Edinburgh Researcher Discovers Time Is More Relative Than We Thought

"There is no time like the present", or so the saying goes. But it turns out that the present isn't what it used to be.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 18, 2009 – "There is no time like the present", or so the saying goes. But earlier today it turned out that the present isn't what it used to be as scientists from the University of Edinburgh announced that our international time zones are actually 20 minutes fast.

The reason? A geographical mistake that pegged Britain's position in the Atlantic some 240 miles too far east back when the original time zones were designed.

The mistake was discovered by post-doctoral Research Assistant Dr Tomas Domingues during routine historical analysis into how the horizon has shifted in regions of the United Kingdom over the millenia.

"I ran the numbers and it just didn't add up", says Dr Domnigues. "The equations wouldn't balance unless I moved all of the British Isles 240 miles to the left. So I'm afraid I have no choice but to inform the world that we all need to adjust our clocks. Today, if possible."

Dr Domingues' paper, "Shifting Sands of Time: How the United Kingdom ended up in the wrong place", lists a bewildering array of numbers that prove beyond a doubt his assertions are true. But why did no-one notice this before?

"I guess it was hiding in plain sight", says Domingues. "It's just not the sort of thing anyone thought to question."

Somehow I can't see this happening. And even if it did, what would it change? The world's time operates off of GMT anyway.

No it doesn't

A lot of places operate off CET or PST, or the one for Asia which I forget, not many places go by GMT any more

A lot of places operate off CET or PST, or the one for Asia which I forget, not many places go by GMT any more

Oh of course! Nowhere operates off of "GMT/UTC +/- X hours".

I was reffering to businesses, and UTC is different to GMT as BST is no longer approximately equivalent to UTC and more to WET

I was reffering to businesses, and UTC is different to GMT as BST is no longer approximately equivalent to UTC and more to WET

In casual use, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) can be considered equivalent to UTC or UT1 when fractions of a second are not important. Owing to the ambiguity as to whether UTC or UT1 is meant, GMT is generally avoided in technical contexts.

Whatever.

And I thought it was just me who was the grumpy dismissive this morning.

Mark

Grumpy on a Friday. Surely you've confused today with Monday. Friday is the best day of the week!

To be fair Heather, the article you posted does in fact mention UTC replaced GMT as the central time reference in 1972.

Yer-but-no-but it's still GMT in all but name.

Look, it was decided that the base meridian should run through Greenwich back in the halcyon days when Britain had an empire. Call it GMT, UTC, Charles or Camilla, it's still where it all starts from.

Sorry, I've lost the thread of my argument. I'll go and lie down for a bit.