July 20, 2006

Did you jump today?

Today was the big jump day! Did you miss it?

WorldJumpDay.org urged everyone to get out and jump today. The goal was to stop global warming and put the earth into a milder climate by changing the orbit of the earth slightly...by putting it a little farther away from the sun. They calculated that they needed 600 million jumpers to jump at the same time, and they registered just over that amount on their website.

When you signed up, there was a form that you filled out that told you, based on your latitude and longitude, exactly what time you needed to jump. Here in Albuquerque it was 4:39 p.m. on July 20th.

At 4:10 or so, I pulled up outside the student union building at the University of New Mexico and sat down on the porch area outside the building to read a book for the next half hour. At 4:38, having read a chapter and a half, I got up and casually walked over to the barrier that separates the porch from the main mall. Stepping up to the top, I judged that the 3 foot drop would create a suitable Mike force, adding to the force of 600 million or so jumpers and knocking the earth slightly off orbit.

At 4:39, I leapt off and hit the ground a second later.

I was slightly disappointed. I didn't feel the earth move at all, which sounds like I was looking for an orgasmic experience. Frankly, I was hoping for something...a small tremor...maybe the volcanoes on the west mesa doing a little belch...news notice that geiger scales had recorded the event. Even people stopping for a second, and noticing that something was slightly different, would have been some sort of confirmation that I had done something important, rather than stupidly jumping three feet off a concrete ledge. But people kept walking, and nothing seemed different.

WorldJumpDay.org says that they are now computing the results and will know whether the earth moved any in a few days. Meanwhile, if you notice the weather becoming a little less hot, the climate more agreeable, and the sun a little off kilter, you can all thank me for doing my part to help!

2 Comments:

Blogger Mary B. said...

Awesome. I'm sure thousands of birds in a far away rain forest suddenly burst from their trees in sheer panic as they felt the earth shift. Every little bit helps, I guess. :)

5:46 PM  
Blogger typingelbow said...

wow. i never heard of Jump Day until now. i'm going to google it...

2:11 PM  

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