> Time is not in such a dire state at the moment. That’s because on January 7, 2019, scientists in Paris decided there’d be no leap second in summer 2019, and therefore computers can keep on counting seconds without going out of step with official UTC.

> But if there’s another federal shutdown, one that lasts more than six months, one that happens while the IERS decides there will be a leap second, time itself would truly be warped, at least according to many computers.