Thirty-seven seconds stand between atomic time and the slowing rotation of the Earth. Each one was inserted by hand. Each one is irreplaceable.
In November 2022, the General Conference on Weights and Measures resolved to discontinue the leap second by 2035 or earlier. This is real. After more than fifty years of service, the practice of politely asking every computer on Earth to experience 23:59:60 will end, primarily because every computer on Earth handled it badly. The Society considers this a failure of computers, not of seconds.
Signatures will be counted, totalled, and presented to no one. The Society believes the gesture is what matters, as the outcome has already been decided.
Every leap second ever inserted, in order of insertion. All 27 were positive. No second has ever been removed, a record of restraint the Society intends to protect.
| No. | Inserted after | Condition |
|---|
For a one-time contribution of nothing, you may adopt one of the 27 leap seconds. Adoption is symbolic, non-exclusive, and permanent. The second will not be told about you.
The adopted second occurred once, lasted one second, and will not occur again. The Society thanks you for your support during its brief but confusing lifetime. This certificate confers no rights over the second, its earlier neighbours, or time in general.