title: convert string hours:minutes:sec.milisec to seconds
body: <p>An absolute time is given in stored in this format:</p>
  
  <pre><code>time = "000:03:07.447"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>How can this string be converted to seconds in an elegant way?</p>
  
  <p>Update:</p>
  
  <p>As suggested by Harper89</p>
  
  <pre><code>3600*#1 + 60*#2 + #3 &amp; @@ ToExpression[StringSplit["000:00:04.424", ":"]]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Szabolcs suggested to use AbsoluteTime
  From Mathematica help: AbsoluteTime gives the total number of seconds since the beginning of January 1, 1900, in your time zone.</p>
  
  <pre><code>AbsoluteTime[{"000:03:07.447", {"Hour", ":", "Minute", ":", "Second", 
  ".", "Millisecond"}}] 
  -  AbsoluteTime[{"000:00:00.000", {"Hour", ":", "Minute", ":", "Second",
   ".", "Millisecond"}}]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This works both</p>