No subject


Wed Jul 13 23:14:41 UTC 2011


"The decision to introduce a leap second in UTC to meet this condition
[keeping UT1-UTC smaller than 0.9s in absolute value] is the
responsability [sic] of the IERS."

> On leap seconds: having a single leap second file would eliminate the
> ability to have "rolling" leap seconds. (This was provided when, one
> year, the city of New York announced that the countdown for the dropping
> of the big ball that marks the beginning of the new year would run
> "3...2...1...LEAP...Happy New Year!", putting the leap second at
> midnight local time. The time zone data as distributed reflects
> internationally agreed
> leap-second-occurs-at-the-same-instant-everywhere-on-Earth behavior.)

I think rolling leap seconds are a dumb idea.  Just because somebody
in NYC (it wasn't me, honest!) decided to insert a leap second
five hours early, doesn't mean that rational people ought to support
this behavior. Similarly, the (former?) existence of an L.A. nightclub 
which celebrates New Year's Eve every night doesn't mean that some zones
have years that are 1 day long.

-- 
John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan at ccil.org
	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)



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