[LEAPSECS] Leap Day: Samoa to skip Dec 30

[Warner Losh]

On Jan 3, 2012, at 6:41 AM, Clive D.W. Feather wrote:


> Zefram said:

>> The western side of the IDL is much more fashionable than the eastern

>> side.  The IDL has been gradually shifting eastwards for many years.

>> With the network effect from wanting to have one's timezone close to that

>> of one's geographical neighbours, I wonder if there's actually any stable

>> location for it.  Maybe it's going to secularly sweep right around the

>> globe forevermore (or at least until timezones per se go out of fashion).

> 

> I suspect that we may see the various Polynesian islands, perhaps as far as

> Gambier or even Pitcairn, dragged across in the way you suggest. But Hawaii

> and Rapa Nui are going to want to stay on the same day as the rest of their

> country, and I don't see the Americas being particularly attracted to New

> Zealand.


Also, with the sea level rises predicted for the next century we may see fewer of these island nations at all, so the issue may become moot, sadly.

Warner