Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 10

On a personal level, it has been a very busy couple of weeks. So I'm posting just a brief podcast this time around. It's a quick follow-up to the last episode. Now that we've all experienced a Leap Second together, I'll add just a few more thoughts about it. Also, I'll play the audio of what happened on WWV when the Leap Second was added at the end of 2008.

Download the episode here...
AtomicPodcast10.mp3
(Running time 11:29)

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 09

It's time to talk about the Leap Second. Yes, there's a Leap Second in just a few hours from now (as I post this podcast). What's a Leap Second? Why do we have them? Do we really need them?

Download Episode 09 right here...
AtomicPodcast09.mp3
(Running time 21:15 with STEREO sound!)

Also, check out these links for a more nitty-gritty discussion of these issues.

Markus Kuhn's essay on the Leap Second

The NIST entry on Leap Years and Leap Seconds

Another summary of these issues from TimeandDate.com

The home page of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service... the folks in charge of determining when Leap Seconds happen.

Yet Another Bonus Video for December 2008

Here's a second "bonus video" podcast for December 2008. This time you'll see three almost-identical Oregon Scientific "atomic" projection alarm clocks setting themselves to the correct time automatically. Can three clocks be perfectly synchronized? You be the judge.

Download the video here...
OregonProjectors.m4v

...or enjoy the widescreen YouTube version.

Another Podcast Bonus Video (December 2008)

Download this new video here...
MegaClocks.m4v

It's a concise demonstration of how two Junghans Mega Clocks set themselves to the right time using WWVB. Here's the YouTube version...

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 08

Download episode 8 right here.
AtomicPodcast08.mp3
(Running time 25:47, monophonic)

In this episode, I'll tell you about the Geochron and its official, digital version, the World Watch software for Windows systems. There are other versions of this, including something you can briefly view at www.time.gov. But I have the most experience with World Watch, so I spend a lot of time talking about this.

Also, I mention a little something about astronomy again. It's a term you may have heard and it's "Analemma." Here's a web site devoted to this astronomical phenomenon... http://www.analemma.com/Pages/framesPage.html

So sit back and enjoy a little "talking shop" when it comes to really nifty timepieces.

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 07

Download the new episode here...
AtomicPodcast07.mp3
(Running Time 35:13, Monophonic)

In this episode, I mentioned BRG Precision in Kansas. Here's their main web page, where you can drool over their wide selection of industrial-style systems and large-digit clocks.
http://www.brgprecision.com/

...and check out their Ebay store here...
http://stores.ebay.com/BRG-Precision

Then take a look at Klockit's radio controlled clock movement with a built-in battery pack for extended life between battery changes...
Atomic_Clock_Movement_Battery_Pack.html

Atomic Timekeeping Podcast Episode 06

Welcome to episode 6. Download the episode here.

AtomicPodcast06.mp3
(Running time: 40:02, File Size: 37 mb, STEREO SOUND this time!)

In this episode, I'll tell you about some of my favorite brands of radio controlled clocks. Here are some links to the companies that I talked about in this podcast...

Oregon Scientific

LaCrosse Technology

Klockit

Casio Watches

And here's a web store that sells a lot of this stuff from a variety of manufacturers...
http://www.radiocontrolledclock.com/

Finally, I need to show you the Oregon Scientific radio controlled clock (with a time projector) that I talked about on this podcast.