There is a leap second being added to the year today. I hope everyone enjoys their extra time and uses it wisely. Me, I'll be spending it resetting a crapload of computer clocks, because in radio interferometry, if you're off by a second, you might as well be off by a week.
Speaking of... My athletics crew was trying to paint boxes with square corners on one of the fields today, and I explained that "close enough" wasn't good enough. "Think of astronomy," I said. "If you're half an inch off here, think of how much farther off you'll be way out there." "I never studied astronomy, but I can see what you mean," replied one of my employees. I've never studied astronomy either, but I know someone who did. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is, indeed, a very useful principle to keep in mind when navigating the solar system, or painting. :)
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