[LEAPSECS] The relation between calendars and leap seconds.

[Rob Seaman]

Poul-Henning Kamp hath writ:


> The limited human intelligence.


I think the word you are looking for is innocence or naivete or  
perhaps simple ignorance, not "limited intelligence".  The technical  
laity manage to navigate quite complex aspects of society, presuming  
the details haven't been obscured from their view.


> It adds a timescale, but we have plenty of those already, only I  

> can't see anybody using this one for anything

>

> And that is the crux of the matter:  The millions of computers in  

> the world are stuck with UTC, until such time as all the governments  

> enact laws that says otherwise.

>

> Any relief from the leap second madness therefor has to happen on  

> the UTC timescale to have any effect.


If there is a lack of imagination here, it is on the part of the  
scientists and engineers.  A dearth of imagination to understand the  
full breadth of the problem of civil timekeeping, and a dearth in  
understanding the range of possible solutions.

Rob Seaman
NOAO