Obviously we need to build more green power hydroelectric dams ...

It never ceases to amaze me that you folks don't read your own blog.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

This leads me to wonder whether Mr. Brissey gets up before noon. I think I'll conclude: no.

I only read my own posts.

#5 wrong kind of day.

#5: As Charles Babbage once said, "I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

#5: It's expplained in the linked article,

"A large quake shifts massive amounts of rock and alters the distribution of mass on the planet.

When that distribution changes, it changes the rate at which the planet rotates. And the rotation rate determines the length of a day."

"That shift in axis is what may have shortened days."

Bzzzzzzzz.

That's what they said on Krypton.

Yeah, Cato, but at least our planet isn't made out of fucking kryptonite.

@11 - yet.

Give the Republic Party of No time ...

I was noticing my days are shorter following that earthquake.
Thanks for clearing it up for me.

@5,8 - the old standard of conservation of angular momentum. When skaters spin and pull in their arms they move faster. When the earth's mass is redistributed such that the integral of it's moment of rotation over the surface is decreased, the planet rotates faster and days shorten. I.e. the earthquake caused more mess to end up at a lower elevation overall thus speeding up the earth's rotation.

@14, I think you meant "more mass" but "more mess" works even better for me.

Great, I just bought a new watch, too.

Mine is Swiss, @16. The only problem is finding chocolate so it doesn't run out of power.

@5

The earth goes around the sun in ABOUT 365.25 days. Not exactly- and it can change slightly each year. Completely separately from that, the earth spins around. One spin around its axis means one day. So, If days get shorter, that year will get LONGER, because the days will happen (ever so slightly) more frequently, therefore more will happen during one revolution.