Anyone care to explain ...

a. Why there are 24 hours in a day but there are 25 time zones?

b. Why I have reached the age of 42 and never knew this?

c. What else they haven't been telling me?

Thank you!

[Bob]

A. There are only 24 time zones, Dilbert.
B. You did know it. You just forgot.
C. Can't tell you because then we'd have to kill you.

At least one time zone I can think of (the one occupied by Myanmar) is just one half-hour ahead of the one to its West. If that's the only one, it would explain why there might be 25 zones.

[cottmann]

I think that there are actually 39 time zones, not 24, because there is a difference between Standard Time Zones and those determined by Governments to suit their - or business' - convenience. Some governments make local time zones decisions that deviate from the normal ones. For example, India is +5┬╜ from GMT, while Myanmar (Burma) is +6┬╜, Iran is +4┬╜, Iraq is +3┬╜, Nepal is +5┬╛ and Central Australia is +9┬╜. The island of Newfoundland is -3┬╜ hours from GMT, some smaller islands in French Polynesia are -9┬╜, while the Pitcairn Islands are -8┬╜. Some countries may use fewer time zones - India uses only one as does the PRC I believe - than might be expected.

This is even worse than I thought, not only will I have to be killed if I am told the answer but now I am see that there may be many more times zones (39! ... Lawdy) I only asked this question because I was watching the BBC the other day and in one of their promo's where they flash accross the screen tag lines such as 'News', 'Facts', 'Accross the Globe', etc they also flashed 'In 25 time zones'. I did find someone last night (amazingly) who said there are 25 time zones (he did not have to kill me though) and said that all the letters of the alphabet are used to symbolise each zone, now ... there are 26 letters in the alphabet aren't there or is that something else they have been keeping from me? :cheers:

At least one time zone I can think of (the one occupied by Myanmar) is just one half-hour ahead of the one to its West. If that's the only one, it would explain why there might be 25 zones.

I can think of two more off the top of my head: India and Prince Edward's Island (Canada)

The 25 time zones come from counting GMT time: GMT being 0, then GMT + X up to 12 and GMT - X up to 12

The 25 time zones come from counting GMT time: GMT being 0, then GMT + X up to 12 and GMT - X up to 12

As the world is a globe one would expect that +12 & -12 would overlap, but a brief look at the MS operating system clock setter shows different places listed for +12 & -12, to say nothing of +13!

I guess it's determined by local custom and practice - as it should be.

[jinks]

Prior to the coming of the railways, each town or village kept it's own time !
Railways required one standard timetable time in the country or state,

a. Why there are 24 hours in a day but there are 25 time zones?

There are, in a way.
The one in which the International Date Line is located (12 hour difference from GMT\Prime Meridian.) is divided into +\- (side) in some, but not all, places--But it's only one time zone. GMT\Prime Meridian is not divided int +\- and as there is only one Prime Meridian and one International Date Line there are 24 time zones--Count them or count the hours: with GMT as noon and IDL as midnight.

I hope that makes sense. Otherwise, just think of it like this: the twenty-fifth is the Twilight Zone (Not to be confused with Soi Twilight.) which is where ever you happen to be.
A lovely place, really. I spend a lot of time there myself; having tea and peanut-butter-and-banana-sandwiches with Elvis, John F. Kennedy and Princess Di.
When we run out of bananas we have crunchy-peanut-butter, bacon and bread-and-butter-pickle chips...on white bread, of course. Sometimes we have them toasted\grilled.
Di plays mother.
Elvis plays straight.
John & I play with ourselves, except when we all play bridge. Or tunnel--Which is not often: Di isn't fond of tunnels.



c. What else they haven't been telling me?

There is a Gypsy curse on you and all your money.
Bring it all to me in a large brown-paper grocery bag and I will remove the spell.
Bring me a fresh, free range, organic chicken egg and I will remove your bad luck.
Sorry, can't do anything about your looks. I'm not a witch, you know.
But my Flip cousin, Boyet, does non-surgical face-lifts, under chloral hydrate, with his bare hands--And does dermabrasion with corn meal and a dust-buster.

c. What else they haven't been telling me?

There is a Gypsy curse on you and all your money.
Bring it all to me in a large brown-paper grocery bag and I will remove the spell.
Bring me a fresh, free range, organic chicken egg and I will remove your bad luck.
Sorry, can't do anything about your looks. I'm not a witch, you know.
But my Flip cousin, Boyet, does non-surgical face-lifts, under chloral hydrate, with his bare hands--And does dermabrasion with corn meal and a dust-buster.


I can get all that for a chicken egg and 20 baht (I found out who cursed me and that is all he left me with). I am interested in being dustbusted, is this a new fetish thing you have going for you Edith?

[PeterUK]

I think you might be better off not knowing the answer to your question, Fatman. That's why the mafia killed Einstein - because he knew too much.

I can get all that for a chicken egg and 20 baht (I found out who cursed me and that is all he left me with). I am interested in being dustbusted, is this a new fetish thing you have going for you Edith?

Well, come back when you have some real money and I will remove it...er...the curse...I mean.
Dustbuster is a revolutionairy new method to get rid of wrinkles...sucks `em right up and holds them there! One problem: the batterys don't last long enough for an evening out--So you need a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g extention-cord.

Boyet can also do the 'Shuck-it' proceedure: Shuck it all up on top your head and hold it with a b-i-g rubber band. Just make sure you're not going down if and when the band gives way.
So far, band-breakage accounts for an emergency sex-change, eleven circumcisions (All with scalloped edges.), two hemorrhoidectomys and a Siamese cat neutered!

I think you might be better off not knowing the answer to your question, Fatman. That's why the mafia killed Einstein - because he knew too much.

I thought Albert was beaten to death by police after he was caught drinking and deriving.