Enjoy 2005 for one second longer!

[Powerhouse]

http://www.livescience.com/technolog...ap_second.html

An extra second will be added to 2005 to make up for the slowing down of the Earth's rotation...

...The once-common "leap second" is the first in seven years and reflects the unpredictable nature of the planet's behavior.

The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service in Paris keeps track of time by measuring the Earth's rotation, which varies, and by an atomic clock, which is unwavering. When a difference in the two clocks shows up, the IERS adds or subtracts a second to the year.

For the first time since 1998, the IERS will sneak in an extra second this year to get time back in synch, officials said in a statement Monday.

On Dec. 31, the clock will read like this as it leads into Jan. 1, 2006:

23h 59m 59s ... 23h 59m 60s ... 00h 00m 00s. Normally, the seconds would roll from 59 directly to 00.

Always on time

"As the Earth is slowing down compared to atomic clock time, noon is going to come a little later. Earth rotation time is falling behind atomic clock time," said Tom O'Brian, Chief of the Time and Frequency Division at the U.S. National Institution of Standards and Technology. "Periodically people have to add time to atomic clock time. When those two times are approaching about a second difference, we add a leap second." ...

[Powerhouse]

And now it IS 2006 on the East Coast!

[marble]

Hello from back here in last year!

[Sexy Beast]

Those fuckers the US gov't...



I even had the official US atomic clock running on my laptop. Even took pics of the countdown! No 23:59:60 in sight. Bastards. Now I have a bunch of wasted (OK, digital ) pics and I stayed up later than I probably should have. I'm dog-tired! Grumble grumble... Only on my 2nd glass of champers grumble grumble, but at least my tickly cough is going away a bit. Time to watch a DVD of Star Trek:Voyager. Yes. It's true. I'm a hopeless Star Trek nerd. LOL