A master time solution needs to specify 1) a unit for time, 2) the virtual location of the master clock (demanded by relativity), 3) the system of notation, particularly the numberal system, 4) how local times can be conveniently related to the master time, and 5) when to make the transition.
1) There is no compelling reason to use anything else than the metric definition of the second as the unit. It is well imbedded in everyday use, and using the gravitational constant to generate a universal system is not really practical. The gravitational force is too weak and the resulting system would be incommensurate with the existing English and metric systems.
2) If the virtual location is moved to the barycenter of the solar system, and a mean time is used to eliminate the variation in gravitational potential at the barycenter, the gravitational redshift at the earth will make the master time deviate from GMT by only a few hours over the next 10,000 years.
3) If 7! = 1x2x3x4x5x6x7 = 5,040 is used as the base of the the numeral system, we can use the best highly-composite base for people who have invented computers, and get away from the unnatural decimal system. (The natural way for people who have invented the concept of zero to count on their fingers is base-6, with zero represented by the closed fist.) The use of the Hindu-Roman alphanumeric symbols (0-9,a-z) to represent base-36 is a good way to represent the system using standard keyboard characters. (5,040 = 7x24x30 is the best default standard. 5,040 = 7x8x9x10, if using just Hindu numerals.) The metric system should also be superceded, because it creates unnecessary units differing from the atomic ones. Creating new measurement systems for greater convenience is natural for people for have invented calculators to do the necessary conversions during the transition.
By serendipity, the combination of the second and the 7! numeral system gives a near commensurability with the reformed calendar using equal quarters and a leap week every five or six years. Astronomical observations are needed to make the calendar match to tropical years. In about 10,000 years, however, the leap weeks defined by the master time will have made one cycle around the earth's seasons. If more people are living elsewhere than the earth at that time, the interplanetary leap week holiday can then be set using master time, helping eliminate an overly geocentric cultural bias.
4) Now that we have defined a system good for 10,000 years or more, we can concentrate on making computerized timepieces that provide a variety of good local times. Since most people like to rise with the sun, for instance, many people can choose to have their local sunrise always occur at 6am. The resulting slight difference in the rate of time will not be psychologically noticeable, unlike the abrupt hour shifts of Daylight Savings Time.
5) A good epoch zero for setting the rate of the master time and implementing its general use is 2023 December 25 1200 UTC. This Monday is the first day of the last international week before the first Gregorian leap year of this millenium. It minimizes the conflict in dates between the reformed calendar with equal quarters and zero (leap) weeks and the current international (Gregorian)calendar. It is also conveniently far in the future to be able to institute all the time reforms mentioned above.
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Let us take a radical look at the problem.
A master time solution needs to specify 1) a unit for time, 2) the virtual location of the master clock (demanded by relativity), 3) the system of notation, particularly the numberal system, 4) how local times can be conveniently related to the master time, and 5) when to make the transition.
1) There is no compelling reason to use anything else than the metric definition of the second as the unit. It is well imbedded in everyday use, and using the gravitational constant to generate a universal system is not really practical. The gravitational force is too weak and the resulting system would be incommensurate with the existing English and metric systems.
2) If the virtual location is moved to the barycenter of the solar system, and a mean time is used to eliminate the variation in gravitational potential at the barycenter, the gravitational redshift at the earth will make the master time deviate from GMT by only a few hours over the next 10,000 years.
3) If 7! = 1x2x3x4x5x6x7 = 5,040 is used as the base of the the numeral system, we can use the best highly-composite base for people who have invented computers, and get away from the unnatural decimal system. (The natural way for people who have invented the concept of zero to count on their fingers is base-6, with zero represented by the closed fist.) The use of the Hindu-Roman alphanumeric symbols (0-9,a-z) to represent base-36 is a good way to represent the system using standard keyboard characters. (5,040 = 7x24x30 is the best default standard. 5,040 = 7x8x9x10, if using just Hindu numerals.) The metric system should also be superceded, because it creates unnecessary units differing from the atomic ones. Creating new measurement systems for greater convenience is natural for people for have invented calculators to do the necessary conversions during the transition.
By serendipity, the combination of the second and the 7! numeral system gives a near commensurability with the reformed calendar using equal quarters and a leap week every five or six years. Astronomical observations are needed to make the calendar match to tropical years. In about 10,000 years, however, the leap weeks defined by the master time will have made one cycle around the earth's seasons. If more people are living elsewhere than the earth at that time, the interplanetary leap week holiday can then be set using master time, helping eliminate an overly geocentric cultural bias.
4) Now that we have defined a system good for 10,000 years or more, we can concentrate on making computerized timepieces that provide a variety of good local times. Since most people like to rise with the sun, for instance, many people can choose to have their local sunrise always occur at 6am. The resulting slight difference in the rate of time will not be psychologically noticeable, unlike the abrupt hour shifts of Daylight Savings Time.
5) A good epoch zero for setting the rate of the master time and implementing its general use is 2023 December 25 1200 UTC. This Monday is the first day of the last international week before the first Gregorian leap year of this millenium. It minimizes the conflict in dates between the reformed calendar with equal quarters and zero (leap) weeks and the current international (Gregorian)calendar. It is also conveniently far in the future to be able to institute all the time reforms mentioned above.