
Xkcd Smearing Clock - bonyt
https://tonybox.net/posts/smearing-clock/
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jfengel
Ah, Randall. Because of course all us nerds already know about leap seconds,
and that Google has for a decade implemented leap seconds by "smearing" them
over the day rather than as a discontinuity[1].

It makes me want to read it as a Jerry Seinfeld joke. "What's the deal with
Google's leap second? It's not a leap, and it's not a second."

[1]
[https://developers.google.com/time/smear](https://developers.google.com/time/smear)

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heartbeats
Here's a question I've always had: why February?

December 32nd would be much more sensible.

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jfengel
Because the early Romans basically stopped counting between December and
March. The year began in March, which kinda made sense for an agrarian society
that didn't really do much that they needed to track during the winter. When
they later added January and February, it made sense (just as you say) to make
the leap day the last day before the year really began. It wasn't until later
that the year was shifted to begin in January (closer to the solstice).

~~~
mcv
I heard it was because Rome was a military society. In March the weather was
good enough for new military campaigns (hence why it's named after the god of
war).

~~~
jfengel
I'd totally believe that. It makes a good deal of sense.

