The time according to bbc.co.uk
Where do you get your time from? Listener John Chapman sent this email:
"Being a lot closer to 50 than 30 I was pleased to see the old Clock on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Website. Where does such an iconic symbol of reliability get its time from? From a Trusted Internet clock at a renowned UK scientific body? From those super accurate clocks which are going into the European satellite network?
I was surprised when a colleague pointed out it came from somewhere much nearer to home. How many other people believe the time is accurate? Is this documented somewhere in the Help screens?"
What John means is that the clock on the webpage is based on the time according to your PC (if you don't believe me change the time on your computer and see what happens to the clock on the webpage).
I put John's email to the team behind bbc.co.uk, here's what they said:
"It has always been our aspiration to set the time of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ clock to atomic time. We are working hard on this, but due to the complexities of international time zones, particularly daylight savings time, we have made slow progress. I can assure you that we are actively working on this & hope to bring the benefits to you soon"
So the time will come when the time is accurate. In the meantime there are always the bongs....
UPDATE: It's always nice when we get good comments, and there's a great one below offering some very helpful advice if you want to deprive yourself of one possible excuse for turning up late for work make sure your computer tells the right time.
The time on a PC can be "sync'd" to a number of "internet clocks".
Try 'right-clicking' on the displayed clock (usually at the bottom right of the screen) and left-clicking "Adjust Time/Date". On the tab "Internet Time" you can arrange for your PC's clock to be syncronised to a time standard on the internet.
"time.windows.com" is the usual option but there are others.
There's more about atomic clocks etc. in the comments.
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