[LEAPSECS] BBC radio Crowd Science

[Michael.Deckers.]

    On 2017-01-28 17:33, Steve Allen wrote:
> BBC radio Crowd Science took a listener question about
> What is the Real Time?
> and produced a half hour tour that included three atomic Time Lords
> Whibberley, Matsakis, and Arias.
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04q778b
> and concluded pretty much saying that we have a choice.

    Thanks for that link!

    I find it remarkable that Arias in effect stated
    that the discontinuities of the difference TAI - UTC
    happen at the beginning of leap seconds, so that
    positive leap seconds are labeled as the second
    59th seconds of a minute. Neither the ITU definition
    of UTC nor the IERS bulletins about leap seconds
    specify that detail, unfortunately.

    She is also stated to call leap seconds a
    "dangerous thing" -- as soon as this is
    substantiated (such as by a loss of health
    connected with a computer misinterpretation
    of leap seconds) it will be a powerful argument
    for their abolition.

    Michael Deckers.