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Comment by ErroneousBosh | Hacker News Reader

My '97 Range Rover has an analogue clock with a quartz-controlled movement, and a button to set the time.

It gains anything up to an hour a day, particularly when my six-year-old is helping me clean the car and he pushes the button to watch the hands go round really fast.

It's fine. Time is time, we get there when we get there.

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I love that clock with Range Rover logo behind and the arms lit. Especially when people get in and can't read analog!

My 2012 Chrysler 200 has a similar analog clock, plus a digital clock in the radio.

The analog clock is accurate enough that I don't fuss with it other than to reset it for DST (I have no similar children).

My solution to the lack of synchronization: turn off the radio clock (which is fortunately an option).

But you presumably have a phone and a watch, do you you even use the vehicle clock?

I don't have a watch and don't use a phone when I'm driving. I don't have any lit-up screens in the car, ever.

I don't really care about what time I get where I'm going, I get there when I get there.

You don’t drive to doctors appointments? Job interviews?

Not in a '97 Range Rover if you want to arrive on time

(theeheehee, I’ve got an old Land Cruiser, there's a bit of a friendly rivalry)

Oh I'll get there in time, I'll just plan the journey time accordingly.

And carry a few spares and tools. I bet you do, too.

You are already on the road. How knowing the current time would help getting anywhere faster?

Who said anything about getting there faster? What if you are stuck in traffic and need to know if you will be on time or late? What if you see a fuel station and want to know if you have enough time to top up your tank? There are actually quite a few valid reasons that you need to know the time while travelling in a vehicle

If you're "stuck in traffic" it doesn't matter what time it is, you're not going to be there any faster. Plan better.

How long does it take you to fill your tank?

How does any of this need you to know the time right now?

If you’re stuck in traffic and you know you are goung to be late, you can phone ahead to let them know! This won’t be possible without knowing the current time, something which a reasonably accurate timepiece will inform you of

I don't use a phone when I'm driving. I don't want anything with lit up screens in the car.

I've never been "stuck in traffic", so the problem has never arisen.

OK thats great! I was clearly using “you” on a general sense though

I wish it didn't sound so old timey to say 'one' instead of a general 'you'. English has moved backwards.

Why would knowing the time in the car help with that?

Knowing the current time in the car also lets you know the current time in general because they are the same piece of information

But I don't need to know the time when I'm going somewhere. I need to know the time before I set off, so I set off at the right time, and then I get there at the right time.

Thats great! How do you know you got there at the right time though?

Because I left at the right time and I know how long the journey takes.

It's quite simple really.

Wow yeah it sounds very simple! How do you know if you left at the right time?

Okay, have you ever visited Earth before? Space and time are both surprisingly linear here.

If I want to be somewhere 250 miles away, I know it takes about six hours to drive there. So, in order to get there in time, I leave maybe six and a half hours before I need to be there. If I know the road is going to be busy - quite often where I live there are a lot of tourists doing 30mph with no idea there's anyone else on the road - I'll give it even more time.

Dead easy.

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