4 ms·
What I like about the tz database is that's it's technically a diff of a diff. It stores the difference across history, of the difference of each timezone with
by fouronnes3 2y ago
What I like about the tz database is that's it's technically a diff of a diff. It stores the difference across history, of the difference of each timezone with UTC. Right? So it's a diff^2. But! The tz database gets updates! So those commits are diffs of diffs of diffs, or diff^3.
Can we go further? You bet! It has a changelog, and that changelog is stored in git, so commits to the tz changelog are diff^4: they are changes to the list of changes to the list of changes to the list of changes to UTC.
- dalmo3 2y agoYou forgot that UTC (or timekeeping in general) itself is a diff.
- fouronnes3 2y agoOh that's a great point! We have achieved diff^5 at last! Now that I think of it, we could even stretch it one more level. In practice UTC is "realized" as a "best of" diff to atomic clocks in labs around the world, which are themselves diff against a fixed time point, as you pointed out. So that realization technically changes when the official UTC bulletin[1] is published by BIPM. So diff^6! [1] https://www.bipm.org/en/time-metrology https://www.bipm.org/en/time-metrology
- hhdhdbdb 2y agoCan we bring relativity in for another diff :)
- flippyhead 2y agoYes, but, it's always 5 o'clock somewhere, amiriiight??
- Yossarrian22 2y agoDon’t forget using GPS to get the time and tell you if you’ve crossed time zones
- gavindean90 2y agoSo would that be diff ^ 10?
- Horffupolde 2y agoA diff of a diff is just 2 diff. It’s not a product of diffs.
- ninalanyon 2y agoSpoilsport!
- Horffupolde 2y agoJust be rigorous with your words.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]