[time-nuts] Re: UTC

[Warner Losh]

> Certainly.  But what's your point?  I don't see these utilities failing
> if a second slips here or there.   The one case where time is critical
> is the power grid, and they keep their own time (Which, IIRC
> approximates UTC).

The long term average of the power grid in the US is 60.000 Hz.  Short
term variations from that can and do happen.  It is to make sure that
the clocks run on time, on the average.  It might be better to say
that the power grid approximates the SI second, since it has no notion
of which second it is (although the control infrastructure for the
grid most likely does).

Warner