Good point. At least the time zone configuration is a one time deal, when the sign is installed. If there are not other configuration chores that need to be done more often, maybe setting the time zone could be simply done with some switches or jumpers on the board. The daylight savings time thing is nasty, though.

Another thought I had was to grab the time from the cell phone network. (None of my pals wear wrist watches any more; they just read the time from their phones. Geeks.) If I understand things correctly, the towers know what time zone they're in. I don't know much about that technology, though. Some questions that would have to be answered:

• Can you buy the guts of a cell phone as an OEM module, in the same way that you can buy a GPS module?
• Would each sign have to subscribe to its own calling plan, with low, low rates, text messaging, custom ring tones, downloadable games, and free nights and weekends?
• Why do people want all that stuff, anyway?
• Is there cell phone coverage everywhere that Mahmood wants to set up one of these signs?
• Etc.

-- Russ