Time for a Change? Why We're Still Changing Our Clocks
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In the latest episode of This Week in Tech, host Leo Laporte and guests Mike Elgan, Devindra Hardawar, and Lou Maresca launched into one of society's most persistent yet universally disliked traditions: Daylight Saving Time. With the clocks having just sprung forward, the panel shared their thoughts on this biannual ritual that leaves most of us feeling groggy and wondering why we still do this.
The episode, recorded on Sunday, March 9th, 2025, began with Leo acknowledging the elephant in the room—everyone except Mike Elgan (who was broadcasting from Oaxaca, Mexico, where clocks don't change) was operating on one hour less sleep.
"Lou and Devindra and I are missing an hour's sleep... it's rough," Leo lamented, kicking off what would become a lively conversation about this antiquated practice.
The discussion highlighted a fascinating paradox: while approximately 62% of Americans want to end the biannual time change, there's no consensus on whether to permanently adopt Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time.
Leo pointed out that both President Trump and Elon Musk have recently called for eliminating the time change, though as he noted, "Trump's been saying that since his last presidency, so why don't he do it?"
The answer, as it turns out, is more complicated than a simple executive order. In 2023, Marco Rubio sponsored the "Sunshine Protection Act," which passed unanimously in the Senate but stalled in the House precisely because lawmakers couldn't agree on which time to make permanent!
Leo shared findings from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, which concluded that permanent Standard Time aligns better with our natural circadian rhythms. The one-hour shift disrupts our natural sleep cycle, leading to measurable spikes in heart attacks and traffic accidents—particularly after the spring forward change.
Mike Elgan took the discussion in an unexpected direction by proposing that everyone worldwide should adopt Greenwich Mean Time.
"I personally think that we should all be in Greenwich Mean Time. Globally, if we can, we should all be on the same clock, because we really live in a ridiculously phrased global world," he argued, citing how pilots use "Zulu time" regardless of where they're flying.
This suggestion prompted Leo to joke, "What is this slavish devotion to sunshine?" and speculate that schools would revert to Medieval practices: "When the sun is, yay, high over the horizon, cometh thee to school."
Devindra then humorously suggested bringing back "Swatch Internet Time" or "Swatch Beat Time" as another alternative.
Lou Maresca pointed out the practical problem with Mike's UTC proposal: "You still would always have this cognitive load... When we have meetings with China or India, I still have to figure out is it their morning, is it their evening?"
The conversation took a technical turn when they discussed how our increasingly connected world handles the time change. While most devices automatically update, there are still holdouts.
Devindra noted that "unconnected devices" like microwaves and some car clocks still need manual adjustments. Mike mentioned his Toyota Prius clock remains wrong because he doesn't pay for the digital services that would update it automatically.
Leo marveled that even his oven automatically updated because it's internet-connected, while his microwave remained in the past.
Mike shared that one benefit of using Sony's Creators app is that it automatically updates the time on his camera, which helps keep his photos properly timestamped as he travels around the world.
The panel reflected on how Daylight Saving Time was adopted during World War II and gained further support during the 1970s energy crisis. Mike recalled: "Leo, you and I are alone in being old enough to remember when this was a big deal in the 70s, when Carter, I think it was, was like 'oh yeah, this is great because we'll save energy, ecology.'"
He pointed out the irony that the original energy-saving justification seems quaint in an era where "AI companies come in and use planets worth of energy to give us hallucinatory" results.
Mike, broadcasting from Oaxaca, Mexico, explained that Mexico has simply abandoned the time change altogether. "They just said no more," he noted, though he wasn't certain of the exact details of Mexico's policy.
The panel ultimately agreed that following the science makes the most sense—eliminating the changes and sticking with one time year-round, likely Standard Time as health experts recommend.
As Mike advised: "You should get up in the morning, go outside so you have exposure to sunlight, guzzle some strong coffee, and stop drinking coffee for the rest of the day." This, he claimed, "sets the biorhythm every day with the light and the coffee, and that's optimal health."
Though, he immediately confessed, "I'm drinking coffee all day. I don't have time for science.”
Want to hear the full discussion, including debates about low-Earth orbit satellites, Apple's Smart Siri delays, and how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic might reshape the economy? Tune into episode 1022 of This Week in Tech, available now on all major podcast platforms or at twit.tv.
