Tech: Help: Last Message Time

Subject: Last Message Time
From: songs2play
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:11 AM

Can anyone advise me on where the time of the "Last Message" comes from?

As an example, I am putting this thread in at 14:00 on Wednesday 18th September, just to see what time is shown. Yes, I appreciate the world's time zones, but shouldn't the minutes be the same ?

I am in the UK- only one time zone.

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: Micca
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:16 AM

Songs2play, the time is Mudcat central time that is East coast of USA
The UK time now is 14:05 now and the Mudcat C time is 09:05

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:21 AM

see also this thread

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: greg stephens
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:40 AM

yes I think Max's grandfather clock is running a bit fast again. Needs to put a bit more weight on the pendulum or something.

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: MMario
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:46 AM

s2p - yes the minutes should be the same - but the database actually takes its time from the server - and the server time can drift - there are a number of reasons for this, none of which really matter - except to know that it can occur. Normally a few minutes difference won't make a problem of any kind. (Just as there are 3 clocks in my office - none of which agree - or agree with my watch or workstation - and my server is a 6th time - but they are all within a few minutes of one another)

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: mack/misophist
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 09:50 AM

A computer's internal clock is not very accurate. Without time signal correction it will drift off the mark.

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 11:18 AM

The problem is, don't use the computer clock or the Mudcat time shown to get to a work-thing on time! Not only will you get lost in an interesting thread, you'll think you have actually cut the time close enough, only to find out the Truth when you get in the car and see the car clock time! *G*

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: Tiger
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:30 PM

hey, greg.........

It's the length, not the weight, of the pendulum that counts.

Just funnin' ya :)

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: greg stephens
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 06:43 PM

Youre right, Tiger. I've always read that the adjust the speed of the Big Ben clock by putting pennies on the pendulum(or taking them off). So I kind of imagined putting a penny on would slow it down, on the "more work to do principle".Now from what you say, putting the pennies on would speed it up, because they'd raise the centre of gravity of the pendulum weight, which would make effectively effectively shorter. Have I got that right? I'm finding it difficult to visualise.

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 07:21 PM

And if you want to check the local time anywhere round the panet, try here.

What time do they use of space stations incidentally?

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 07:21 PM

And if you want to check the local time anywhere round the panet, try here.

What time do they use on space stations incidentally?

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 07:23 PM

Interpanetary Time.

*G*

Allus preefrude.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: mack/misophist
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 01:41 AM

McGrath of Harlow: You know damn well they use GMT or UMT whichever name you prefer.

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 03:34 AM

Greg: putting pennies on the 'bob' of the pendulum lowers the effective centre of gravity of the pendulum. This is because the 'bob' (or weight) is at the bottom of a long, free swinging, arm. As the arm is of comparatively small mass compared to the 'bob', adding more mass at the lover end (even slightly above the lover end as in the case of the Westminster clock) lowers the centre of gravity of the pendulum as a whole.
In long-case (Grandfather) clocks, the same effect is achieved by mowing the bob slightly further down the arm.

Nigel

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: Wolfgang
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:07 AM

from a NASA FAQ site:

Question: In most pictures of the astronauts, I have noticed that they wear two wristwatches. My question is: Why?

Answer: Actually, I'm wearing three things right now that look like wristwatches. We have three units of time up here, at least while we're docked with the space station. One is called Mission Elapsed time -- MET -- and that starts at zero when the shuttle lifts off. Everything on the shuttle is referenced to Mission Elapsed time.

We also have Greenwich Mean time because that's the time that the space station works on. That's the standard Greenwich Mean time that starts at zero on January 1 and counts up in days, minutes and seconds. The last time we have is Houston time, mainly because we want to know when our family is waking up and having dinner and going to sleep just so we can kind of keep in sync with them.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:15 AM

Are you sure about that Nigel? I thought the pendulum weight would be acting like a heavy dot or point located at its centre of gravity. So Ifelt that putting a penny on top of it would raise that centre of gravity, which would shorten the length of the arm.

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: IanC
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:21 AM

Greg

you're right in this. I've seen a number of church clocks where stones and coins have been added to the top of the (usually huge) pendulum weight to speed it up.

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: IanC
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:23 AM

... and I think that may be the reaon that the Mudcat time appears to be getting faster. Actually it's right but the world's time is getting slower as the polar icecaps melt and the weight is transferred from the top to the bottom!

;-)

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:27 AM

Have you got a doctorate in physics, IanC? Is the world actually swinging on a big string? Where's the hook it's tied to?

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: IanC
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 06:35 AM

Just thought it seemed a good idea. Fits the facts dunnit?

Prolly wouldn't keep going round and round if it weren't attached to summit!

;-)

Subject: RE: Help: Last Message Time
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 02 - 10:21 PM

Does this mean that someone puts pennies on Max's computer to change the rate at which it measures time?

Too scientific for me..........