Originally built for United Airlines in 1938, and one of the few DC-3s not pressed into service during WW2 by the US Army Air Foirce, this DC-3 sits at the Massey (Maryland) Air Museum, of which I am card carrying member #70. Massey is only a few miles from Chestertown, Maryland. I see my OCHA friends all standing there admiring the plane too.
2008 gets extended by timekeepers
With a brutal economic slowdown, 2008 may feel as if it will never end. Now the world's timekeepers are making it even longer by adding a leap second to the last day of the year.
Along with the economy, the Earth itself is slowing down, requiring timekeepers to add an extra second to their atomic clocks to keep in sync with Earth's slightly slowing rotation. So an extra second will be tacked on to Dec. 31 after 6:59:59 p.m. and before 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
That extra second will make 2008 — already long with an extra day on Feb. 29 — the longest year since 1992.
The decision to add an extra second was made by an international consortium of timekeepers, whose American arm announced it Monday. World commerce and digital technology depend on accurate to-the-second timekeeping, said Geoff Chester, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, responsible for one-third of the world's atomic clocks.
Most cellular phone providers and computer operating systems check with the world's atomic clocks and update their time to add the leap second automatically, he said.
The world started adding leap seconds in 1972, sometimes twice a year. This is first leap second since Dec. 31, 2005. This is the fourth year to have a leap day and a leap second.
At the Naval Observatory they have a party at 6:59:60 p.m.
"We watch the clock and make sure nothing breaks," Chester said. "It's an early New Year's celebration." A brief one.
Source of News Story
8 comments:
I always knew who the real computer geeks (and I mean this is a good way) were in my office when I worked at the state data center. They had the watches that kept atomic time. The question of the day: Are you or were you one of those geeks? I guess we are all part of the geek squad these days because our computers, cell phones and other electronic devices are tied into the atomic world time. Very interesting post. I'll make sure we wait a second longer to say Happy New Year this year.
And the answer to your question, dear punkn, is more than likely both. :D But yes, in this day and age...most people have a certain level of geekines to them. Kinda have to with all the tech toys around. Some are just a tad more geeky than others.
Speaking of geeks...is there a geek out there who wants to show me how to use all of the new stuff I've been given lately? LOL (my brain ain't working very well these days)
I used to work with a guy that actually had one of those "over the radio atomic sync watches" he was quite proud of it.. and I thought he was nuts... the watch was nice and big and shiny and I suppose it was pretty accurate too.. LMAO...
Wow, what will I do with all this extra time I'm being given this year?
what's a second among friends..?
How interesting..I am so glad there are people unlike me in this world. Otherwise we will still be washing clothes by beating them on a rock. :O
Every second is precious. That is why I am reassessing how I'll be spending mine in 2009.
Thank you, Iggy..you are a light. Your friends that come here are too. It is like a breath of fresh air here.
~gypsy-heart
I can see the count down to the new year now...
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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