Little Known Facts regarding Leap Years

Everybody knows that the world doesn't go around in exactly 365 days, but really in 365 days and some 6 hours more. It is due to this "six hours" differential that every four years, an extra day is inserted in the calendar, giving February 29 days instead of 28.

The concept of a year is based on the earth’s motion around the sun. The time from one fixed point, such as a solstice or equinox, to the next is called a tropical year. Its length is currently 365.242190 days, but it varies. Around 1900 its length was 365.242196 days, and around 2100 it will be 365.242184 days.

The Julian Calendar , which was in effect from 45 BC until the Gregorian Calendar replaced around 1582, assumed the year being 365.25 (or 365 1/4) days, and basically made every year that is multiple of 4 to be a leap year.



Due to the differential between the Julian year and the tropical year, this calendar introduced a 1 day error every 128 days. Imagine the effect it had on agriculture.

The Gregorian Calendar made a new approximation. In it the tropical year is approximated as 365 97/400 days = 365.2425 days.Thus it takes approximately 3300 years for the tropical year to shift one day with respect to the Gregorian calendar.

The Gregorian calendar has 97 leap years every 400 years:

• Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year.
• However, every year divisible by 100 is not a leap year.
• However, every year divisible by 400 is a leap year after all.

So this means that the years 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, and 2200 are NOT leap years, but the years 2000 and 2400 are in fact leap years.

Since the most recent turn of the century (2000) was a leap year, we lost the opportunity for everybody to know that the rule is not really "one leap year every four years" but there's something else.


(H/T Claus Tøndering )


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Comfortably Numb in The Wall

I don't know what was on my mind when, at age 12 or so, I sneaked out to the movie theater to see Pink Floyd's The Wall. Strange is an understatement. But I like it.



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The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

I have just booked my flights for Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL for this next month of June, and the first on the to-do list was to purchase The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009.

When I went back in 2004 this book came way too handy: full of tips and recommendations to save time and money, thus enhancing the vacation.

I have heard that the "unofficial" is much better than the official, as in includes information outside of Disney.

Obviously you can get information from all types of places in the web, but really, this book is a beauty.
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

Richard Feynman is my favorite contemporary scientist. I've enjoyed his books and other material I have had access to. I highly recommend the book of the same name of this post, as an introduction to his work and life.



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Twitterized Facebook

That's precisely what I thought of the new Facebook, where the status question changed from "What's your status" to "What's on your mind". It was becoming Twitter.

I really don't know Twitter and like the new facebook, though I was not much of a user to really get affected by the changes.

Anyway, there's an excellent article on Slate about the new Facebook and how people usually don't like changes on their favorite websites, but then come around and like them even better.
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Is Mexico a Failed State?

Throughout the media and blogs I have access to, there seems to be a concern about Mexico's well being, including security and business aspects. Mexico is a country I happen to know, visit frequently and are very fond of.

I believe that there's a gap between public opinion in the US and the reality of Mexico's situation. Today I found out a Op-Ed in the New York Times that seems to explain the reality of the challenges Mexico is facing.

I will highly recommend the article.
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Julia Roberts Fake Laugh

I have developed a Julia Roberts case of staying away from movies starring Julia Roberts. I just can't seem to get past her fake laugh, that I think first appeared on Pretty Woman.

I liked her a lot, but as she has been appearing less and less, and every time she does, there's the fake laugh again on every movie she makes. It just seems to fake for me.

I have also been staying away from Angelina Jolie movies. Both might be beautiful women, but there's something about them and their carreers/movies, that I have to be 100% certain they are good movies prior to going to any of them.

Anyways, seems like Roberts has lost part of her midas touch this week.
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Handicapped Parking

Here's a question I have. Suppose you are the driver with a handicapped permit, but at this particular time, the handicapped person is not in the vehicle and you are not in the process of picking that person.

If you reach a place where there's handicapped parking available, would you park in those spaces anyway, or will you go to a normal parking space, even though the vehicle has the permit?

Right where I live, I have seen people descending from vehicles where no handicapped person gets off the car. There seems to be an abuse in the usage of the permit. I really don't know how the permits are issued, but there seems to be something wrong in the process.
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Stills from Scenes that Marked Me

The Shining, 1980
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Video of the Day

This song was once my favorite song (for a certain amount of time, just as any song is). I loved the video and still do. I remember seeing the movie, but really can't remember how much I liked it.

Any way, just until recently I noticed that the girl in the video/movie is Diane Lane, now a academy nominated actress. I would have given her the Oscar for Unfaithfull (oooh, mama).

When I found out about Diane Lane, it kind of remembered like the time I found out that Courtney Cox was the dancer on the Born in the USA video.

Enjoy the video.


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What is Milliways Bar?

My first post would try to explain the reason to the name of the blog. I wanted to come up with a name from the Hicthhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series, but seems like every name is taken in blogspot.

Milliways is really the The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but since the name was taken, I settled for the Bar.

Here is the Wikipedia explanation: Milliways is the The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and can only be visited practically by time travel, as it exists at the end of time and matter. Marvin the Paranoid Android is one character who manages to reach Milliways without the use of time travel, merely by being very patient. One of the restaurant's major attractions is that diners can watch the entire universe end around them as they eat. The terminal moment is followed by dessert.

Read the books, grab your towel and lets see how this blogging thing goes.
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