Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken!decwrl!sgi!roberts@nimrod.wpd.sgi.com From: roberts@nimrod.wpd.sgi.com (Robert Stephens) Newsgroups: comp.mail.sendmail Subject: Re: Time Zone Question Message-ID: <50607@sgi.sgi.com> Date: 13 Feb 90 22:48:44 GMT References: <3871@edison.ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov> Sender: roberts@nimrod.wpd.sgi.com Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA Lines: 44 In article enag@slembe.uio.no (Erik Naggum) writes: > ... > > GMT is not tied to whatever political decisions some stupid island- > government would make concerning daylight saving time. That's why we > (the part of the world with no "Greenwhich" complex) call it UTC > (Coordinated Universal Time). > > Another thing is that daylight saving time does not constitute moving > that silly island, or Greenwhich in particular, 15 degrees east, and > neither does it move the sun, so it really wouldn't matter what kind > of daylight saving time those islanders were to elect. Greenwhich is > still where it was when someone discovered the need for a 0 meridian, > and it's gonna be for a long time. In fact, even if they renamed New > Zealand to "Greenwhich" or you consider South-West Connecticut the > center of the world, "GMT" would be the same abstract reference point > for time measures. > > Let's all switch to call it "UTC", instead. That way, no petite > island gets all the fame. Remember the Incas, now but a memory. > Remember the ancient Greek, now but a memory. Remember the British > Empire... ... remember the Vikings? > > "We apologize if you have gotten the impression that the British Isles > are a bunch of wasteland with an incestuously degenerating population, > their very own set of `standards' for everything, and a mail system > that invites to long tales of sarcasm. Such was not at all our > intention." [private communication] I think what we have here is one embittered Viking! I had no idea they were still carrying grudges :-) Onward to European unity! Best of luck in '92 y'all. - Robert Stephens ---------- The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own, and in no way represent the opnions of my employer. ----------