Will computers bungle the time change?

Computers can keep track of time just fine. That is, until we humans start to monkey around with how to set a clock.

The monkey wrench at play here is the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which moves up daylight-saving time by three weeks in the United States, starting this year next Sunday, March 11, at 2 a.m. — the official time to help clocks "spring forward" an hour.

The big question is whether computers and various computerized gadgets with the ability to tell time will know that the extra hour of sunshine has arrived 21 days early. Many of them, and other electronic devices, would normally have automatically adjusted to the time shift ... until Congress got involved.

Key Bank created an entire task force to tackle the matter.

"I would say the bank is prepared for this," said Jeff Scholes, the Key Bank's local area network administrator in Utah. "I really believe it will be transparent to the customer — I don't believe we'll see any issues."

In the world of computerized banking, bringing computers up to speed on this issue means making sure activities such as ATM withdrawals, money transfers and automatic bill paying all reflect the right time. If someone does happen to spot a problem, Scholes said to call a bank manager.

The whole reason Congress decided to move up the date of the time change was in the interest of saving energy by having more days of early-evening light. So, starting this year, there will be four extra weeks of daylight-saving time, with an extra week tacked on at the end.

Time will tell if lawmakers were right.

Now, if you're completely low tech and out of touch with computers, you'll need to know that some printed calendars are wrong, wrong, wrong. A Corporate Express 2007 desk calendar refill, for example, shows that the time change should take place on April 1. Apparently, news of the 2005 Act didn't reach the calendar printers in Singapore in time for a quick revision.

Most who rely heavily on computers, however, seem to have gotten the message.

Salt Lake Community College has a lot of computers, and those who are concerned are on top of things.

"We're just trying to make sure everything is synced up so that it works like it should," said Joy Tlou, SLCC public relations director.