Curiosity, with something to play with · KahWee Teng
Oh. So that’s
how it works.
Small questions have a way of getting bigger. I’m making pictures to help break them down.
Start here · A visual story
The clocks changed. The sun didn’t.
Where did the evening go? Move an hour around and see what actually changes.
2026 · Light & daily life
One California year.
Three ways to set the clock.
Compare the same sunlight and the same schedules in all three charts. Only the clock rule changes.
01 · The current routine
PST in winter. PDT in summer.
Two clock changes. More summer evening light, with winter mornings on standard time.
Monthly sunrise & sunset
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|
Calculated for the 15th of each month. Times change with the city selected above.
02 · Stay on winter time
Permanent PST · UTC−8
No clock changes. Earlier summer sunrises, but summer evenings end an hour earlier than today.
Monthly sunrise & sunset
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|
Calculated for the 15th of each month. Times change with the city selected above.
03 · Stay on summer time
Permanent PDT · UTC−7
No clock changes. Later winter sunsets, but sunrise arrives an hour later than today.
Monthly sunrise & sunset
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|
Calculated for the 15th of each month. Times change with the city selected above.
All panels share the same axes. School (8 am–3 pm) and work (9 am–5 pm) are illustrative weekday schedules, not actual local timetables. California public high schools generally cannot start before 8:30 am; this school example is not a high-school schedule. Holidays, weekends, and commutes are not shown. Twilight means the sun is up to 6° below the horizon.
More ways to be curious
See two sample directions for future stories →
The earlier notebooks
I’ve also written about autonomous mobility and the work behind it. Explore that archive.