DST event today: Check your calendars and devices again

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Today is April 1, 2007. And no, this is no April Fool’s joke.

Today is the day when U.S. Daylight Savings Time (DST) would have gone into effect – that is, until Congress passed legislation that changed those rules for the first time in decades. Unfortunately, the DST rules are built-in to a large number of computers and other intelligent devices, many of which are not aware of the rules change.

Those devices and computers that are not DST-aware moved their clocks forward by one hour at 0200 today, and are consequently off by one hour. You’ll have to change them back so that their time-of-day clocks are accurate.

Is this the end of the DST problem? No, it is just the beginning.

This all happens again in October 2007, when DST ends one week early, on Oct 27 instead of Nov 03. Those computers and other devices that are supposedly DST aware – but not updated with the new rules – will malfunction then as well.

Take a close look at your calendars in Outlook, WilCal, or whatever you use, and make sure they’re correct starting on Monday, April 2. If they are not, you’ll need to check with your OS manufacturer for patches to correct their DST logic.