[LEAPSECS] How good could civil timekeeping be?

[Poul-Henning Kamp]

In message <6387E038-8191-4F5D-BA8D-F6D1DEE3596A at noao.edu>, Rob Seaman writes:


>You do understand that my comments about proper planning are broader  

>than leap seconds?  System engineering is a well understood discipline  

>by this point.


Being as it is that I live in the business end of it too often, I
am not sure emperical evidence support that claim :-)


>If a technical solution is worth pursuing, it can only  

>be aided by a coherent proposal describing - first - the applicable  

>problem space before asserting a solution, no matter how simple.


Again, you need to understand that I have both an *opinion* about
this, and my *interpretation* (or *observation*) about this.

The former is what I would prefer to happen, the latter what I
expect to happen.


When I say that USA, through WP7A is going ram this through, come
hell or high water, that is an *observation* of what is going on,
it is not an endorsement.

No matter what, that is the process anyone must contemplate changing,
if they want to get a different outcome from what is being steamrolled
through.

This is a much bigger problem for you than for me, because I can
actually live comfortably if they reach their goal, and as I have
said, I can also live less comfortably with  a proposal that retains
leap-seconds but gives us 10 year horizon on them.

You on the other hand, have a position where the WP7A proposal is
not in any way acceptable, and thus you have a far higher motivation
for doing something.

Given that I can be persuaded to retain leap seconds, if I see a
sensible proposal, I find it surprising that you consider me on the
enemy side, rather than a potential allied.


When that is said, we get back to the observation of steam-rolling:

If you want to have any influence on this, you need to deal with
the steam-roller first.  Afterwards you can use Roberts Rules
of Order to set up a civilized process.

But Roberts Rules of Order are not going to stop the steam-roller,
so all the talk about which process, scoring rules and all that,
is rearranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic if you do not deal
with the steam-roller.

My *observation* is that you are in for at tough political fight
if you want to attempt this.

My *opinion* is that I not going to help you at all, if you don't
stop pissing on me.

Poul-Henning

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