Editing 2266: Leap Smearing
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by a SMEARED LEAP SECOND. Please check my calculations of the time if using the 10th February and evenly spread 24 hours over 29 days. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
+ | This comic references the practice that {{w|Google}} uses on its services of 'smearing' a {{w|leap second}} over the course of a 24-hour period, officially called [https://developers.google.com/time/smear Leap Smear] by Goggle. The smear is centered on the leap second (at midnight) so from noon the day before to the noon the day after each second is 11.6 μs longer (1s/(24*60*60) = 11,574 μs). This difference is too small for computers to be bothers with it, and by centering on midnight the difference in time will never be more than half a second at midnight, just before midnight it will be half a second behind and after midnight half a second ahead. | ||
− | + | The joke arises from the idea of expanding this idea - instead of just using it for leap seconds, using it for {{w|leap days}} as well, | |
+ | like that at the end of February 2020, February 29th, less than 3 weeks after this comic was released. | ||
− | In the comic | + | In the comic [[Cueball]] is visiting one of Google's facilities, presumable during office hours and on the 10th day of February, when the comic was released. But when he looks at their a clocks he sees they are all around 3:00 AM (which is in the middle of the night). He thus asks [[Ponytail]] and [[Hairy]] why their clocks are wrong. Ponytail then tells him it is because of leap day smearing. |
− | Ponytail explains that adding an extra day creates too many glitches. So they just | + | Ponytail explains that adding an extra day creates too many glitches. So they just runs their clocks 3.4% slower during February. She thus states that it works approximately like leap smearing for seconds, so that extra days 24 hours are spread evenly out over the course of February, keeping it at the regular 28 days, but still running over 24*29 = 696 hours, even though their clocks only goes through 672 hours = 24*28. |
− | Thus the 24 hours less to count are spread out over the 696 real hours, which means their clocks run 24/696 = 3.445 % slower (matching the 3.4% Ponytail mentions). Every | + | Thus the 24 hours less to count are spread out over the 696 real hours, which means their clocks run 24/696 = 3.445 % slower (matching the 3.4% Ponytail mentions). Every day will thus be 0.83 hours longer (24/29). So after 9 days of their time, (the comic was released on February 10th), the clocks will be 7 hours and 27 minutes behind when it says it is midnight before the 10th day of the month. Thus if such a clock is saying 3:02 AM on February 10th it would mean that the time would actually be 10:35 AM on February 10th, well within working hours. The last 6 minutes, (from 2+27 = 29 to 35 minutes) comes from the 3 hours and 2 minutes of the current day also running 3,4% slower, adding a further 6.5 minutes of real time. |
− | The | + | The idea would of course, contrary to leap second smearing, be very inconvenient for those following it, due to the fact that it would be out of sync with the rotation of the earth for most of the course of the month. And also with all their local business partners. (Of course it would mean they would sync up better with some of their partners abroad, see [[1335: Now]].) |
− | The title text humorously | + | The title text humorously suggest that some people (at Google) suspects that the real reason for the leap day smearing was actually a "No, I didn't forget Valentine's Day" excuse that got out of hand. [[Randall]] has some issues with [[:Category:Valentines|Valentines]], see for example [[1016: Valentine Dilemma]]. This comic was released four days before {{w|Valentines Day}} of 2020. It was the first time in 8 years he made any reference to Valentine around this time of year, but the seventh time in total. Interesting to see if he also releases a Valentine related comic on Friday of the week, as that falls one Valentine Day February 14th 2020. |
− | + | The idea is, that maybe a CEO at Google forgot to buy something for his Girlfriend for Valentine, and thus tried to suggest that it was not because he forgot, but that at his work it was still February 14th. This would then be based on the leap day smearing. This would have to mean that it was first introduced last time Valentine Day was in a year with leap day, which was four years before this comics release, thus in February 2016. But of course it would not be relevant until 2020 for Google. And as the caption says ''This year, Google has expanded their leap second "smearing" to cover leap days as well.'' | |
− | + | Half way through the month the CEO would thus have about 11 extra hours to buy her a present in time, if she complains about him forgetting it in the evening of the real 14th of February. | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
Line 44: | Line 46: | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] | ||
[[Category:Time]] | [[Category:Time]] | ||
− |