Look, I hate to bring this up again, but the Newham Olympic countdownclock outside Stratford station is wrong. Again.
Back in 2006 it was running seven weeks early, which was particularly hopeless. The clock should have been counting down to late July 2012, but was instead due to terminate in early June. When I pointed out this error on the blog there was a mild storm in thepress, an apology from the council and an appropriate temporal tweak. But now it's wrong again. Just a few days out, and running late this time, but wrong all the same.
Here's how Newham's Olympic countdown clock looked just after 8am yesterday morning.
1198 days equals 171 weeks and a day, which means that the Newham clock is counting down to Sunday 29th July 2012. This is incorrect. The London Olympics are scheduled to start on Friday 27th July, a couple of days earlier. Newham's clock is running two days slow. By the time it hits zero, the first few Olympic medals will already have been awarded. Sorry, guys, wrong again. It's also counting down to half past three in the afternoon, whereas it ought to be counting down to seven o'clock in the evening. But we can probably forgive this inexactitude, at least until 2012 draws closer.
Which brings me to a related question. As of today, Sunday 19th April 2009, precisely how many days are there to go until the Olympics?
I say there are 1195 days to go. My daily countdown clock has been ticking away in the sidebar since 2005, and today it says 1195. That's 170 weeks and 5 days. My clock will hit zero on Friday 27th July 2012, which is the day the Olympics begins. I believe that's correct.
London 2012 say there are 1194 days to go. Their countdown clock appears top left on the London 2012 homepage, and today it says 1194. That's 170 weeks and 4 days. Their clock will hit zero on Thursday 26th July 2012, which is the day before the Olympics begins. I'm not convinced that's right.
Let me explain it another way. On the day before the Olympic Games begin, my countdown clock will say "1 day to go". The official London 2012 countdown clock, however, will say "0 days to go". We can't both be correct.
I guess it depends on how you count, and what convention you use. I reckon there's one day to go when something's happening tomorrow. But London 2012 evidently believe there's one day to go when something's happening the day after tomorrow. That's a less conventional approach, surely, but who am I to argue?
Whoever's right, athletes running in this morning's Newham Classic 10K race will be jogging beneath a big clock that's definitely wrong. Because, however you count, there aren't 1197 days left. I wonder how long it'll be before they fix it this time.
Look, I hate to bring this up again, but the Newham Olympic countdown clock outside Stratford station is wrong.
I say there are 1195 days to go. My daily countdown clock has been ticking away in the sidebar since 2005, and today it says 1195. That's 170 weeks and 5 days. My clock will hit zero on Friday 27th July 2012, which is the day the Olympics begins. I believe that's correct.
London 2012 say there are 1194 days to go. Their countdown clock appears top left on the London 2012 homepage, and today it says 1194. That's 170 weeks and 4 days. Their clock will hit zero on Thursday 26th July 2012, which is the day before the Olympics begins. I'm not convinced that's right.
