[LEAPSECS] IERS Message No. 129: Plots of Earth Orientation Data (fwd)

Rob Seaman seaman at noao.edu
Wed Apr 9 12:43:47 EDT 2008


Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:


> In message <98D91D01-1536-4EF2-A6BA-467F5AC0270A at noao.edu>, Rob

> Seaman writes:

>

>> What clever chap was it who suggested ALWAYS having a leap second at

>> the end of each month - toggling positive and negative? An actual

>> leap transition then becomes the omission of a (negative) leap.

>> Since

>> systems would have to deal with the monthly cadence they would be

>> forced to work correctly. (Evolution trumps design any day.) And

>> since a leap would be the absence of an event, nothing would break.

>

> Provided you get the funding sorted out, I'm all for it.


What funding? M. Gambis already has this authority as long as he
stays within the +/- 0.9s window.

Having reached a consensus among diverse parties and resolved the
funding question, all in favor? :-)

Like I said, all these scheduling variations are permitted under the
UTC standard that is currently in effect. Your figure of merit is to
maximize the look-ahead. Mine is to minimize excursions beyond 0.5s.
Early UTC scheduling was clearly biased toward issuing a leap second
as early as possible (permitting slack later). Recent UTC scheduling
appears to be biased toward holding off on a leap second as long as
possible (with the notion perhaps that each will be the last).


> Elephants are falling out of fashion here, along with pretty much

> any other Carlsberg product. In the last couple of years Denmark

> has gone from 8 to several thousand (mostly micro-)breweries as a

> tasteful revolution against industrialized beer has taken hold.


This is the most hopeful sign for the future of our civilization that
I've heard yet.


> But I'll promise you a good beer if you pop around here, no matter

> what.


I may change planes in Munich on the way to Trieste in May. That's
about as close as I'm likely to pop :-( You would think the home of
Tycho would feature more prominently on the astronomical jet-set
circuit. My father developed a taste for Tuborg when he was doing
business in Copenhagen in the 60's, but I gather that's owned by
Carlsberg now, too.


> [1] For a quantification of this, see:

> http://www.amazon.com/Best-Annals-Improbable-Research/dp/0716730944


I can also recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/Being-Certain-Believing-Right-Youre/dp/0312359209


:-)


Rob


More information about the LEAPSECS mailing list