Internet - Local Time Converter
 

Simple Internet Time

 

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What is Internet Time?

It is a new system of time developed by the Swatch Company.  It involves setting the current day into 1000 "beats" instead of 24 hours.  Internet Time eliminates the need for geographical time zones, perfect for the internet.

Internet Time was inaugurated on the 23rd of October in 1998 in Biel, Switzerland.  There is a marker at the Swatch International Headquarters in Biel.  Biel is one time zone ahead of Greenwich, which makes the local time there (GMT+1).

Biel, Switzerland is the home of Biel Meridian Time (BMT) which is where internet time is based.  At midnight BMT, internet time is @000.That means that 12 noon in the old time system is the equivalent of @500 Swatch .beats.

Why a new Internet Time?

Many people respond and claim that the existing time system works well, and there is no purpose in changing over to a new time system.  This is true... to a point.  The existing time system works well within one time zone.  But when catching flights between various countries, or reading news reports on the internet, 1:18 PM PST does not mean much compared with @929.  The @929 means that it is one time all across the world.  Now that the world is becoming interdependent, it will become even more useful to have a central time system.  Plus, it just makes more sense to have a system based on Base 10.  Really, metric is better.

Possible uses of the new Internet Time:

  • Online chatting, and online gaming are the most immediate uses for internet time, as people from all over the world are communicating.

  • International, or trans-time zone flights are made simpler when transferring from one station to the next.

  • Project collaboration with people from all over the world becomes easier when everyone is using the same time system.

  • Timing of news posting on the internet can be more clear to determine exactly when a news item was published.

  • Events viewed worldwide, such as a soccer match or the Olympic Games can post times in internet time so that no confusion about local time zones exists.

  • Metric-like base-10 time system allows for simpler calculations for scientific and mathematical problems involving time.

Problems with Swatch Internet Time:

  • The Swatch "branding" of the time may be a disincentive for other watchmakers to produce watches that display internet time.

  • Why use BMT?  GMT would be a much better meridian because it is already accepted worldwide.

  • "seconds" for beats would be really helpful, example @929.42 is more precise than just @929.  A proposal?  Expand the vocabulary to include metric prefixes such as millibeats and kilobeats.