[LEAPSECS] ATT drops time

[Brian Garrett]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Hawkinson" <jhawk at MIT.EDU>
To: "Leap Second Discussion List" <leapsecs at leapsecond.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: [LEAPSECS] ATT drops time



> Though frankly, this afternoon is even more depressing. Calling,

> it is not even consistent.

>

> At 12:57:42, it beeps claiming to be 12:57:30.

> At 12:57:53, it beeps claiming to be 12:57:50.

> At 12:58:05, it beeps claiming to be 12:58:10.

> At 12:58:17, it beeps claiming to be 12:58:20.

>

> :(

>

>

> The other great irony is that the clocks on digital cellular networks

> aren't so hot either, often off by a few seconds, at least last I

> checked. And, of course, they don't tend to get daylight saving

> changes instantly either...

> [gesnippt]


Back in the mid-1990's the USNO had on their website a page dedicated to the 
"Cuckoo Clock Award", their humorous tribute to the most egregiously 
erroneous "official" time source they'd heard of that week (one could submit 
entries via email.)  Once, they gave the award to themselves, as their 
website's own clock had somehow gotten unsync'ed to the point it was off by 
several minutes!

I see AT&T's point, but this is truly the end of an era.  The telephone 
time-of-day service here in southern California has always been spot-on, 
nearly as I can tell; even the semi-annual DST shifts were done precisely at 
2:00 a.m. on the occasions I bothered to check them.

 Since it was the time-of-day recording (or speaking clock as they say 
Across The Pond) that got me interested in precise timekeeping at the age of 
ten, it's with a bit of nostalgia that I recognize their obsolescence in 
this day of radio-controlled watches and CDMA-synced cell phones.  The 
fascination with the idea that there *is* a correct time, and that it's 
someone's job to make sure people know what it is, is something that has 
never entirely left me.


Brian Garrett