What Happens If the Clock on My Coffee Maker Is Running 20 Minutes Fast?

I think we've all heard that famous quote; "time flies" and sometimes it seems it really does. Interestingly enough, time may seem to speed up in the future due to the rate of power coming through the power lines on the new smart grid system in the United States. It will be difficult to manage your time if the clocks you use are not reading the accurate time. Chances are you won't know the difference, or maybe you will feel something just isn't right.

There was a rather troubling article recently featured on MSNBC (Associated Press) titled; Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Traffic Lights, Security Systems, and Computers May Be Affected by Frequency Change as Well" by Seth Borenstein published on June 24, 2011.

"Since 1930, electric clocks have kept time based on the rate of the electrical current that powers them. If the current slips off its usual rate, clocks run a little fast or slow. Power companies now take steps to correct it & keep the frequency of the current and the time as precise as possible. Some parts of the grid, like in the East, tend to run faster than others - errors add up. If the grid averages just over 60 cycles a second, clocks that rely on the grid will gain 14 seconds per day, according to the company's presentation."

If you are someone who runs your life like a perfectionist, and manages your time by the minute, then this could be a serious issue for you. Therefore, you need to be cognizant of the fact that your clocks may not be completely accurate, and therefore you should, at least once a week check them against the time on your cell phone, smart phone, iPad, laptop, or desktop computer. This is because the electronic device which is attached to the Internet will be running on the exact time of the Earth, and not based on the power grid.

Now you might think this is getting to be Ridiculous, and this is not important. However, I would submit to you that if you have to be on a conference call, or if you want to do something at an exact time, then you need to make sure that all the clocks in your house are synced up with your mobile devices. After all, you might be looking at a clock in your house before you leave for important meeting, only to find out that you didn't arrive at the right time, merely because you never checked to synchronize your clocks. Please consider all this and think on it.