Are You Ready for "Mini Y2K"?

According to a recent news report, some people fear that this year's earlier switch to Daylight Saving Time may lead to a "mini Y2K":

Although it's more of a nuisance than a catastrophe in the making, older computers, PDAs and DVRs may not automatically update their times when daylight-saving comes three weeks early this year--on March 11. The date change was established by the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was passed to get Americans to cut energy consumption. The thinking is that less energy will be used toward the end of the day if the sun's out later. For years, most of the nation has set clocks ahead on the first Sunday of April. Few computer experts think the new date will make a big difference.

I predict that, as was the case with the original Y2K, nothing will happen (though I am leaving the Squirrel Threat Level at "High"--you know, just to be on the safe side). In fact, the only catastrophe I can foresee is that Chris Wilde may have some trouble with his digital clocks again.

But don't let my lack of concern fool you into thinking that I'm going soft on the Daylight Saving cult. Not by a long shot. I still think it's one of the dumbest things ever invented, and making it last longer is even dumber. It's especially pointless as an "energy-saving" strategy in this 21st century, technology-driven, 24/7 world.

At least there's some hope that the new arbitrary dates may not be permanent:

According to the Energy Policy Act, Congress has the right to revert to the former daylight-saving schedule if the new method is unpopular or doesn't prove to save energy. The Department of Energy will conduct a study on its effectiveness.

On the other hand, trusting the same idiots who came up with this nonsense in the first place to judge objectively its effectiveness makes as much sense as trusting Tom Cruise to judge objectively the effectiveness of psychiatric medicine.