25-Hour Day

What would happen if the day had 25 hours?  Numerically, 25 is a perfect square, and in the decimal system, we really like multiples of 5.  However, 24 also has it's merits: it's divisible by many more numbers than 25 is.

I'm not talking about magically increasing the length of the day into 25 hours.  I was thinking of decreasing the length of the hour from 60.0 minutes to 57.6 minutes.  Then, we could change the minute so that there are still 60 minutes in an hour, thus reducing the minute's length to 57.6 seconds.  After that, we can readjust the second, which is a metric unit.  Or, we could change it so that there are 50 minutes in an hour, another move towards the decimal system since 50 is much more "decimal" than 60.  Maybe we should just leave it as 57.6 minutes in an hour and not readjust all of the other time units because science would be in an uproar if an SI unit got changed.  Everything would still be the same dimensionally, but it would all be off numerically.

What would people do with that false "extra" hour?  Maybe they feel like that they have more time, even though they don't.  Some might sleep in; others might play video games; even others might some find something useful to do.

Would people notice that each hour is shorter?  Every hour is shortened by 4% to make time for the extra hour. That's 2.4 minutes chopped off of each normal hour.  I think that most people will notice at the beginning, but then they will begin to adjust to the new time.

Would the illusory "extra" hour actually work?  There are a few inherent problems with this system.  The first is the most obvious.  What if only some people adopt the new system?  Then it would start another one of those metric-vs.-customary battles.  Also, 57.6 minutes in each hour seems kind of odd, and as I mentioned earlier, changing the physical quantity of a second may not be a good idea.

Even if everybody took the new system, it would make everybody's hours seem more rushed since they are actually shorter, making the everybody, who are already going at break-neck speed, even faster (and maybe more efficient).  Short activities, such as half-hour exercises or one-hour classes would only be shortened by 1.2 and 2.4 minutes, respectively.  That's next to unnoticeable, when you consider all the small things that can cause such a fluctuation.  However, when you consider things that take up a significant chunk of time, such as sleeping, school, or work, which all take around 8 hours each, they will all lose 19.2 minutes, which seems small compared to the 8 hours, but it's like getting out of school or work 20 minutes earlier each day.    Also, it would make the recommended 8 hour nighttime rest be only 7 hours + 40 minutes.  Maybe people would learn to adjust to that, but it might not actually be healthy.

Are there any real benefits?  Considering that 20 of the extra minutes in the day come from losing sleep, it means that if you still want your 8-hour beauty-sleep, then you would only get 40 minutes.  It's still a significant amount of time for you to kick back and relax or do something you've always wanted to do.

All considered, the only thing that the new 25-hour day would accomplish is make everything go faster, and likely make everyone more stressed out (unless everybody uses the extra hour for relaxation).  They'd all learn to be 4.167% more efficient to make their work-time efforts still the same as the normal 8-hour workday.  Maybe it's a good idea; maybe it's not.  What do you think?

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year's, everyone!  Now that 2011 is here, we all are ready to make our resolutions for the new year.  Of course, many of us have huge lists that are possible only through divine intervention.  However, I think the best idea is a list of 3 items:

1. Something you can do for others, such as:
• Volunteering.  Many organizations, such as hospitals and children's camps, are in constant need of volunteers.  Even though you may not always feel like you're doing a lot, your time and efforts to help the community can really make a difference in someone else's life.
• Forming a club.  You and your friends can all start a club around some common interest, such as music, books, or art.
• Being nice to someone.  Maybe you should try being nice to your siblings!
• Helping around the house.  Your parents would really appreciate it if you would actually help them with the many things that need to be done around the house.
• Saying "please" and "thank you."  Manners are always important, and everyone should learn how to be polite.  Building those people skills is just as important as building those academic skills.
2. Something you can do for yourself, such as:
• Learning something new.  Maybe you want to learn how to play an instrument, how to program, or even how to touch type.
• Getting organized.  If you're a messy person, maybe this is the year to change that bad habit.  You may also want to consider keeping a calendar (electronic or paper both work) so that you will know when stuff happens.
• Using correct spelling and grammar.  It's kind of annoying (and makes you look dumb) if you're past middle school and you don't know "how 2 spel or uzing kurekt gramar."
• Building a good habit.  These habits are either your best friends or worst enemies, depending on whether it's a good or bad habit.  You might want to remember to turn off your lights this year.  Or eat breakfast every day.  Or drive safely.  Or be on time.
• A long-term project.  Do something you've always wanted/needed to do before.  You could renovate the house or finish the basement.  You could learn to build a computer.  You could read a book series.  The possibilities are endless!
3. "I will follow through on my New Year's Resolutions."  Or something similar.  Everyone has such great goals for themselves, but it's so sad that a very small percentage of them go through.  It's almost a ritual: January - create resolutions, February - stop doing resolutions, March - forget resolutions, April - wait until next year to set new ones.  Maybe doing 2 smaller things each year every year is better than having a gargantuan list all to be done in one year!