Time, [Ladies and] Gentlemen, Time! [Was Re: Email as legal evidence]

[Roger Clarke]

Jennifer Cram wrote:
>Interesting sideline to this one, I have just noticed that emails I send
>from Queensland are "datestamped" one hour later than they were sent - we
>aren't on daylight saving though the rest of the Eastern States in the
>same time zone are.....

This is a widespread and seldom-discussed problem.

It could have something to do with the fact that many users aren't aware
that they have a Control Panel (or equivalent) that supports date and time,
and in many cases even a daylight saving setting.

And of course there are many deprived souls whose operating systems don't
offer much in this line anyway.

In fact, there are probably quite a few users out there who haven't
actually twigged to the fact that computers have a clock in them ...
(Like porno-on-the-net and spamming, this comes gratis as part of the
popularisation of computing).

I advocate the compulsory integration of a GPS (global positioning system)
device in all computers, together with a feature in GPS to synchronise
every computer's clock to the appropriate time according to its location.

[And someone in NSA probably thought of it a looooong time ago ...].

Sorry - it's been a hard week.

Roger Clarke              http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel:  +61  6  288 1472, 288 6916    Fax:   +61  6  288 1472 (dodgy!)

Visiting Fellow, Faculty of          Email:  Roger.Clarke@anu.edu.au
    Engineering and Information Technology
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The Australian National University
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