The web has its Sabat too
It’s Sabat, so ordering online at a Jewish store is closed and will continue in 5 hours and 53 minutes. The web has its Sabat too.
Online shopping has often been regarded as being free from the restrictions of the physical store regarding opening times and location. However, these two (Jewish) stores close their online ordering on Sabat, reinforcing the physical constraints onto the web. Of course, it’s a very conscious choice, as they could also choose to allow online ordering and notify the customer that their order will be processed after Sabat.
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Just like the Dutch Reformatorisch Dagblad, which closes its online newsfeed on a sunday. Seems very outdated and contrary to online rules, but that’s what they do.
Indeed, I just received a link that points to a screenshot of the website on Sunday.
Same for Dutch political party SGP.
strange though, that extra possibility for people living abroad…
http://www.refdag.nl/oud/zondag.php
Because it’s Sunday and I’m currently abroad I decided to take a look at the Reformatorisch Dagblad website but they seem to have changed their policy again: no news for anyone, anywhere on Sunday.
Okay, you are currently abroad, but it’s still Sunday, isn’t it? You should check the site at a time of day when it is Sunday in the Netherlands and Saturday evening (or Monday early morning) in your location. Perhaps you can enter the site then.
A website can roughly check the geographical location of the browser. Like, for example, this website does: http://goingtorain.com/
In combination with a table that translates locations to time zones, a website can find out whether or not it is Sunday at your current location. That will not work 100% accurate, but in general it can work.
Now, considering that the publishers of Reformatorisch Dagblad consider observing the Sunday rest a sacred law of God, they would not want to take part in an activity that ‘violates’ that law. Even when they recognize that everyone must decide that for himself or herself, they may decide not to take part in it in any way.
Thank you for your comments.
I should try it again in a week then. I’m quite sure the Reformatorisch Dagblad doesn’t use geolocating but puts the site on hold manually. Else they could geolocate me as being in the USA on the East coast and automatically redirect me to their regular website.
I love the goingtorain.com example as a both smart and humorous way of using browser geolocating to provide specific services (unlike Google).