“Will you please point out the error in my little demonstration?” [excerpt]Your 2 stakes pointing at the apparent position of the Sun 8.3 minutes apart has no errors as long as you are using to demonstrate the rate of rotation of the Earth.
“Are you denying that it takes light 8.3 minutes to get from the Sun to the Earth? Or that Light travels in a straight line? (at least enough for our purposes) If you aren't, then you have to agree with me, as much as I know it pains you : )” [excerpt]Here's an excerpt from my post 2009, to you:
“I have also assumed that light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second, that the distance to the Sun is 149,597,870,691 ± 30 metres, that light travels in a straight line unless effected by gravity or atmospheric refraction and that the Earth orbits the sun.” [excerpt]
if you put (149597870691/299792458) seconds in minutes into google you get:
(149 597 870 691 / 299 792 458) * seconds = 8.3167464 minutes
More about calculator.
Where your error comes in, is in asserting that your demonstration shows the difference between the apparent and actual positions of the sun.
You are demonstrating rate of rotation and claiming it proves optical lag.
You have yet to back up your claim with testable science.