Any recent Y2K incidents you personally know about?

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I was wondering if anybody else has personally experienced a Y2K glitch or knows a friend who has. I've heard three stories in the last six months. My three stories, briefly...

1) I live in the Louisville area. This past May, a friend was working at a hotel during Kentucky Derby Week. A customer wanted to rent a room at that hotel for two years in the future--5/00. When my friend tried to reserve a date in May of 2000, the computer issued this message--"Arrival date cannot precede current date."

2) Another friend of mine works for a radio station that is mostly automated. Commercials are stored on a hard drive. The computer schedules, plays and creates affidavits for the commercials. Each commercial has a start date and a kill date.

My friend at the station recorded a commercial, put it in the system, and entered a kill date of October 2000 (10/00). Three days later, the station's computer was scheduled to play the commercial for the first time. Well, you guessed it, of course--the commercial didn't play at 8:35 AM as it was scheduled to. Worse, though, the whole automation system crashed at the same time--and it took 20 minutes to get the station back on the air!

3) Yesterday, I was at the county clerk's office to take care of the annual taxes on the car. While I was being taken care of at the clerk's window, I overheard two men discussing Y2K. The first one had heard about Y2K at church and mentioned to the second guy the recent story about Lubbock, TX's Y2K disaster drills.

The second guy told the first man that Y2K wouldn't be a major problem--get this--because Y2K (he said) would only affect billing at power utilities and phone companies, and not their electricity and phone service. This second guy was supposedly the computer literate one. He mentioned in passing that he'd helped fix a little Y2K problem at the county clerk's office. Seems that new renewals that took place on September 9th last month, which are good for a year until September 9, 1999--had been deleted by the computers at the county clerk's office!

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), October 31, 1998

Answers

Those are very interesting. I travel to Ky sometimes. I was in Ohio the other day waiting for my appointment. I just happened to be sitting in the lobby when some very "impt" looking men decided to stop and have a discussion right by my chair. Seems the cfo/ceo of the hospital was getting quotes for their new computers. He said the system hadn't been updated since 77 and had a lot of problems. The gentleman making the bid said "of course anything we sell you will be Y2k compliant...the other man got a blank look on his face...mumbled and finally said..yes, that is important"....My guess...he didn't even know what y2k is!!! This was a major major business!! Scared me! But then, the computer saleman asked him when he wanted the bid..the ceo/cfo said oh by January at least. He was in no hurry...at this rate it will be 3000 before things are fixed.

I know its not really a story of things happening but it is significant. For that matter, I have had the computers shut down 3 times now and different places I go for work because of glitches in new programming/updating/y2k. I am really backlogged trying to get my work done and I'm not even in the computer business...However, I am going to make sure my bills are paid way ahead, with receipts, in case I don't have a job for a while do to computer glitches.

-- deborah cunningham (dac@ccrtc.com), October 31, 1998.


Did you notice that the __salesman__ mentioned "of course" it would be y2K compliant .. becuase that is what his clients need, and he (and they) know it. Even if the "powers-that-be" don't now it.

Every sales clerk, gas station attendent, and waitress I've spoken has indicated they are worried about it, or have aknowledged it, and are preparing for it. or are worried about how it will affect their business/life/future.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 31, 1998.


In the literate society information seems to flow from the general population upwards to the elite. Sort of the backwards of the way it was always envisioned in the past.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), November 01, 1998.

I am in the process of renewing my CA smog check license. I recieved a packet of info from PSI exam services who does the testing for the state. A partial quote fom one section: "Due to a system problem which incorrectly calculates Smog Technician License expiration dates, The BAR will not be printing wall and badge licenses for an indefinite Period." These licenses are good for Two years!????

-- Bill Sturgeon (arlene@inreach.com), November 01, 1998.

I'm glad the salesman did mention y2k and is taking care of the place. It would be a might scarey place out there if they were selling non compliant systems at this late date.

BTW, thank you for responding. I have been posting here for a few weeks now( and lurking for longer) but only one other person had bothered to acknowledge a post. Makes me feel I'm not invisible at least. :->

-- deborah cunningham (dac@ccrtc.com), November 01, 1998.



Everything's read ... everyone is a source of knowledge for those us who don't know everything.

But I reserve the right to ignore any recipe that calls for more than 3 ingredients, or more than one pot. Now, this is not to say I won't eat the food from a more elaborate feast, but I'm just not interested in cooking it.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 01, 1998.


Bill, I just re-read your (it's above Ms. C's) about the smog certificates - the EPA office down here (Atlanta) rushed their computer-controlled system into place to force more rigorous checks on older cars.

Eventually, they want to force them off the roads - but for now, they are "only" requiring more rigorous (read more expensive checks") on a dynomameter. It you fail, you must spend at 400.00 on repairs to get a certificate of exception.

Blah....Blah...the program is underway for about three weeks - several hundred people need these expensive repairs .... blah ....blah...the state EPA finds out that the certificate program is wrong and is disqualifying people who should otherwise pass.

Ooops. They don't even know how people wrongly failed, much have any intention of repaying the repairs that weren't required.

Given that long story - bureacratic related, not Y2K directly - what will happen if smog cert's or license tag slips can't be printed for the new year? What do you think the bureacrats/state patrol will do?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 01, 1998.


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