text: Andrew Kantor: CyberSpeak - Ultra-accurate clocks are all around us (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - It's not just cell phones taking advantage of a time standard. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colo., sends out a radio signal that any properly equipped device in much of North America can pick up and use to set itself to the proper time.