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One Second Game Changer: The Effects Of Adding A Second To The Internet

One Second Game Changer: The Effects Of Adding A Second To The Internet

It has been announced that by June this year, scientists will be adding one second to the clock. This seems to be a very minimal change but for the world of computers and the internet, this could create great chaos.

Looking Back

Last 2012, a leap second was added. This does not seem a big deal for people not into technology. But websites such as the Gawker, Reddit, Yelp and LinkedIn were affected by this sudden interruption. The sites were down for a couple of hours. It was bad for business for these websites. The problem was also felt by Amadeus Alta, an online airline reservation system. Flights were rescheduled, bookings were cancelled and moved. Passengers were stranded, meetings were cancelled. It created a rippled effect.

Why does this problem occur? According to the New York Daily Times, computing systems are not able to recognize “two same seconds in a row”.

What is the proposed solution?

Every problem has always a solution. Google is already ready when this occurs. It will employ the so called “leap smear” technique. In leap smear, milliseconds are progressively added. This technique is employed so that the change is spread on several seconds rather that impacting on one moment.

Why add another second?

Why go through the hassle of adding another second to the clock? Scientists actually have a very important reason why another second is being added. This is to account for the planet’s slow rotation according to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service.

Effect of Earth’s Slow Rotation

Planet earth is not rotating at a constant speed. It slows down and then speeds up and then slows down again. There are several factors attributing to this change in speed. In a research by scholars, earthquakes happening in earth speeds up the rotation of earth. These events shorten days. Natural alteration of the elevation of various places on earth would cause the planet to rotate slowly. If the clock were not adjusted, you will experience sunset at 8 o’clock in the morning. Since 1972, scientists have added seconds to our clock 25 times so as to combat this problem one will experience with time.

Jan 14 2015
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Avoid DUI With The New Drinking App

Avoid DUI With The New Drinking App

A new mobile phone application called ENDUI is being funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help people avoid getting a DUI or into serious trouble. If a person is not sure how many drinks he had or how drunk he really is then the app will give him an idea and even help him get a ride home.

This exceptional app works when someone who is planning on drinking enters his sex, height, weight, and most importantly the number of alcoholic drinks he had consumed. The app then will help figure out just how much is a person’s blood-alcohol level. To further test the person’s drunkenness, he may play from the two interactive games available to see how long the reaction time and test the cognitive agility. ENDUI also uses GPS technology – after proving that a person is drink then it can call a cab and save the phone number of the designated driver.

The application, pronounced as End DUI, was announced by Maryland government and police officials last Thursday. The money for drunken-driving education is used to fund the app. It is only one among other efforts by the state to fight drunken driving.

The app, costing $50,000, is developed by Maryland Highway Safety Office. The app is unique and will target a lot of consumers since everyone has a mobile phone and always go out with one. It is the best medium to reach out to them and the ENDUI app is only the start of more wonderful apps.

New York, New Mexico, Colorado, and California are some of the states that launched their own version of the ENDUI app and they launched it two weeks ago. The app is absolutely free regardless of the state and the version it is in. It can be downloaded to both Android powered-phones and iPhones.

One of the games included is following the exact order of the nine road signs shown. As the level increases, the game gets more challenging for the player. While the second game is testing the players agility by measuring how many seconds the player could press the brake button when a pedestrian passes by or one of the cars in front of his stopped.

Jan 04 2015
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Kitchen Fitters Fraud: Finally Ended In Court

Kitchen Fitters Fraud: Finally Ended In Court

Customers were hoodwinked by a Horbury kitchen fitter by money that cost thousands in home improvements that never came to be. This may make any household wary of trusting Kitchen Fitters, but although there are trustworthy companies out there that already have a solid reputation, it is always best to do a background check beforehand.

Robert Cooper, aged 61, of RCA Home Designs, received payments for kitchens and bathrooms that he was suppose to fit from various residents from coming from the West and South part of Yorkshire. He had specifically conned six from Wakefield and three from Leeds.

His victims, unaware of his wide range of schemes, would take a flyer via their doors and then call for an estimate according to Trading Standards, who had began receiving complaints from a number of his customers since 2011.

Once he succeeds in getting a customer’s attention, Cooper would take some measurements, then requests for a considerable amount of cash and then would set out a myriad of reasons why he could not do the work within the fixed timeframe of six to eight weeks to finish the fitting.

It has resulted to a number of complaints filed to the company and the police. When it did not work out, they resorted to go to court.

A representative of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, David Lodge, has said that Cooper could have created for himself a legal and profitable business but unfortunately decided to resort to fleecing customers of their money without any intention of doing any sort of work.

He also urged customers to take extra caution when it comes to receiving any flyers delivered from their doorsteps and not let themselves be easily swayed by cons into believing everything they say and giving them money.

Cooper has since come clean about committing fraud when he emerged at Leeds Crown Court last Monday. Running the business from his former home located in School Lane, he agreed to continue on with a business with the intention of swindling customers. His business ran from June 2010 to January 2013.

The case was adjourned and the judge bailed Cooper on the proviso to not receive any considerable finances for future work from the day of his bail all the way up to his sentence.

This goes without saying that it is very important to only choose trusted Kitchen Fitters, which have a solid background and clear reputation. Another way to check is to make sure that all their employees are licensed, with proper IDs and permits.

Jan 03 2015
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