Re: the tail wags the dog

From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov_at_IVAN.HARHAN.ORG>
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 06 21:50:31 GMT

Steve Allen <sla_at_UCOLICK.ORG> wrote:

> The CGPM recommendation on the timescale everyone should use says UTC.
>
> UTC(insert your national time service here) is available in real time.
>
> TAI is the mathematical (really the political or diplomatic) entity
> upon which UTC is ostensibly based, but the practical and legal
> reality is the other way around.

Has it occurred to any of you that *THIS* is the very root of the problem,
that *THIS* is what we need to change?

Also, isn't TAI readily available in real time from GPS? (How difficult
can it be for the routine parsing the data stream from the GPS receiver
to add 19?) OK, OK, it'll be TAI(GPS) rather than "true TAI", but then
your UTC is really UTC(NIST) or UTC(USNO) or UTC(PTB) or whatever rather
than "true UTC".

MS
Received on Sun Jan 22 2006 - 13:50:46 PST