World timekeepers have decreed there will be no leap second on December 31, 2020. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/leap-second-june-30-december-31-why-need-controversy…
Tag: global positioning system
Einstein’s theory of relativity, critical for GPS, seen in distant stars
What do Albert Einstein, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a pair of stars 200,000 trillion miles from Earth have in common? Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-10-einstein-theory-relativity-critical-gps.html…
China celebrates completion of rival sat navigation system
China is celebrating the completion of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System that could rival the U.S. Global Positioning System and significantly boost China’s security and geopolitical clout. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-china-celebrates-rival-sat.html…
China launches final satellite in GPS-like Beidou system
China on Tuesday launched the final satellite in its Beidou constellation that emulates and may seek to compete with the U.S. Global Positioning System, marking a further step in the country’s advance as a major space power. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-china-satellite-gps-like-beidou.html…
China to complete Beidou competitor to GPS with new launches
China said Friday its Beidou Navigation Satellite System that emulates the U.S. Global Positioning System will be competed with the launch of its final two satellites in the first half of next year. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-12-china-beidou-competitor-gps.html…
Retired Georgia Tech Professor Is Suing Uber, Lyft For Patent Infringement
McGruber shares a report from American City Business Journals: A retired Georgia Tech professor is suing ride-sharing giant Uber, claiming he invented the technology that “is absolutely core to the way in which Uber operates its business.” In a complaint filed May 31 in federal court, Stephen Dickerson charges that Uber is infringing on a patent he won in 2004 for…
Today in science: Einstein’s triumph
May 29, 2019, is the 100th anniversary of a total solar eclipse, during which Sir Arthur Eddington observed the bending of light around the sun, thereby proving Einstein’s general relativity theory and catapulting Einstein into rock star fame. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/may-29-1919-solar-eclipse-einstein-relativity…
World celebrates centenary of confirmation of relativity
Celebrations are underway across the globe to commemorate 100 years since a UK-led expedition confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The theory fundamentally changed our understanding of physics and astronomy, and underpins critical modern technologies such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). A series of public events in the UK and around the world will mark this seminal anniversary. Source:…
New York City Has a Y2K-Like Problem, and It Doesn’t Want You To Know About It
On April 6, something known as the GPS rollover, a cousin to the dreaded Y2K bug, mostly came and went, as businesses and government agencies around the world heeded warnings and made software or hardware updates in advance. But in New York, something went wrong — and city officials seem to not want anyone to know. [Editor’s note: the link…