by xkcdz | 2025-04-13 23:33:50+00:00
My thinking with GPTS wasn't so much about replacing the second for local durations within a 24-hour period – we're pretty well-served there. Instead, the core motivation is to tackle the headache of coordinating across those 24-hour periods and across geographical locations. This system isn't intended to change how individuals experience their local day or their existing timekeeping for daily activities. It's about providing a universal layer for seamless global synchronization across various critical domains.

Consider, for example, scenarios requiring global synchronization, such as satellite communications, distributed databases needing consistent transaction ordering, and the vast network of IoT devices where precise, location-agnostic timestamps are crucial. In financial transactions, especially high-frequency trading and global financial systems, GPTS could ensure all events are logged and processed in a single time format, eliminating discrepancies caused by time zones or even fractional-second differences.

For scientific applications, GPTS offers an ideal framework for experiments, astronomy, and global data collection where precise, universally synchronized timestamps are paramount, whether it's logging astronomical observations from different locations or coordinating particle physics experiments with ultra-fine timing requirements. Even in gaming and virtual environments, GPTS could provide the backbone for synchronizing events and interactions between players across the globe in real-time.

The most obvious use case is in global scheduling systems, where GPTS can act as a neutral time standard for coordinating events, meetings, and tasks across different time zones, drastically simplifying the current complex process. Furthermore, in data logging and monitoring across servers, sensors, and applications worldwide, GPTS would provide consistent timestamps that are far easier to parse and analyze.

The benefits extend to cutting-edge fields like machine learning and AI, where GPTS can simplify the handling of time-series data by providing a consistent, normalized time format. Looking beyond our planet, GPTS's inherent universality makes it well-suited for space exploration, providing a consistent time reference for logging events on spacecraft and planetary rovers, independent of Earth-based time zones. And as you mentioned earlier about other planets, the core concept could be adapted – imagine a "Martian Pulse" based on the Martian sol.

Even in established industries like media and content production, GPTS could ensure consistent time stamps for editing and synchronizing video, audio, and animations across globally distributed teams. Finally, in the maritime and aviation industries, where time zones can be irrelevant in open waters or airspace but precise coordination is vital, GPTS could serve as a crucial synchronization tool for air and sea traffic management.

You mentioned that a "point in time" is bound to a location, and that's precisely the problem GPTS aims to solve. Instead of saying "10 am in Paris," which requires mental gymnastics for someone in New York to understand the overlap, GPTS offers a single, universal reference. When I say "P050000," it's not 10 am somewhere; it's a specific, unambiguous moment in the global day, regardless of where anyone is.

While you see the base conversion as not a game-changer, I think the shift to a decimal system offers a subtle but significant advantage for human understanding, especially when dealing with fractions of a day. Knowing that P050000 is exactly halfway through the day, or P025000 is a quarter, is instantly clear without needing to remember the 60/60/24 divisions. For computer systems, while the base conversion itself might not be revolutionary, the universal nature of the timestamp across these use cases could be quite impactful.

Ultimately, you're right – adoption would be a massive hurdle. People are deeply tied to their local time cues. But the question I'm exploring is whether the increasing need for seamless global interaction across these diverse and critical applications might eventually make a system like this, or something similar, more appealing as a standard for global scheduling and digital systems where time zone ambiguity causes constant issues.