Why don't people use 24-hour time?

glennmagusharvey

Doing this would give us a unique number for every hour, and it would make things so much less ambiguous.

Seriously, it would.

IanExMachina

Why don't Americans use 24-hour time?

Wicked223

Because we're all stupid fat hipsters who conquer countries for their oil and betrayed the almighty British crown.

glennmagusharvey

I do.

Edit: I do ^^ that, not ^ that.

IanExMachina

Well you generalised 'people' so I counter-generalised with 'americans'.

As in the US/UK differences thread it came up that the majority of americans don't use 24hr time, whereas over here it is common usage.

ClockworkUniverse

America is far from the only country that doesn't use it.

IanExMachina

I don't know about timezones in the other countries so I was limiting it to my US/UK knowledge (Also GMH is from the US, so yeah.)

nohaynicklibre

Do I dare open this can of worms?

Oh fuck it.

>America
>Country

ClockworkUniverse

Okay, fine, the US is far from the only country that doesn't use it.

Counterclock

@Op: but then a broken clock would only be right once a day

TheConductor

In Scotland, 24 hour time gets written frequently, but hardly ever used verbally.

IanExMachina

In our glorious socialist Europe we can afford national clock fixers. 

Chagen

Also, how can you cram all 24 hours on a clock?

I thought 12-hour was because cramming all 24 hours on a clock face while having enough distance between the numbers to accurately gauge time would require ridiculously huge clocks.

Waltzy

Everyone could switch to digital!

IanExMachina

Under the 12 numbers you have the 13-00 numbers.

You may be required to use intelligence to work out which set to use.

Counterclock

Who wants tiny clocks anyway, we need bigger and bigger clocks!

Chagen

Fuck digital. It's nice but Analog looks so much snooty and pretentious.

Chagen

"Under the 12 numbers you have the 13-00 numbers.

You may be required to use intelligence to work out which set to use."

....Um, then it's not different than 12-hour clocks....

IanExMachina

Nope.

So clocks remain the same size.

TheConductor

Or just digital ones. NINAJS

Waltzy

It does kinda surprise me how many friends I know that have trouble reading analog clocks.

Counterclock

I wanted bigger clocks though T_T

Chagen

"It does kinda surprise me how many friends I know that have trouble reading analog clocks."

YES. 

This made me want to cry when my German teacher was telling us about 24-hour time.

IanExMachina

>I wanted bigger clocks though T_T

...

Oh clocks.

Waltzy

In 3rd grade we got a 14 worksheets for winter break that were exclusively on clocks and how to read them. Some of the problem might be cell phones, and their spoiling of people with the time. I wouldn't know, I never had one.

^Was waiting for someone to make that joke. XD

Crimson

The same reason why we still use British Imperial: cultural inertia.

That out of the way, people should use digital clocks when they actually need to tell accurate time and use analogue clocks when they need a decoration.

Luckily my watch is both, I love Casio.

Chagen

I'd rather have an analog watch, myself.

Preferably a pocketwatch.

Wicked223

Okay, fine, the US is far from the only country that doesn't use it.

True.

Now, let's all go down to the United States for some Mexican food, and then to the People's Republic for Chinese, or maybe visit Taipei in the Republic...

Crimson

@Chagen: Because you want to quickly and accurately tell time, or because you want to look cool?

Counterclock

@Ian: It's not my fault I have a love of big clocks! ._.

MillerCross

And the roosters too