[LEAPSECS] Get off my lawn!

Steve Allen sla at ucolick.org
Mon Jun 20 10:30:07 EDT 2011


On Mon 2011-06-20T14:08:07 +0000, Poul-Henning Kamp hath writ:

> In message <20110620134625.GA3215 at ucolick.org>, Steve Allen writes:

> > In response, Dr Beard pointed

> > out that regulatory and related activities are also key issues for

> > definition of time scales, and that the ITU is an international

> > treaty organization with regulatory functions.

>

> This is actually a good point.

>

> ITU is a UN organ and therefore by definition covers the entire

> world population. How strong their arm is is a relevant question,

> not nobody is denied representation.


The strength and reach of their arm is exaggerated by Dr. Beard and
coauthors in repeated presentations which assert that the CCIR
invented UTC. Documents from the CCIR use only the terms UT2 and
universal time until after leap seconds were implemented. The initial
document containing "UTC" was by the BIH, soon followed by the IAU.
At the time that the first CCIR documents were containing "UTC"
the CGPM was resolving that UTC provided mean solar time.

It looks like that part of the story will not be presented to the
delegates to the ITU-R Radiocommunications Assembly when they vote
next year.

--
Steve Allen <sla at ucolick.org> WGS-84 (GPS)
UCO/Lick Observatory--ISB Natural Sciences II, Room 165 Lat +36.99855
1156 High Street Voice: +1 831 459 3046 Lng -122.06015
Santa Cruz, CA 95064 http://www.ucolick.org/~sla/ Hgt +250 m


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