Though smartwatches are now a thing, and in the same way that smartphones are not primarily about the phone, smartwatches are not primarily about the time. I haven't observed how many kids wear them though. Perhaps tracking health and fitness is more an adult thing.
One of my son's classmates (aged 9) was the subject of a phonecall home because he was using his new smartwatch in class. The teacher was concerned that he might be distracting other classmates. It turns out that what he was actually doing was giving his mother a play-by-play of the classroom.
(I gave up wearing a watch when I was 18-19, because the wristband would get unpleasantly sweaty, would itch and cause an eczema flare-up. I now carry a phone, which I use as a timepiece. I find the fact that I have my phone set on the 24 hour clock causes confused and incredulous looks from many kids.)
"Timepiece". Now, there is a fine word that deserves to be rescued from oblivion, along with telephone.
Being numerically challenged, I find the 24 hour clock hard to understand. I realise it can make any am/pm confusion clearer, but beyond midday I have to concentrate to work out the time. My granddaughter has the same difficulty.
Same here. It’s not so much being numerically challenged for me; it’s just an unnecessary extra step. I rarely encounter any am/pm confusion, and I’d rather not spend even the least bit of energy “translating” the time.
I realize that there are cultural factors at play here. In my experience, it’s very rare to find an American who uses the 24-hour clock—regularly referred to here as “military time”—on a day-to-day, conversational basis. In my experience, use of the 24-hour clock is almost completely limited to specialized uses like the military, medical records and the like. And it’s rare for those who use a 24-hour clock for those specialized purposes to also use it in other contexts.
I use the 24 hour clock whenever I can because of the absence of ambiguity. One place where it can make a difference is in hospitals where a patient might lose touch with time, and the absence of daylight doesn't help. Is it 6AM or 6 PM? It has happened to me, and happened to a friend a few weeks ago when he complained to a nurse that he'd missed his dinner. "Don't you mean breakfast?" she said.
But then, there's the story of the passenger at a railway station asking what had happened to the twenty to ten train.
Yes, I’m aware it is many places, which is why I said “I realize that there are cultural factors at play here” and spoke specifically of my experience in the US.
It's the first thing a soldier learns on day one of basic training.
Sure. But I could count on one hand the military and former American military people I’ve encountered who use, at least when communicating with others, the 24-hour clock outside a military context. And I’ve known lots of American military and former-military people in my lifetime.
I use the 24 hour clock whenever I can because of the absence of ambiguity. One place where it can make a difference is in hospitals where a patient might lose touch with time, and the absence of daylight doesn't help. Is it 6AM or 6 PM?
“It’s 6:00 in the evening” or “It’s 6:00, so it’s suppertime,” or simply “It’s 6:00 pm” would avoid ambiguity, and would also avoid the blank expression that I think would result from telling a typical American hospital patient who’s disoriented “It’s 18:00.”
Yes, I’m aware it is many places, which is why I said “I realize that there are cultural factors at play here” and spoke specifically of my experience in the US.
It's the first thing a soldier learns on day one of basic training.
Sure. But I could count on one hand the military and former American military people I’ve encountered who use, at least when communicating with others, the 24-hour clock outside a military context. And I’ve known lots of American military and former-military people in my lifetime.
I use the 24 hour clock whenever I can because of the absence of ambiguity. One place where it can make a difference is in hospitals where a patient might lose touch with time, and the absence of daylight doesn't help. Is it 6AM or 6 PM?
“It’s 6:00 in the evening” or “It’s 6:00, so it’s suppertime,” or simply “It’s 6:00 pm” would avoid ambiguity, and would also avoid the blank expression that I think would result from telling a typical American hospital patient who’s disoriented “It’s 18:00.”
If you are alone in the room, feeling groggy, and the clock says 6, you really can't always tell which one it is.
Yes, I’m aware it is many places, which is why I said “I realize that there are cultural factors at play here” and spoke specifically of my experience in the US.
It's the first thing a soldier learns on day one of basic training.
Sure. But I could count on one hand the military and former American military people I’ve encountered who use, at least when communicating with others, the 24-hour clock outside a military context. And I’ve known lots of American military and former-military people in my lifetime.
I use the 24 hour clock whenever I can because of the absence of ambiguity. One place where it can make a difference is in hospitals where a patient might lose touch with time, and the absence of daylight doesn't help. Is it 6AM or 6 PM?
“It’s 6:00 in the evening” or “It’s 6:00, so it’s suppertime,” or simply “It’s 6:00 pm” would avoid ambiguity, and would also avoid the blank expression that I think would result from telling a typical American hospital patient who’s disoriented “It’s 18:00.”
If you are alone in the room, feeling groggy, and the clock says 6, you really can't always tell which one it is.
True.
But if you’re an average American and you wake up alone in a hospital room, feeling groggy, and the analog clock says “18,” you’re likely either going to think that you’re seeing things or you’re going to register the position of the hands rather than the numbers and think it’s 9:00, whether am or pm.
If it’s a digital click that says 18, you’ll probably just be confused, because clocks that say “18” simply aren’t part of the average American’s experience.
="Tree Bee;
I realize that there are cultural factors at play here. In my experience, it’s very rare to find an American who uses the 24-hour clock—regularly referred to here as “military time”—on a day-to-day, conversational basis. In my experience, use of the 24-hour clock is almost completely limited to specialized uses like the military, medical records and the like. And it’s rare for those who use a 24-hour clock for those specialized purposes to also use it in other contexts.
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I used military time at work, and my mind was set to that time all day while I was there, but as soon as I left for home, my mind reverted to regular US time. I had really never noticed that until I read your post.
It strikes me as similar to metrical measurements. Some Americans regularly use metric measurements at work. Most Americans are familiar with a regularly use in some way or another some metric measurements, such as drinks sold in 1- and 2-liter bottles.
But at home and in everyday life, most Americans are still going to use cups, tablespoons, pounds and feet, because they’re the norm here. And if a typical American asks how far it is from a to b and you answer “82 kilometers,” you’re almost certainly going to be asked again, “no, how far is it in miles.” Similarly, if I told someone it was 18 hours or 18 o’clock, I would expect a response along the lines of “so what time is that?”
You will notice that trains and aircraft are never timetables to depart at midnight: it's always 23.59 or 00.01, to avoid confusion as to which day is meant.
Incidentally, am I the only person who gets annoyed with the common practice of writing noon at 12pm? Surely 12pm is midnight at the end of a day, with noon being 12m - not that anyone ever writes that!
I realize that there are cultural factors at play here. In my experience, it’s very rare to find an American who uses the 24-hour clock—regularly referred to here as “military time”—on a day-to-day, conversational basis. In my experience, use of the 24-hour clock is almost completely limited to specialized uses like the military, medical records and the like. And it’s rare for those who use a 24-hour clock for those specialized purposes to also use it in other contexts.
Do US train, bus and aeroplane timetables not give their times in 24-hour format? They changed to that here many years ago.
I realize that there are cultural factors at play here. In my experience, it’s very rare to find an American who uses the 24-hour clock—regularly referred to here as “military time”—on a day-to-day, conversational basis. In my experience, use of the 24-hour clock is almost completely limited to specialized uses like the military, medical records and the like. And it’s rare for those who use a 24-hour clock for those specialized purposes to also use it in other contexts.
Do US train, bus and aeroplane timetables not give their times in 24-hour format? They changed to that here many years ago.
Incidentally, am I the only person who gets annoyed with the common practice of writing noon at 12pm? Surely 12pm is midnight at the end of a day, with noon being 12m - not that anyone ever writes that!
You’re not the only one. My father would have said there is no such thing as 12 am or 12 pm. The one in the middle of the day should be 12 noon or 12 m or simply “noon.” The one in the middle of the night, being exactly halfway between noon and there equally ante and post meridian, should be 12 midnight or 12 mid. or simply “midnight.”
I agree with him. But that train left the station a long time ago.
So a digital clock can say 12:00 for 12 noon, and presumably 00:00 for midnight, but the problem arises when we try to say or write them :a mish-mash.
Why not just use words: midday, midnight.
Another topic ready for discussion right there: to what extent should we change our lives for the convenience of people who program machines? Do machines serve people, or vice versa? There are many examples.
Comments
"Timepiece". Now, there is a fine word that deserves to be rescued from oblivion, along with telephone.
I realize that there are cultural factors at play here. In my experience, it’s very rare to find an American who uses the 24-hour clock—regularly referred to here as “military time”—on a day-to-day, conversational basis. In my experience, use of the 24-hour clock is almost completely limited to specialized uses like the military, medical records and the like. And it’s rare for those who use a 24-hour clock for those specialized purposes to also use it in other contexts.
But then, there's the story of the passenger at a railway station asking what had happened to the twenty to ten train.
Sure. But I could count on one hand the military and former American military people I’ve encountered who use, at least when communicating with others, the 24-hour clock outside a military context. And I’ve known lots of American military and former-military people in my lifetime.
“It’s 6:00 in the evening” or “It’s 6:00, so it’s suppertime,” or simply “It’s 6:00 pm” would avoid ambiguity, and would also avoid the blank expression that I think would result from telling a typical American hospital patient who’s disoriented “It’s 18:00.”
If you are alone in the room, feeling groggy, and the clock says 6, you really can't always tell which one it is.
But if you’re an average American and you wake up alone in a hospital room, feeling groggy, and the analog clock says “18,” you’re likely either going to think that you’re seeing things or you’re going to register the position of the hands rather than the numbers and think it’s 9:00, whether am or pm.
If it’s a digital click that says 18, you’ll probably just be confused, because clocks that say “18” simply aren’t part of the average American’s experience.
I realize that there are cultural factors at play here. In my experience, it’s very rare to find an American who uses the 24-hour clock—regularly referred to here as “military time”—on a day-to-day, conversational basis. In my experience, use of the 24-hour clock is almost completely limited to specialized uses like the military, medical records and the like. And it’s rare for those who use a 24-hour clock for those specialized purposes to also use it in other contexts.
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I used military time at work, and my mind was set to that time all day while I was there, but as soon as I left for home, my mind reverted to regular US time. I had really never noticed that until I read your post.
But at home and in everyday life, most Americans are still going to use cups, tablespoons, pounds and feet, because they’re the norm here. And if a typical American asks how far it is from a to b and you answer “82 kilometers,” you’re almost certainly going to be asked again, “no, how far is it in miles.” Similarly, if I told someone it was 18 hours or 18 o’clock, I would expect a response along the lines of “so what time is that?”
Incidentally, am I the only person who gets annoyed with the common practice of writing noon at 12pm? Surely 12pm is midnight at the end of a day, with noon being 12m - not that anyone ever writes that!
You’re not the only one. My father would have said there is no such thing as 12 am or 12 pm. The one in the middle of the day should be 12 noon or 12 m or simply “noon.” The one in the middle of the night, being exactly halfway between noon and there equally ante and post meridian, should be 12 midnight or 12 mid. or simply “midnight.”
I agree with him. But that train left the station a long time ago.
Why not just use words: midday, midnight.
Another topic ready for discussion right there: to what extent should we change our lives for the convenience of people who program machines? Do machines serve people, or vice versa? There are many examples.