Los Alamos Highlights Real Danger Of Early Daylight Savings: Mistimed Coffee Brewing

Too Much Free Time

from the batten-down-the-hatches dept

Wed, Feb 28th 2007 3:06am — Carlo Longino

The upcoming early arrival of Daylight Savings Time continues to make some headlines, even if there really isn't a whole lot to worry about. The latest story looks at how the Los Alamos National Laboratory is coping with the change, and things seem fine, as its IT director is apparently most concerned about people who use calendar programs showing up for meetings on time. The lab's newsletter, though, had some more pressing advice for employees: make sure things like the clocks on their coffee pots are set correctly, as clearly it would be a significant problem if their coffee wasn't ready as expected on March 11. Perhaps when we repackage our Y2K preparedness kits and bunkers, we should make sure they include coffee pots that don't contain a clock.

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23 Comments

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MrPaladin, 28 Feb 2007 @ 4:03am

The real dangers of daylight savings...
lets not forget the poor terrorists who forget about switching to the correct Zionist's time

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-38.html
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lar3ry, 28 Feb 2007 @ 4:45am

Let's go back 25 years...
... to 1982...
There’s a scene in “Airplane II: The Sequel” when the stewardess calmly explains that the shuttle to the moon is racing toward the sun, and that everybody on board will die a horrible death.
Everyone takes this well, until somebody gets suspicious. “Hey, are you telling us everything?”
Stewardess: “Well, we’re also out of coffee.”
A riot ensues.
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Dam, 28 Feb 2007 @ 4:53am

There is a Real Concern
While the story may seem a bit silly, the concern must be having coffee pots turn on too early, before people arrive at work. Without water in them, the carafes would overheat and possibly burst. At a minimum, someone might grab one and get a nasty burn without realizing the pot was hot.

Or, if they were set up with water and coffee, the problem is the coffee would be strong enough to peel paint.
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JBB, 28 Feb 2007 @ 5:16am

Re: There is a Real Concern
Or, if they were set up with water and coffee, the problem is the coffee would be strong enough to peel paint.

And that would be a problem why?
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Sanguine Dream, 28 Feb 2007 @ 5:27am

Re: There is a Real Concern
Most coffee that companies buy in the massive bulk are already strong enough to peel paint and put a few extra hairs on the daintiest businesswoman's chest.

While this is not on par with say bank records not updating properly and messing up customer accounts this could be something of an aggrevation.

And besides that woman that sued McDonalds over the spilled coffee might work on some office with a timed coffee pot...
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bt garner, 28 Feb 2007 @ 5:28am

"And that would be a problem why?"

Probably because *most* persons like the enamel on their teeth.
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Dosquatch, 28 Feb 2007 @ 5:49am

Re:
Probably because *most* persons like the enamel on their teeth.

Bah. You're a lightweight. Peeling paint is for amateurs. Coffee that is strong enough to stir itself is adequate. Coffee strong enough to get into my mug on its own and walk it back to me is perfect.
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Greg, 28 Feb 2007 @ 5:53am

While the story may seem a bit silly, the concern must be having coffee pots turn on too early, before people arrive at work. Without water in them, the carafes would overheat and possibly burst. At a minimum, someone might grab one and get a nasty burn without realizing the pot was hot.

Umm, if the pot is set to turn from a timer, it most likely has coffee grounds and water in it. You'd have no carafes exploding, just coffee that was strong as hell.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Feb 2007 @ 6:02am

uh, don't we spring forward? so, the problem would be that the coffee wouldn't be ready, not that it would start too early.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Feb 2007 @ 6:03am

uh, don't we spring forward? so, the problem would be that the coffee wouldn't be ready, not that it would start too early.
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Enrico Suarve, 28 Feb 2007 @ 6:05am

Re: Re:
Bah. You're a lightweight. Peeling paint is for amateurs

Damn straight - if my coffee can't bench press my monitor it gets thrown back in the pot, till it can prove itself worthy

As for all you decaff wieners - WHAT IS THE POINT?? CAFFEINATE OR DIE!!. If you don't like coffee DON'T DRINK IT - quit wasting a perfectly good pot on brown water

I'm going to set my coffee timer TWO hours early, just so its sweated enough to flying tackle your ass, the moment you go anywhere near that water butt SO THERE

HA!

[ceases panting and sits back down]
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Enrico Suarve, 28 Feb 2007 @ 6:11am

Re:
so, the problem would be that the coffee wouldn't be ready, not that it would start too early

My god coward's right - that is a frikking emergency

We need more time to plan and get the word out - possibly bring in the national guard to ensure hot coffee rations make it thorugh and quell the inevitable riots

What WAS congress thinking?!
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Ben, 28 Feb 2007 @ 7:04am

It is Daylight Saving Time!!!
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Andrew W, 28 Feb 2007 @ 7:25am

Wouldn't this be a problem any year?
What, are these coffeepots networked or something? How is this a problem different from any other time-change?
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Chronno S. Trigger, 28 Feb 2007 @ 8:19am

Re: Wouldn't this be a problem any year?
Most new devices, like my watch for example, already have the daylight savings times built in. I know I will have a problem with it 4 times a year now because of this. I wish it was networked so I don't have to think about it. If the coffee pot is set with an auto change, it should be fun to see this happen 4 times a year.
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DB, 28 Feb 2007 @ 8:40am

Something small blown all out of proportioin
If anyone bothered to read the original article, this is nothing but a reminder to update clocks and check schedules for the earlier than normal time change. If
the time change were happening at the normal time, this would be a non issue.

I enjoy techdirt, but the least that you could due is link to the orignal lanl bulletin.

http://www.lanl.gov/news/index.php/fuseaction/nb.story/story_id/9758
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Need more coffee, 28 Feb 2007 @ 8:48am

judgement day
7am March 11, coffee skynet became self aware and launched its first attack on american civilization by not brewing coffee on time.
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BananaFish, 28 Feb 2007 @ 9:03am

Not informative, hardly funny
Oh TechDirt....
When i clicked on the flashy story title i was *sure* i was going to be linked to a story at The Onion. Unfortunately, i found myself back here at TechDirt. Fact is that they're just much, much better at making non-news into funny news. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you've now ruined a story that would have otherwise made a great Onion piece, in the right hands.

Hey, i work at a laboratory as well... we were even sent a similar notice. Do you want me to forward it to you? It's equally un-funny and equally not newsworthy.

p.s., is Mike writing all of the articles now?
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Bumbling old fool, 28 Feb 2007 @ 9:13am

Re: judgement day
7am March 11, coffee skynet became self aware and launched its first attack on american civilization by not brewing coffee on time.

8am March 11, americans became self aware and when the few non-destroyed coffee-makers started brewing their coffee an hour late. After a few cups of the warm goodness, they came to the realization that they had just destroyed all their coffee makers for no reason, as it was their own fault for not fixing the clock.

9am March 11, the president declares a day of mourning. And with the shortage of working coffeemakers, he declared the afternoone a morning as well.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Mar 2007 @ 7:28pm

Re: Not informative, hardly funny
It doesn't really matter if the actual article is good or not. The comments are where most people get their amusement anyway.
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technofear (profile), 5 Mar 2007 @ 7:50pm

Not all of this is hype...
I am helping make trains remote controled. We use XPe based PCs for data collection/track side monitoring.

A few minutes error can be a disaster when dealing with two 2.5Km long trains moving at 80-100 Kmh. They do not stop very quickly when loaded with over 25,000 tonnes of iron ore.

Glad we got two weeks notice to implement the changes to the onboard and the track side monitoring systems....
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kingaugustus, 8 Mar 2007 @ 4:11am

I put cocaine in my coffee once,
talk about a crazy morning.

it normally takes me half an hour to drive to work... i ran
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5555555555, 8 Sep 2007 @ 1:22pm

555555
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