samoa and other islands in the Pacific but including Arizona as a separate zone (they don't do daylight savings/summer time), so we have to do the arithmetic too!

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 01:06 PM

And you DO have your own local time right there on your computer....lower right is where mine is.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 04:38 PM

And if you post according to your own local time you might put something interesting up when I'm not awake to see it. (Not high odds, but possible I guess.)

Constant reference to SMT (standard Mudcat time) will keep you reminded and aware of the rest of the world, and you'll be a much better person for the expanding of your social and musical consciousness.

(Can anyone remind me what year it is? There've been soooo many of them recently.)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 04:45 PM

"...lower right is where mine is."

Well, 'most' are there I guess...mine is in the UPPER right..I never did like that tray/bar at the bottom, so I just grabbed it and dragged to the top. (It 'can' be on either side, also...and set to only show when you mouse over it.)

and yep...we in the US have to do the math to know what time it is for those we chat with.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 01 Jul 07 - 11:58 PM

What about us Non-USAers? :-)

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 12:44 AM

The ones I know do the math, too, no matter where they live. We even do it before we call one another on the telephone, all referenced by Mudcat Time!**BG**

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: SharonA
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 12:48 AM

You can always move to the Eastern United States! It's pretty crowded here in the Mudcat Central area, but I hear there's still some room up WYSIWYG's way... :-D

But those of us who live in Mudcat's time zone still have to do the math -- in the other direction -- when conversing with 'Catters in other time zones who may be having afternoon tea, an evening meal, or a midnight snack when we're having breakfast. As JohnInKansas says, it's a matter of remaining aware of the rest of the world and the fact that each person in it is living according to his or her own daily cycle... which may even be unusual for his or her own time zone!

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JennyO
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 02:11 AM

Exactly. I'm a late bird, and sometimes I'm glad it's not immediately obvious to everyone that I'm posting at 4am or something.

I know what our time is in relation to Mudcat time. At the moment it's 4.10pm Eastern Standard Time in Oz. At this time of the year we are 14 hours ahead of Mudcat time, but we change to daylight saving time the same weekend as your daylight saving ends, so in our summer months (your winter months) we are 16 hours ahead. I also know that the UK is 5 hours ahead of Mudcat time, so we are either 9 hours or 11 hours ahead of the UK. If this sounds confusing - it's perfectly clear to me and that's all that matters really.

There are a lot of different time zones, and that is further complicated by daylight saving at different times and in some places and not others. Even in Oz, we are 2 hours ahead of Western Australia, and even though Queensland, where Foolestroupe is, is in the same timezone as us, we are one hour ahead of them in summer because they don't have daylight saving and we do. At least their curtains don't fade as much ;-)

The forum is fine as it is, with people just working times out for themselves.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 04:25 AM

If I double-click the Time on my Startup bar, I can reset what time zone I want to use to display the current time.

WinXP offers about ~66 (or maybe it was 68, it being hard to count quickly on a window shade) separate time zones I can choose from. For those who are in "odd places" I believe the report I saw a while back indicated that "patches" are available for download from Microsoft for an additional hundred or so places that are "somewhat deviant." There are also instructions available for programmers who don't like any of those choices and wish to "roll their own."

The original question, though, was not how to know what time it is, but to have the time of individual posts shown in "user time."

I can't see any particular value in this, as the only thing that really matters much is whether it's a current thread, or a several-year-old one that's been refreshed by another spam post; and even that isn't usually very significant here.

If nobody has posted, you're be next. If the one who posted ahead of you isn't around, someone else likely will respond unless you post a "thread killer" and everyone goes home. (But I'd never do that.)

It also appears that the question could be a "scavenger hunt" thing, as I've found the identically stated question asked on at least a half dozen other sites - blogs and/or chats.

Or it could just be that a very few people all thought of the same curiosity at about the same time.

Indicating post times in different time zones could only cause confusion, as frequently we refer each other to posts by the date/time of the post, within a thread. If we each see different times, the reference value of the timestamp is non-existent, and it's quite useful as it is.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: kendall
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 06:52 AM

If you own a globe, there should be a dial at the top that will tell you what time it is anywhere in the world.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Mr Red
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 01:25 PM

Having written JavaScript for my site I can see it is eminently possible to do serverside searches as the HTML is written to the surfer's browser with markers and have the clientside change the contents of those TAGs to reflect what the surfers PC is reporting.

Not only does this represent a fair amount of programming time for someone (Max?) but it has to be right, and correct on every browser out there and not upset code already in place. All times displayed have to be altered if any one is. No member data involved other than their PC clock.

And the surfers PC has to be correct too.

small gain for everyone, a big task for a few. But doable IMNSHO.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 03:26 PM

to know the time anywhere in the world look here

John is right...showing each post in its local format would be confusing...everyone knows what time it is where they are, they need to know the relevant time on the server hosting the forum.·.THEN they need to know about what time it is for the poster.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 04:17 PM

There are numerous "freeware/junkware" clocks available with a web search, some on toolbars. If it would be a big help to someone, they might add a two-time-zone clock on their browser toolbar to show their local time on one face and mudcat time on another.

With persistent application of the pursuit of having "everything handy" one can quite easily have a browser that displays only toolbars with no space left for content.

There may be differences depending on what server you connect to, but eBay is another site that in my area appears to post everything in "eBay time zone" without regard to users' local time. I suspect that there are several different "eBay times" depending on which server you hook to. I've also found an "eBay clock" advertised on the web, but didn't bother to see if it was an "official by eBay" or by some spammer just wanting to get something on your machine to piggyback a bot onto.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 04:29 PM

for example how to make a personalized world clock to display your most frequently used locations.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JennieG
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 09:51 PM

We live in Sydney, Oz, and our younger son lives in Toronto, Ontario. We have a small travel clock set permanently to Toronto time next to our computer so we know if he will be at work or on line for a chat.

As Toronto time is also Mudcat time it serves a dual purpose!

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: Bert
Date: 02 Jul 07 - 11:51 PM

OI!!!

Mudcat is the center of the universe. Well the center of OUR universe at least.

If that's all the problems you have then you must be doing really fine. *GRIN*

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 01:40 AM

If you wanted to have the posts dated in a single time zone OTHER than the Mudcat Home Time Zone, there is only one logical World Time Zone to use - Zulu Time - or as we used to know GNT ... which will no doubt be applauded by the British readers.... :)

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 01:48 AM

er, I meant GMT...

Bill - off that page is also something that will let those who want to translate the Mudcat time to any and all other time zomes easily.

Fixed Time World Clock

Quote
Have you planned a web cast, online chat, teleconference call or other event where users from all over the world might participate? The Fixed Time World Clock can help tell your users when this event will happen in their local time zone.

Find your own place/city in the list (or a city in the same time zone as yourself), select the time and press the button to get local time all over the world at the fixed time and place you entered.
End Quote

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JennyO
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 02:08 AM

The last time I went overseas, I wore two watches on the plane, one set to Sydney time and one to Paris time. It was handy for keeping track of arrival times. Once I got to Paris, I tucked the Sydney time watch away so I could refer to it if I needed to, and kept on wearing the one on Paris time.

For my trip back to Sydney, I wore both watches on the plane again, and took the Paris one off when I got home. It worked well.

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: GUEST,Black Hawk on works PC (with clock)
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 03:25 AM

JennieG & JennyO - you have the right idea.

Digital watches & clocks are so cheap that a spare one alongside the PC can be set to MudCat time.

Everything I buy these days seems to show the time - MP3 player, CD player, radio, camera, phone, car, PC, walking stick, Swiss Army knife, TV, Microwave etc. etc. etc.
Sorry, forgot my alarm clock & wristwatch ..........

Subject: RE: Tech: Show local time in Forum?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 11:27 PM

Sure, they're cheap; but years ago when I went looking for a new wrist watch I found that the new fad - - - - DIGITAL - - - - had taken over the market and it was impossible to find a "plain old wrist watch with a couple of hands on it."

Now that I've eventually "seen the light" and need a new one (having worn out about three in the intervening 20 years time) I find that the new craze is something obscenely called - - - ANALOG - - - and it's all but impossible to find a digital one.

Either way (I can read either kind, I suppose) the galloping obesity of the juvenile crowd that determines what's in the market means that the only choices are 3-pound, 3.5 inch diameter, half-inch thick, 47-function, "stylish on my thigh" monsters that I'd sprain an elbow trying to wear on my wrist.

But they are fairly cheap.

John

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Thread closed temporarily because it's been a target for a heavy barrage of Spam. If you have something to add to the discussion, contact me and I'll reopen it.
-Joe Offer-