Have you updated your computers for this Sunday's Daylight Savings Time switch?  If not, you need to. This year, we're springing forward three weeks early.  Typically, we turn our clocks one hour ahead on the first Sunday in April.  But the government changed the rules without much fanfare back in 2005.

The reason is to save energy.  the thinking is less energy will be used toward the end of the day if the sun's out later.  But there's a problem with changing Daylight Savings Time.  Older computers, cell phones, PDA's, and DVR's may not automatically switch with the time.

Any Microsoft operating system older than Windows XP may not recognize the time change.  So, here's what you need to do.  You can either download the Daylight Savings Time update for Microsoft or Apple systems for free, or you can change it manually on Sunday.  However, if you change it manually, your computer will automatically spring forward on April 1st.  I've got an Automatic Update for Microsoft on my computer and it's already downloaded the patch.

While this is not anything like the Y2K scare, if you use your computer calendar program like Microsoft Outlook, the times could be off.  Double check your calendars and dates after the fact and make sure they are correct.  Otherwise, you can just print out your calendars for the next three weeks just to make sure you know the times in case it gets screwed up.

For updates on the latest market information for Cedar Rapids real estate, contact your Cedar Rapid's Realtor Christopher Smith for more information.  He can be reached at 319-329-5988 or email Christopher@skogman.com  Thank you!