The Dalton Difference

What's the difference? How is it calculated? Why is it calculated? and By Whom?

The correct time, via the Dalton Difference is:

The Dalton Difference is currently:
2 Minutes

When this page was loaded, the correct time was:

[from the Master Clock at the Washington Naval Observatory]

This is an atomic clock that is used as the absolute correct time by those in professional fields that require exactness and synchronicity. As we all know however, almost No one has the correct time on their watch. People sets it ahead a few minutes to get the jump on the rest of the world. Nearly everyone does it, whether they realize it or not. Did you ever arrive at the dry-cleaners at 6:55, only to find out that they had closed at what they considered 7:00? Did you ever set your clock fast 10 minutes so you could hit the snooze alarm an extra time? Ever notice that Lunch Hour is from 11:52 to 12:03? If you have seen, or participated, in any of the above activities, you have been witness to the forces that have created the Dalton Difference!

To determine the Difference, I use the correct time from two or three different 'Atomic Clock' servers like the one seen above (*). Then, I observe the 'time' as several other sources have it:

• System clocks observed via Telnet and the WWW.
• Clocks seen on campus and around town.
• Asking EVERYONE if they have the time.
• Listening and watching for the time on Television and/or Radio.
• Noticing how early television and/or radio shows come on/get over

Having observed and recorded a good deal of what I have seen above, I then take the average time that the clocks have been fast, and this, rounded to the nearest integer, is the Dalton Difference. I realize that this isn't a very scientific method, but until my research grants come through, I cannot afford to invest any more time than I already do in the project. The truely strange thing is, it tends to be correct. As more and more people set their clocks a minute or two ahead, the first ones to have down so fall a minute behind and increase the average. The most the average has come out to is 8 minutes. This is rediculously high, and was one reason I really noticed the phenomenon. The lowest result has been 2, although I'm sure it has been lower, the results wouldn't be worth calculating for obvious reasons.