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We have no established tradition for the entire world switching to a new date at exactly the same absolute time. It happens at midnight, local time.
There is no need for introduce any new problems just because we label the hours differently. Here, at UTC+1, our midnight is labeled as 23:00 UTC time. That is when the date changes. If you live at UTC-6, the midnight hour in your place will be labeled 06:00 UTC; that is when your date changes, because that is your midnight. This is a close parallel to relabeling the hour when you wake up; it might feel a little strange at first, but I guess that you would soon get used to the clock saying something different from 06:00 when you wake up, and something different from 24:00 when the date changes.
On the other hand: I can imagine that a country such as the US of A could see advantages in the entire nation switching to a new date at the same UTC time. As it is now, you have at least five different times for date change.
You still could run into issues, though! I read a story about a young US couple during WW2, who were planning their wedding. This was interrupted by the groom on very short notice being called for military service. The couple decided that in case he lost his life in the war, they wanted to be married. So they had a marriage arranged over the air, with one priest on his side at his Pacific post, and another priest at the bride's side, and they exchanged their vow across the military radio connection.
This connection happened to cross the international date line. The groom survived the war. After he returned home, they always celebrated his wedding day, and her wedding day. This issue would persist even if the entire world switched to UTC.
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It didn't last long - the keytops were wearing away really quickly, 'A', 'S'. 'CTRL', 'SHIFT', '->', and '<-' were gone completely, and many others were only readable if you knew what they started out as. And when Dij pushed my coffee into it ... it was time for a change.
And last months discussion lead me to ... a DAS Keyboard 4 (MX Blue). And it's lovely.
All clicky and feedbacky, the key legends look like they'll last and the think exudes quality - from the moment you pick it up and realise it's made of actual metal instead of cheap plastic.
I find myself stroking the volume control, it just feels so good. My only criticism is the LED's: my word but they are bright! If you lean forward at the wrong angle you get a "blind spot" in your vision for a few minutes, and if you turn the lights out you get a blue circle on the ceiling bright enough to read the keyboard legends by ... 
I'm back to cherry switches again: my first lasted me over 20 years, and it was a cheapy!
This isn't, not even close - I've never spent this much on a keyboard before. Worth it though - so "Thank you" to everyone who recommended the company last month! 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I wish I could find more information about the DEC LK471-A2 -- when released etc.
It's a very nice keyboard, has been serving me well for some years now.
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My Das 5QS is love. It doesn't use cherrys and I think the lighting is different than yours.
It uses.. Omicron? Zulu switches and they have little fiberoptics in the middle of each one to transmit light to the key cap's letter/symbol (not the rest of the key)
It is not overly bright. In fact, in daylight conditions it looks pretty much painted on (except my media buttons which are backlit). At night it's not overbearing at all, just giving me enough light to where i don't have to squint at the home row in the wee hours. I use it at night, in my bedroom while himself is sleeping, so it's not overly bright.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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I don't like illuminated keyboards - they look too much like "haxorz" in a movie for my taste - that's why the 4 rather than the 5: all I have are num lock, caps, and scroll lock lights. I may have to put a thin layer or two of black paint on them ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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The Das 5QS are all and individually programmable, so you can turn them off. However, since they are double injected molded, with clear plastic forming the letters, it really requires some amount of light to be able to see the keys, even in daylight conditions.
For my part, I spent good money to keep my computer I built from being lit up like an out of season christmas tree, which seems to be all the rage these days. I understand about lighting. I feel much the same way. That having been said, I can only describe the Das 5QS reasonably lit letters/symbols as "pleasant" and "functional" - particularly since I can also change them. I have things set up so my homerow is a different color for quick access. I also have some of my keys tied to a CPU usage meter but I don't use it in practice. I just thought it was neat. The only reason I don't turn it off altogether mind you, is they don't "look" lit, at least in the daytime, and at night, it's only just enough to be pleasant. There's no bleed to your desk (except from the sides of the keyboard, which you can turn off)
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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I really don't understand the need to put LED's in everything these days - what possible use was there for LED's in my headphones?* 
* The use of past tense was deliberate here, they were "persuaded" to no longer emit ... 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: what possible use was there for LED's in my headphones?
That's to help guide the sniper from across the street.
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You've been playing way too much GTA ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I have a small piece of note paper covering the three LEDs on my keyboard. The lights are only ever on when I hit a wrong key anyway.
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Quick fix: Take a course in Touch Typing 
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Last time I touched my typist I nearly got arrested. 
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We got married in Georgia...or was it Tahoma? Not sure I was drugged and dragged and woke up just in time for the vows.
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It was a military wedding.
Well, ... there were guns there, let's put it that way!
(Old Red Skelton/Clem Kididdlehopper bit) 
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He was one of the great comics.
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I did, in high school, it didn't take.
Besides, typing code is nothing like typing prose. If you spend more time writing documentation than coding, then maybe that's a benefit, but you don't, do you?
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"double mold injected"
if your keycaps aren't advertised as the above, forget it. They'll wear out.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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Yeah I'm finding that out.
They just don't make them like they they used too.
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OriginalGriff wrote: 'A', 'S'. 'CTRL', 'SHIFT', '->', and '<-' were gone completely
You've done well. My keyboard hasn't had W, E, R, T, I, O, A, S, D, F, G, K, L, C, V, N, M, < or > for years. Actually that was a useful exercise, hitting all the "blank" keys - I was wondering what some of them did.
Really limits my choices for variable names though, especially since I've not seen a vowel (except U) since 2019.
And there's a long key at the bottom that I don't think ever was labelled in the first place...
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OG
Don't know if I am repeating, but any bright blue LED's will cause problems with human sleep over time.
Scientific proof.
So avoid them. Not so bright, not so much.
I have very dim blue backlight on my temporary keyboard
another reason for shopping around for new one.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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My computer stays in my office, and I don't sleep there (except during Teams calls).
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I have had a Microsoft Comfort Curve keyboard for years and it gets heavy use every day. Only left, right and down cursor keys are missing their markings; all the others are completely intact. (No, I don't play games or anything like that - just coding and documentation.)
Oh, and part of the Microsoft logo is worn away.
It's not a brilliant keyboard (it makes lots of tryping mistakes) but it's good enough that I don't want to be looking for anything else.
Phil
The opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the author, especially if you find them impolite, inaccurate or inflammatory.
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I've just sent my DAS back ( too noisy ) very well made though
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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