Tick tock ... tick: Extra second added to 2008

Source: comcast.net news

Those eager to put 2008 behind them will have to hold their good-byes for just a moment this New Year's Eve.

The world's official timekeepers have added a "leap second" to the last day of the year on Wednesday, to help match clocks to the Earth's slowing spin on its axis, which takes place at ever-changing rates affected by tides and other factors.

The U.S. Naval Observatory, keeper of the Pentagon's master clock, said it would add the extra second on Wednesday in coordination with the world's atomic clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC.

That corresponds to 6:59:59 p.m. EST (23:59:59 GMT), when an extra second will tick by -- the 24th to be added to UTC since 1972, when the practice began.

Read more: http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20081228/NEWS-US-TIME-SECONDS/

Now, I'll have to reset all my fershlugginer clocks again. And all for one lousy second. Was this Bushit's idea?

can he leave now.

because they forgot to reset their clocks? Or does that work the other way around? Maybe I'll use that extra second to work that out later.

and you'll want to sleep in an extra second, every day for the rest of the year.

You don't want to be trapped in that kind of vicious cycle.

Therefore, worldwide, some 20,000 man-years lost in making this adjustment. Thanks Bill!

10!

9!

8!

7!

6!

5!

4!

3!

2!

1! ... er ...

1!

Happy New Year!

And then laugh at those who just counted down 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 and shouted it out a second early.

Do they still do the big ball in Times Square? Will they stop that for a second?

... even the clocks don't run on time.

just saying