Living on Pago Pago time...

[kiwisue]

I suspect that I'm the one responsible for starting the whole Pago Pago thing (as opposed to Honolulu time, or "somewhere in the world it's still such-a-day" time). So I thought I should offer up some resources.

The World Clock is something I find very useful: for working out whether my boss is likely to be asleep or in meetings or dealing with emails, when he could be in Barcelona, Tehran or Boston on any given day, and for figuring out which of my friends might be on line *now*.

Here be links to the westernmost places on the American side of the International Date Line for you to bookmark - there's no actual difference between them, so you have a choice:

Pago Pago, American Samoa: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=1033

Alofi, capital of Niue: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=724

Apia, capital of Samoa: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=282
*Apia is actually closer to the Date Line than Pago Pago, so if you think Aunt Mabel should move there, feel free*

Unfortunately only Microsoft (on some systems) thinks the Marshal Islands are 12 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.

For those running Firefox, FoxClocks is a nifty gizmo that puts a small timezone clock on your status bar. You can set it to any timezones you want to keep track of - Lad's time, Pago Pago time, Cincinnati time (don't know why I included that, except I just love the sound of it).

The reason I'm interested in all of this? I'm *always* running out of time!

Comments

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

I love the world clock site. I chat with a friend in the US and it's very useful indeed around that time of the year when daylight savings time is unsettled.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes! I love daylight saving, but it adds an extra level of difficulty to the mix!

[mistry89.livejournal.com]

What a handy gismo for those of us so far ahead we are constantly behind (that makes far more sense in my head than on the screen *g*).
Ta!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

*g* We are actually ahead - but I know what you mean!

[mistry89.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it is that sense of being out of sync - I always feel about 10 beats behind. *g*

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

*Nods*. When Pros was mostly list focused I found it particularly irritating. I'd go to bed Sunday night when the UK fans were waking up and the US ones were still doing whatever it was they did in the early hours of the morning. Then when I got up Monday morning I might have had 10-20 emails to read before work, on a topic that had appeared overnight. And everything worth saying had been said, or the topic had shifted so that the original interesting point was no longer centre stage, and I'd think "why bother".

LJ seems a little more forgiving because of the way comments work - people can leap in at various stages of a discussion without seeming out of synch. My take on it anyway.

[mistry89.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree (not that I was on any Pros lists, but others). I do tend to feel as if I'm just chiming in, even on LJ. *g*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

With friends in USA, Oz, NZ and various parts of Europe I'm always checking the world clocks on my personalised Google homepage! I even have the weather forecast set up for some of them! But when I first started sending e.g. online birthday cards, I found it quite hard to work it all out and I imagine your post will be seriously useful to people!! I was once in an online rpg with people from 3 continents - we set all our mIRC 'meets' by GMT so that nobody got too confused!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

It is really easy to become confused. I don't RP, although B does MMORPGs (Age of Conan, City of Superheroes) & a good idea of the timezones is most helpful in coordinating group missions, as everyone has their off-line responsibilities and needs.

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

FoxClocks is a great boon - I have mine set up for Dubai, US Pacific and Queensland to reflect various contacts and find it a great help just to be able to glance down and see what time it is wherever! It frequently stops me waking son R up in Dubai just as I settle down for the evening when he has just gone to bed. Scatty, me? Can't think why you might think that!
Must see whether Foxclocks recognises Pago Pago!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, ever so helpful - especially with daylight saving, because otherwise I'd just get used to one set of time differences and then have to change them all:(

Unfortunately B has decided to swap us to Opera, because it's faster, but I'm not all that happy about it. I'll fight to keep Firefox on the laptop I think - for travelling, you know *g*.

[erushi.livejournal.com]

Oh, how nifty! Especially since I was one of those idiots who thought Pago Pago once one hour behind and ran accordingly until I googled it out. *headdesk* Thanks! *g*

[smirra.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the nifty links, very useful!

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I didn't know about the FoxClocks. Great! I've had my Widgets set so I can see UK time any time I want, but it's nice to be able to see it just by glancing down at the bar. Thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh you star, look at all these options! I must admit that I've just added American Samoa time to me igoogle clocks... *g*

And I think Pago Pago time is an excellent way of defining it all, and it means everyone can have just that leeetle bit extra if they need it. Actually I'm also having wanderlusty thoughts - maybe one day when we're all rich we should do a joint Pros-y trip to visit! *g*