Monaco New Year’s Eve countdown 3… 2… 1… and 1

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Those of us who are looking forward to 2017 will have just a little longer to wait this year, due to the fact that the earth’s rotation is slowing over time. In fact, the extra second we need to ring in the New Year is not a new development, the same thing having taken place 26 times since 1972.

The gravitational pull of both the sun and the moon may not matter too much to Monaco residents, but for the world of the internet and hi-tech transactions, one extra second can cause major problems.

“Satellite navigation systems, telecommunications networks and financial markets are sensitive. The addition of a second on June 30, 2012, caused a problem of synchronisation on the web, especially for servers and merchant sites,” according to France Info.

The United Nations is due to discuss the ongoing problem, but typically, not any time soon. We’ll have to wait until 2023 for a debate on the topic. In the meantime, if readers have a problem with payments and other transactions in the immediate aftermath of New Year’s Eve, maybe the extra second will be to blame.

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