[LEAPSECS] WP7A status and Re: clinical evidence about time and sun

John Cowan cowan at ccil.org
Thu Dec 18 23:45:55 EST 2008


Rob Seaman scripsit:


> >Why should mumans on Mars or the Moon, care about the rotation of

> >a rock they are not on when they want to time events ?

>

> Well, because they likely want to communicate with their families back

> on Earth, I suppose, but again you are making my point. What are you

> asserting here? That people living on Mars will clearly want to keep

> Martian time? I believe that completely. Martian civil time will

> clearly be mean solar time on Mars.


Ah, but will Lunar civil time be mean solar time on Luna?


> Ignore everything else we've ever discussed. The central issue with

> several of us is that the meaning of the UTC standard should not be

> changed. If a decision (ideally a calm, reasoned and publicly

> transparent decision) is made to relayer civil timekeeping on a clock

> without leap seconds, then don't call that clock "UTC".


As you know, I support that.


> How about calling it - say - GPS? The public already knows GPS,

> already owns devices that speak it, and already regards it as a brand

> name denoting high precision/accuracy timekeeping.


I think the public associates GPS with location rather than time.


> This is a misuse of the multiple meanings of the word "universal". My

> TV receives a cable channel called "Universal HD". Should I take them

> to court for misrepresentation? What about Universal Studios or a

> universal remote control?


The World Series does seem an egregiously stupid name, though.

--
Even the best of friends cannot John Cowan
attend each others' funeral. cowan at ccil.org
--Kehlog Albran, The Profit http://www.ccil.org/~cowan


More information about the LEAPSECS mailing list