DST ends on Sunday, November 2, 2014...unless you live in AZ.

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.abc15.com/news/state/daylight-saving-time-fall-2014-why-arizona-doesnt-observe-daylight-saving

[Tim Offutt]

Until a few years ago most of Indiana stayed on the same time year round. It was much easier then, I liked it. Now I just have one hour of light when I get home in the afternoon.

[Chris Padilla]

I used to live and work in Chicago and would often travel to Indiana and Ohio...I never knew what time it was!

[Jerry Thompson]

HI stays the same also.

[Brian Elfert]

I wish we stayed on DST year round. Standard time would suck in the summer because the sun would go down at 9 pm instead of 10 pm like it does with DST. It is really nice to have light out until 10 pm in the summer. There are Boy Scout summer camps that do activities at night until 9 pm or later and it would hurt them. (Yes, they could start the day earlier, but nobody likes to be at breakfast at 7 am.)

[Shawn Pixley]

The larger logic is that going back to standard time means that kids are not having to walk to school in the dark. It also saves some amount of energy; as people use more electricity in the evening Of course, this varies a lot depending upon your lattitude.

Objectively, this is all based upon a convention that the sun is straight overhead at noon. Me, I don't care much which way it goes. I do like getting up with the sun, so reverting to standard time works well for me. When I was in Alaska, in the summer the sun would set at midnight-ish and rise at two AM-ish. In the winter it would rise at 9:30 AM-ish and set at 2:30 PM-ish. At either of these extremes, daylight savings time becomes irrelevant. It is also irrelevant at the equator.

[Mel Fulks]

I wouldn't describe the sun being over head at noon as a convention . It's natural symmetry. At noon the day is exactly
half over and if you are not at least half finished with work that requires daylight....you need to get help or speed up. Time zones are a necessity with modern rapid travel, further alteration has always seemed silly. A moment observing mid day is
....centering.

[Rick Moyer]

The larger logic is that going back to standard time means that kids are not having to walk to school in the dark. ....

Don't you mean parents don't have to drive their kids to school in the dark? :D

[Shawn Pixley]

It is arbitrary. It makes some sense, but it could equally be at other times for other puposes. For instance we don't have to have 24 hour days. Why does a day start at midnight and not noon (that would at least be observable)? There could equally well be 100 hours or 10 hours per day. There doesn't have to be sixty minutes to the hour. We don't "need" to have 24 time zones. It exists only because we have 24 hour days. A time zone at the equator is approximately 1000 miles wide. There is only a small potion of that zone where the sun is directly overhead at noon. It would make more sense if there were 36 time zones because we have a base 10 numbering system. But there need not be 360 degrees to a circle. If we were on a different planet, we would likely have different standards (equally arbitrary). It makes little sense that the Gregorian new year starts when it does. It would make much more sense to have it on either of the solstices or either of the equinox's.

In hot climates, it would make more sense to have the sun overhead mid or late afternoon to avoid the heat (assuming we start work earlier). Nothing important would change if we adopted 2:37 in the afternoon as the time when the sun is overhead.

Very few of our units are any more than an arbitrary conventions that we follow. It matters little whether we drive or walk on the right or left sides. What is important is that we all agree to abide by these arbitrary conventions.

One of the few things we might call non-arbitrary is a base ten numbering system. From a convenience standpoint for mathmatics, base 12 makes division easier - divisible by the prime number 2, 3, and 4 (yet we have 10 digits normally and hence a base 10 system). If or when we lose our little fingers a base 8 system would make more sense to teach to the young.

[Jim Rimmer]

It would make more sense if there were 36 time zones because we have a base 10 numbering system. But there need not be 360 degrees to a circle. If we were on a different planet, we would likely have different standards (equally arbitrary). It makes little sense that the Gregorian new year starts when it does. It would make much more sense to have it on either of the solstices or either of the equinox's.

I am always amazed at people who spend inordinate amounts of time and effort to pinpoint a date when an ancient event happened based on the current calendar when you consider how many times the calendar has been changed, sometimes for scientifically sound reasons and other times because some emperor or Caesar thought it was a good idea. :D

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-time-division-days-hours-minutes/

Interesting article on why there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, etc. :)

[Malcolm Schweizer]

A funny Daylight Saving movie trailer
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k4EUTMPuvHo

[Mel Fulks]

Even with the time zones we have the sun is only directly over head at noon if you are in the middle of the zone. Not only
do I enjoy observing true noon, I also keep one clock set at local mean time. Yes systems can be changed and have been.
there are two systems for determining when the seasons start and end. The one most people use makes little sense as the
extremes of the seasons do not fall close to mid season. Not much over a hundred years ago most people used the other
one ,which is based on the cross quarter days and is much better for agrarian purposes. The real importance of an accurate calendar has always been to know when to plant.

[Duane Meadows]

. From a convenience standpoint for mathmatics, base 12 makes division easier - divisible by the prime number 2, 3, and 4 (yet we have 10 digits normally and hence a base 10 system).

I know it is a niggly point, but 4 is not a prime number!

Yes many things we take for granted were arbitrary decisions made long ago! But we do need standards to avoid total confusion. Most all conceivable changes, as with DST, have advantages and disadvantages. That's life!

[Chris Padilla]

A funny Daylight Saving movie trailer
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k4EUTMPuvHo

LOL! I love it!

[Chris Padilla]

Yes many things we take for granted were arbitrary decisions made long ago! But we do need standards to avoid total confusion. Most all conceivable changes, as with DST, have advantages and disadvantages. That's life!

They may seem arbitrary until you research them a bit...there is usually a legitimate reason behind them.