Oh good grief! Stressed by back to front dates...

from WinCustomize Forums

A few days ago (the 4th) we had some clear skies (yay! no cloud!) so I got my telescope out to do some stargazing. The mount is one of these clever goto things, you type in your location, time, date etc, select some alignment stars and away you go. Just type in what you want to look at and the scope 'goes to' it.

So, I selected Arcturus as my first alignment star. Scope slewed off in completely the wrong direction. Tried again, no joy. Switched everything off and on, re-entered all the data, still pointing in the wrong direction.

It took me 50 minutes of cussing the damn thing before I relised the scope was pointing to where Arcturus would have been in April...

You guessed, I typed the date in as 04 08 2010, that is, the 4th of August 2010... The 'effin thing thought it was the 8th of April... Grrrrr!

To the dumb twit who programmed this goto, I would like to point out time goes: seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years in that order. Any other way is like counting to ten and going: 1 2 3 4 5 7 6 8 9 10 - doesn't compute...

Pointing telescopes aint like dusting crops boy...

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66,054 views 21 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

The irony of this is the Stardock forums show Month > Day > Year instead of the supposed Day > Month > Year that you claim to be the correct way :P

Oh good grief! Stressed by back to front dates...

By Fuzzy Logic Posted August 11, 2010 1:26:27 PM
End of quote
Actually, mm/dd/yy *is* the standard display - that's how it is on all forms, your birth date, so on so forth.
"4th of August 2010" is the less used way.
Edit: Assuming you're in the US, of course.
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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Dunno why the US sticks to it.
End of quote

Apparently, we're non-conformists? :P 

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If it ain't broke why fix it? ;) Besides...it'll fix itself in 2012. 8O

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Annatar11, reply 3

Dunno why the US sticks to it.


Apparently, we're non-conformists?  
End of Annatar11's quote

YOU MUST CONFORM TO THE NEW WORLD ORDER.

Your name is totally on the list. You have brought this entirely on yourself.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The IAU (International Astronomical Union) lists the date format as either DD/MM/YY (1900 to 1999 only) or YYYY/MM/DD. All astronomy should be conducted within these formats.

So why a piece of astronomical equipment should have the wrong format, dunno. All it does is cause problems.

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The irony of this is the Stardock forums show Month > Day > Year instead of the supposed Day > Month > Year that you claim to be the correct way
End of quote

This is the only forum I visit which has the date that way round ;)

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

it just don't look right 11 August 2010 (11/08/10)

now this looks right August 11, 2010 (08/11/10)

 

as for astronomical equipment I don't know to poor to have a NICE telescope :(

but me's likes the Cosmos

 

The Cosmos is all it is or ever was or ever will be.

  We are, a way for the cosmos to know it’s self.

 

yes I said Me's

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Anyway, forums are irrelevant. In the world of astronomy 11/08/10 and 08/11/10 are ambiguous and would render observations useless, which is why you have an internationally accepted format.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I actually had a problem with the date format when I first arrived in Norway. The first week I was here I tried to gain entry to a bar where you had to be 20+ to get in. I'm born on March 6 and this was April, so I had just turned 20, but they wouldn't let me in because my NY drivers said 03/06 which in their mind was June 3rd.

Funny how drunkenly arguing with the bouncer didn't make him believe I was old enough! XD

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

In the world of astronomy 11/08/10 and 08/11/10 are ambiguous and would render observations useless, which is why you have an internationally accepted format.
End of quote

That makes perfect sense. ;)

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

To be fair, it sounds like it's a reporting format, not a "telescope input format". If there's some rule that requires all telescopes to conform to the same date format then you have a case, otherwise you're basically complaining about software presumably made in the US that uses the standard US date format.

It may be annoying, but chances are the guys who write it aren't actually astronomers :P

Reply #14 from Elemental Forums Top

This is one of the rare points in measurement where the US hasn't made an illogical choice with bad repercussions.  DD/MM/YY and MM/DD/YY are both arbitrary decisions from a usage stand point, dates in long form can be done both ways while proper usage.  The only thing you can possibly say about one over the other is that the time span being referenced increases from shortest to longest by the one way, which would then be shot to hell if you time stamp your date.

 

Since we're on a forum filled with geeks...  You can do a 12 count in four bits while getting to 31 takes five, in terms of computing resources, MM/DD/YY would be going from least to greatest. :)

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Sorry to tell you Fuzzy but both conventions are wrong. I understand all the Space agencies (including those where they drive on the wrong side of the road) agreed to follow the formats found HERE

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Anyway, fuzzy. For you information, it is Stardate 64076.9

 

:borg: :fuzzy:

Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Anyway, fuzzy. For you information, it is Stardate 64076.9
End of quote

That's better :thumbsup:

Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Trivia........................

 

     century = 21

     year = 2010

     month = 08

     day = 11

     T = separator

     hour = 15

     min. = xx

     sec. = xx

     fractions there of = xx

Therefore = 21\2010\08\11\T\15\xx\xx.....ad infinitum   

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Too true Fuzzy. The distinction between date before month and vice-versa can be ahem fuzzy, unless the date is the 13th or greater; then you know where you stand.

Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Therefore = 21\2010\08\11\T\15\xx\xx.....ad infinitum
End of quote

No....

Simple maths 'standards' for listing numbers [ignoring the Romans].

Largest first...YYYY

Next...MM

Next..DD

Next..HH

Next...MM

Finally...SS

Time now.... 20100812-07.33.45

About as LOGICAL as it gets.

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top

You would think people who programmed software would understand logic. Plus you have to accept industry standards and not go off and do your own thing.

It's probably the same knobs who lost the Mars Climate Orbiter because they fed in imperial measurements instead of metric... $165m down the (Martian) toilet...