2008 Leap Second

[Rich Parsons]

From :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081226/sc_space/2009toarrivenotasecondtoosoon

Wait a second. The start of next year will be delayed by circumstances beyond everyone's control. Time will stand still for one second on New Year's Eve, as we ring in the New Year on that Wednesday night. As a result, you'll have an extra second to celebrate because a "Leap Second" will be added to 2008 to let a lagging Earth catch up to super-accurate clocks.

By international agreement, the world's timekeepers, in order to keep their official atomic clocks in step with the world's irregular but gradually slowing rotation, have decreed that a Leap Second be inserted between 2008 and 2009.

 

[terryl965]

Hpw dare Mother Earth to fall behind in her duty.

 

[Big Don]

Damn it! This is outrageous!

 

[MA-Caver]

That is just plain stupid and arrogant. The earth is going to keep on spinning around and around its axis, around and around the sun like it always has.
It's WE humans that need to adjust to it not the other way around.
Sheesh.

 

[Cryozombie]

Weird. I thought the earth revolved around ME.

Hmm. The things you learn...

 

[MA-Caver]

Weird. I thought the earth revolved around ME.

Hmm. The things you learn...

*Puts arm around John's shoulders, patting consolingly* It does, it still does... don't mind them... just go on back to your throne and I'll bring you a nice cold beer... there ya go... it's okay. Never-mind them.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

No, no, no the earth revolves around me.

(sorry John :rofl

















Okay you all thought the same thing only John and I put it in writing.

 

[arnisador]

My "atomic watch" will reset itself for this irregularity overnight by syncing with the master clock in Colorado!

 

[jks9199]

I'm sorry, guys, but the world doesn't revolve around you.

My niece solemnly informed me that we came over for Christmas "to give her her presents", and has previously explained that we should come over more often to play with her. It's clear -- the World revolves around that 3 year old!

 

[Carol]

Nope nope nope yer all wrong. The world revolves around my cat, even when he's at the keyboarsfadhkjipo=\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

 

[elder999]

That is just plain stupid and arrogant. The earth is going to keep on spinning around and around its axis, around and around the sun like it always has.
It's WE humans that need to adjust to it not the other way around.
Sheesh.

Well, yeah-that's what they're going to do: adjust timekeeping to the earth's motion.The article says as much, and if you think of it that way, it makes sense.....

 

[jks9199]

I think we need to re-accelerate the Earth's rotation... not adjust our clocks.

I propose ringing the equator with a number of jet or rocket engines designed to add to the Earth's rotation. Fire 'em up every couple of years or months as needed to stop this silliness of changing Time. (Probably a commie plot anyway!)

Failing that, I suggest that rather than adding a second or a day here and there, higgledy piggly, we simple change the length of a second to reflect the Earth's rotation. 24 hours would then be defined as the period of time it takes the earth to make one complete revolution. (So, each hour would be slightly longer.) Within each hour, would be 60 minutes, each composed of 60 seconds.