I have started a Dianes Y2K Friends E-Mail List and am sort of acting as the point person in escalating the Y2K research for my friends. One lives in Wales, in the U.K., in a very out of the way place along the coast. I think her recent experience is another early warning indicator that is valuable shared with a wider group:

10/22/98 -- According to our local newspaper all police leave has been cancelled over New Year 2000 because they say the traffic lights won't work. Humph. Sounds like fun. I have the address of a bulk supplier of dried foods and am off to check the website you gave me.

10/23/98 -- Many many thanks for all that interesting y2k stuff. It really is getting scary. twice this week the banks computers were down, I twitted them about it and they said it was because the systems had been BEEN FIXED recently to comply with 2000 bug, they all had big red stickers on them saying PASSED. Now they won't work properly. No money could be issued from the auto-teller either and the staff were scribbling everything on bits of paper. We also couldnt buy food from the local store's freezer because of a power cut...imagine a very long power cut!!! I ordered a book called SAS survival (they are some really tough hombres) and you can pack most of what you need into a 2oz t

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 25, 1998

Answers

(This part of the above message was left out:)

...2oz t

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 25, 1998.

Sounds like your off to a great start, Diane!

-- madeline (runner@bcpl.net), October 25, 1998.

Diane,

Expect about 7% errors in a "perfect" released program that has been re-worked. In other words, if 100 programs have been "fixed" (or remediated" as it is called), only 93 will continue to work properly. The other 7 will have "new" failures introduced because of the Y2K corrections.

Expect this error rate to increase as more programs are rushed through coding, and more emergencies are found. Speed, lack of time to test, and tired people will increase the error rate. Until the "whole" system in any company or government has passed its enitre group of regression tests (tests that are designed to prove exisitng data and existing processes run) satisfatorily, don't trust it.

Welcome to the world.

By the way, Sir Richard the Dale, of great poetic tribute, is also of merrie olde England, but I understand that hasn't caused any communication problems with us in the rest of the civilized worlds so far. He seems to read, write and limerick the American English just fine, And he reads from left to right just like the rest of us, even though I understand he does drive on the wrong side of the street......8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 25, 1998.

Does this forum software have Y2K problems ??

I can't seem to correctly post the rest of my message:

One more try:

...2oz tin. The crucial thing is that you must be able to make fire under ANY conditions. If you need any tips let me know and I'll list them for you. Meanwhile, we are amused about the police being drafted to deal with traffic light failure over New Year 99......there is only one traffic light here for thirty miles!!!! Or are they afraid of something even more sinister. The mind boggles.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 26, 1998.

Robert, thanks my head is swelling in total narcissism. Yes it is true that I tune my Engleeesh for the colonial cousins. If Richard Branson has felt the touch of the sword on both shoulders there's hope for me yet. Come to think of it so has Lloyd-Webber, its the double barrel thats helps. Trouble is Mr Blair may decide to adopt the colonial title of President along with all its additional trappings of course. Speaking of whom, did you know he wrote off to all his favourite pop-stars (eg David Oldfield of Tubular ball fame) on 10 Downing St notepaper telling them how much he admired them. Diana's legacy lives on. Speaking of which Blair's pretender in waiting the Chancellor of the Exchequor Mr Brown said he has taken up Diana's cause.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), October 26, 1998.

Mike Oldfield, I was thinking of David Bedford (whoever that is).

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), October 26, 1998.

Every mother knows that a 2 year old can't understand what "hot" means when explained to him until he's touched the stove and felt the pain.

That's the basis of human psych and learning at work. "Early Y2k warning signs" are the "hot pain" for those of us who've read for months on this issue. We've had the concept well explained to us already. But those not as Y2K aware will learn when the fire breaks out in the kitchen and spreads to the house. Too late for them then.

Just an observation.

-- Chris (Catsy@pond.com), October 26, 1998.

Richard,

Yup, its Michael Oldfield not Dave. Also, just to show off my knowledge of useless music trivia, it was 'Tubular Bells', not 'Tubular Ball'. BTW, Oldfield was the grand old age of 18 when he wrote that album.

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), October 26, 1998.

Chris,

I may be a Y2K toddler this week, but give me two more weeks and I may just graduate from High School. Two weeks after that ...

As every day goes by you better hope more and more Y2K toddlers come online and figure things out. Theyll need patient and experienced teachers.

What is your hot button is their stunned gun.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 26, 1998.