Page 1 of 1

My theory regarding time

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 12:11 pm
by JanLeSueur
If you look closely at where Daniel is pointing, it appears to be Greenwich, England. At the time he's pointing at Greenwich, the time on the clock is 7:10. Using just these two pieces of information, we can determine the longtitude, assuming that this is supposed to represent a time difference, not the current time. (Of course, if it was supposed to represent the current time and we knew the current time in Greenwich at the time the video was made we could determine their longitude too, but we don't know have that bit of info. Note: Check Deagol's post below mine for an interesting idea concerning the actual time possibility.)

The longitude can be calculated by multiplying the mean solar time (relative to the Greenwich Mean Solar Time) by 15. For example, a place that is 4 hours "earlier" than Greenwich, England, would be at 60 deg. W Longitude. (AKA, -60 deg.) Now, obviously, our current time zones change things slightly because we have entire zones where we say the time is the same, but I doubt the creators factored this in given the fraction of an hour displayed on the clock.

Now, as we discussed earlier, instead of assuming that the clock is there to represent their actual time, let's assume that it represents the difference between their time and GMT. The question that remains is whether they want us to go East or West (IOW, 7 hours, 10 min "before" or "after" GMT). The rest is elementary mathematics.

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:06 pm
by deagol
JanLeSueur wrote:Now, obviously, our current time zones change things slightly...
Did you pick up on my musings about time zone / daylight savings changes last night?

Here's what I found from http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ (notice that current DST changed overnight for LA and London)

Auckland, New Zealand
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +12 hours
Daylight saving time: +1 hour
Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT +13 hours
DST ended on Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 3:00 AM local daylight time
DST started on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 2:00 AM local standard time

London, England, U.K.
Standard time zone: No UTC/GMT offset
No daylight saving time at the moment
DST started on Sunday, March 26, 2006 at 1:00 AM local standard time
DST ended on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 2:00 AM local daylight time

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -8 hours
No daylight saving time at the moment
DST started on Sunday, April 2, 2006 at 2:00 AM local standard time
DST ended on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 2:00 AM local daylight time

So, if my calculations are correct, when Bree's time (PDT) was 7:10 pm last night (video was posted at 9:06 pm), the time in London had changed from 2 am to 1 am an hour before, and it was 2:10 am, a 7 hour difference instead of the usual 8 (this unusual 7 hour difference lasted for 8 hours, when at 2 am Bree's clock had to be turned back to 1 am, about the time of my posts last night). The time in NZ was 3:10 pm, back to the normal 13 hours more than London, and not 12 hours more as it had been during all of October.

[edit to fix calculations]

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:40 pm
by Languorous Lass
Okay, but what would the point of all of that be?

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:52 pm
by JanLeSueur
deagol wrote:
JanLeSueur wrote:Now, obviously, our current time zones change things slightly...
Did you pick up on my musings about time zone / daylight savings changes last night?

Here's what I found from http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ (notice that current DST changed overnight for LA and London)

Auckland, New Zealand
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +12 hours
Daylight saving time: +1 hour
Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT +13 hours
DST ended on Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 3:00 AM local daylight time
DST started on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 2:00 AM local standard time

London, England, U.K.
Standard time zone: No UTC/GMT offset
No daylight saving time at the moment
DST started on Sunday, March 26, 2006 at 1:00 AM local standard time
DST ended on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 2:00 AM local daylight time

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -8 hours
No daylight saving time at the moment
DST started on Sunday, April 2, 2006 at 2:00 AM local standard time
DST ended on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 2:00 AM local daylight time

So, if my calculations are correct, when Bree's time (PDT) was 7:10 pm last night (video was posted at 9:06 pm), the time in London had just changed from 2 am to 1 am, and it was 1:10 am, a 7 hour difference instead of the usual 8 (this unusual 7 hour difference lasted for 7 hours, when at 2 am Bree's clock had to be turned back to 1 am, about the time of my posts last night). The time in NZ was 2:10 pm, back to the normal 13 hours more than London, and not 12 hours more as it had been during all of October.
Interesting theory. My idea was based on the idea that the clock was to represent the time difference between their current location and Greenwich. Yours is based on the idea that the clock was supposed to represent their current time. Both seem plausible. Of course, we could easily both be wrong and 7:10 represents something else.

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:54 pm
by JanLeSueur
Languorous Lass wrote:Okay, but what would the point of all of that be?
I'm not sure to which post you are referring, but it seems clear that they want us to figure something out with respect to location.

Re: My theory regarding time

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 2:08 pm
by 3cheesed
JanLeSueur wrote:If you look closely at where Daniel is pointing, it appears to be Greenwich, England.
Actually, I believe it is either London, where the Prime Meridian Goes straight through, or the English Straight area that was mentioned in the story.

Re: My theory regarding time

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 2:12 pm
by JanLeSueur
3cheesed wrote:
JanLeSueur wrote:If you look closely at where Daniel is pointing, it appears to be Greenwich, England.
Actually, I believe it is either London, where the Prime Meridian Goes straight through, or the English Straight area that was mentioned in the story.
Greenwich is part of London according to Wikipedia. I said Greenwich because it is exactly at 0º 0' 0" E/W Longitude and the prime meridian passes right through the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

Re: My theory regarding time

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 2:14 pm
by 3cheesed
JanLeSueur wrote:
3cheesed wrote:
JanLeSueur wrote:If you look closely at where Daniel is pointing, it appears to be Greenwich, England.
Actually, I believe it is either London, where the Prime Meridian Goes straight through, or the English Straight area that was mentioned in the story.
Greenwich is part of London according to Wikipedia. I said Greenwich because it is exactly at 0º 0' 0" E/W Longitude.
OK :D

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 3:52 pm
by Broken Kid
Perhaps the clue is simply "longitude"?

We have locations (Zavalle, Wickenburg, Atak Island, etc.). Maybe we're supposed to find their longitudes, and that would provide some important information.

Although I agree it's more likely they're trying to tell us about a location using the times... just the longitude of those towns might be something to consider (can't look it up now).

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 5:49 pm
by Languorous Lass
JanLeSueur wrote:
Languorous Lass wrote:Okay, but what would the point of all of that be?
I'm not sure to which post you are referring, but it seems clear that they want us to figure something out with respect to location.
Ah. Thanks for making your conclusion clear.

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 5:57 pm
by 3cheesed
Broken Kid wrote:Perhaps the clue is simply "longitude"?

We have locations (Zavalle, Wickenburg, Atak Island, etc.). Maybe we're supposed to find their longitudes, and that would provide some important information.

Although I agree it's more likely they're trying to tell us about a location using the times... just the longitude of those towns might be something to consider (can't look it up now).
What a coincidence. I have realized that earlier today, and I happened to find the Longitudes.

Zavalla, Texas: 94°25'34.00 W
La Crete, Alberta, Canada: 116°25'05.50 W
Wickenburg, Arizona: 112°43'44.00 W
Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA: 118°35'43.08 W
Adak Island, Alaska: 126°41'55.98 W

I'm not sure if these are ABSOLUTELY perfect, but they are to the .?? at the end.