We’re on the final day of the year 2008, and it’ll be a long day!
Since 1972, a “leap second” has been added, to correct differences between the atomic clock and the earth’s rotation, with one planned for 31st December 2008.
In 2011, the International Telecommunications Union plan to vote on abolishing the leap second. Instead, there’d be a leap-hour every 600 years.
The practical upshot is that the time we use would be UTC, not GMT, and it will become increasingly difficult to tell the time from the position of the sun and the stars. GMT would lose its status as a timezone.
Want to keep GMT? Sign the petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save_gmt/
January 1st, 2009 at 2:18 am
I strongly support GMT (or UTC kept close to GMT by leap seconds). I hope GMT is saved. If that change is done, and if there is still a way to know GMT, I may set my clocks with astronomical time and disregard the new time. If GMT is no longer available, I may use sundials and come back to local true solar time. Humanity has kept time by the sun since the beggining!!! I am faithfull to Nature, not to Cesius atoms!
Please support Britain and other countries who defend GMT! and sign the petition.
January 4th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
What happens after 300 years when we are out by half an hour? Sounds crazy to me. Surely our knowledge will have advanced so much in 600 hours to prove this nonsense redundant, which it is now. Keep GMT God’s Magnificent Time.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Good work publicising this petition, long live GMT! I’ve only just worked out this whole timezone malarkey, I don’t want to have to relearn anything now!