I have a habit of trying to note when accuracy in telling time seems to be called for. I enjoyed learning in the book "Faster" about time enthusiasts who try hard to make their clocks and watches super accurate. I usually depend on my computer to give me the correct time and my cellphone and the clock on the cable box. I use the mental heading "microtime" for the business of knowing exactly when it is noon or some other time.
I call my friends at 8:15 in the morning to see if they want to take a walk. There have been times when I called at 8:17 by my time. The equipment in my house, their house and in between can probably take varying amounts of time to connect. My friends may notice the phone ringing a little more quickly or take a little more time to get to the phone. That doesn't even bring up the other factors that they may be right in the middle of their bacon and eggs and refuse to answer until they are good and ready. They may be on the line or not even be at home.
I don't think I understand the theory of relativity very well but I believe that trying to simultaneously decide when it is NOW! while being separated at really great distances is an example of how we all have our own time, relative to us and our own personal purposes. So, when someone says that he called me at 5:06 PM but my answering machine says that he called at 5:03, I immediately think of microtime and its difficulties.
It seems that a good many of our timestamps and time measurements are useful even when they are not super-accurate or in agreement with satellite measures or military and astronomy systems. We may be able to arrange records in order of occurrence without great agreement with time measurements from respected and expensive systems.
Well, it is getting late, whatever that means, so I think I will sign off right now.
