Re: US grid to float high in freq:
"My high school had these massive IBM clocks in the hallways,[...]"
After restarting from a power cut it was not unusual for a classroom clock to go backwards. Presumably a design economy by omitting the spring mechanism that automatically corrected a "wrong way" start by the synchronous motor. IIRC there was a button to manually force a change in direction - for which the school caretaker needed to use a stepladder. He had to go round resetting the time anyway.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
