3 ms·
I didn't say aliens would care about UTC, did I? I said that we would have to specify a point in time without resorting to calendars. I didn't say we would use
by kjrfghslkdjfl 2y ago
I didn't say aliens would care about UTC, did I? I said that we would have to specify a point in time without resorting to calendars. I didn't say we would use offset to UTC, because aliens don't know UTC either. But presumably they can measure time, so we could e.g. measure a point in time as an offset to "now". We would also have to use units that they understand. Not seconds, but perhaps Cesium revolutions.
> And it seems a bit pedantic to separate it
I would say that the fact that you can't see a distinction between time and a calendar is precisely the reason you're confused. So I wouldn't consider it pedantic.
- dsego 2y agoNo, you are absolutely right about the distinction, I didn't see it as useful since the article is dealing with calendars here, eg. time of event at some location. I don't think I've used time without a calendar so it seems a bit abstract to do so.
- kjrfghslkdjfl 2y agoEvery time you say "wait a second" you're using time without a calendar or a timezone. You're referring to a point in time as an offset (1 second) to "now" which is the point in time when you say it, and its the same point regardless of which timezone you're in, or whether there's a timezone change in between.