For the most part we do. For instance, communications protocols -- both wired and wireless -- allow for a certain amount of error, typically defined in the spec

For the most part we do. For instance, communications protocols -- both wired and wireless -- allow for a certain amount of error, typically defined in the specs for the protocol. If there's a small amount of frequency drift in the sending device, the receiver can detect the actual timing of bit transitions and adjust. Prior to the computer age, radios and TV's had oscillators that locked themselves to the timings of the transmitting signal. That way, the receiver didn't need to have a precise timer at all. Timing requirements tend to get more precise when you're trying to cram more data into a particular channel. On a more gross scale, bus and train systems can afford timing errors of seconds or even minutes. But precision science needs precision instruments, when the interesting effects are very small.