There Is No Y2K Silver Bullet -- Its All About Different Choices

(This Message Is Especially Dedicated To Sir Richard Alan ADale, With Grateful Acknowledgements To Donna Barthuley):

I know this is going to burst your "gloom and doom" bubble, Richard, et. al., but there IS no mystical Y2K silver bullet or any other kind. There. Get over it.

It's just too high and too deep and too wide and too small to fix. Its broken. Period.

Maybe, just maybe it shouldnt BE fixed, at least the way it was before. It looks like what WAS is broken too.

Given that you cant put your favorite toy back together -- you know, that PLANET EARTH toy, the one that has A TERMINAL ILLNESS -- perhaps you might try to look at the future differently. Recognize that the global cancer is so pervasive, that maybe, just maybe you dont try to put a broken egg shell back together again. Maybe you make a new omelette because THAT is your only choice.

Our world is so sick that Y2K is just a more immediate part of the greater problem. Completely fix Y2K and your planet is still gonna die! Were killing it. And us.

Did you know the frogs are dying? Do you have any comprehension of what that means? Go investigate, find out why the frogs are another early warning indicator of this whole planets terminal illness. There is a huge ozone hole that is just getting bigger. The rain forests, the lungs of our planet, are being chopped down. Our breath, our oxygen supply is being diminished all in the name of corporate profits. Thats the line item where we, the people, are expensed. Even the oceans are dying and the repercussions of that one are deadly.

Its broken. And we all did it to ourselves.

Now. Given that we cant FIX all of what is broken, maybe we need to FIX only WHAT WORKS and what we need for global survival. Maybe we all need this Y2K change because it provides a focused, unprecedented opportunity to figure out what does work with our world, and what we DO need to repair. Maybe we need this Y2K crisis to re-examine and clutter clear our lives. And maybe it illustrates, even illuminates, how we can do things differently. Why? Because we are forced to really look at our creation for a change. Our lives all depend on it. Maybe we need to let the rest go, the parts that dont work. Let them go the way of all pre-historic dinosaurs.

Maybe we fix that which is absolutely essential like electricity (even though it is grid-locked) and communications, and transportation, and some form of banking, etc., for now, while concurrently looking at how it could be better. And different. And healthier. Can we make wiser choices because we are finally compelled to?

Am I still an optimist? Yes. Even though there isnt any silver bullet, from any lone ranger, thats going to magically fix our collective problem.

Why am I still an optimist? Because we do have both scientific and spiritual proof, that terminally ill patients can undergo seemingly miraculous healing, and experience spontaneous remissions, when alternative healing strategies are applied. And when patients think differently. When their new thoughts create a different reality. There is Y2K hope if we examine our alternatives carefully. There may even be some interesting actions, and reactions.

So ask yourselves. Which is the winning vision? Do we create a global Y2K campout? Or global thermonuclear war? Is it Apocalypse Now or do we strive to create heaven on earth?

Yes Richard, it is time to climb outside the evolutionary box, no matter whats piled higher and deeper, and all become gourmet cooks.

Diane

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Question: What works about our world? What needs to change?

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 05, 1998

Answers

I think we need really, really, really long mufflers on our cars, so that the ozone gets up really high, where it needs to be. Also I think that we can send a great big umbrella up into space, and open it up from time to time, thus blocking out the sun's rays, and so, cooling down the greenhouse effect. Another thing, if all of the yuppies would stop that constant treadmilling and using up all of our oxygen, we could do without the rain forest.

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 05, 1998.

I think we should climb a tree and hug it for eternity. I think we should swim with the whales and dolphins so they can teach us about the sea and how to communicate with each other. I think we should lay our bodies across the railroad tracks to prevent nuclear waste from entering mother earth. I think we should live among the wildlife and teach them not to go near our drinking water because they pollute it with their dead carcusses and dung. I think we should imprison all computer programmers for jeopardizing the lives of innocent human beings. They got us into this mess but cannot get us out. What works about our world? Money, Money, Money. That's it in a nut shell. With it you have everything. That's what works. Uncle Deedah, where do I get one of those long, long, long mufflers for my SUV?

-- SmokieJoe (Varoooom@ozone.com), November 05, 1998.

I vote: Work so hard and so effectively so heaven can come to earth; but prepare as if as if hell were coming.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 05, 1998.

And I still don't like to cook.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 05, 1998.

Diane-congrats for saying so well what i know many think, but are afraid to say in so many words. You go, girl... I think the Buddhist definition of suffering applies perfectly... "Clinging to that which changes".

-- Damian Solorzano (oggy1@webtv.net), November 06, 1998.

Diane is beginning to sound like Gary North! This is bad news. I thought you said Stephen Hawking would find the silver bullet mystical or otherwise, I very disappointed. I'm also disappointed that you have no answers either. I'm not a doom and gloomer, just constantly disappointed (that word again) at the sheer ineptitude (or is it lack of IQ) of people I meet.

Signing off disappointed at Diane. Notice I do not include others.... PS Diane would make a good politician (I mean a bad one).

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 06, 1998.

Question: What works about our world? What needs to change?

IMHO

Diane J Squire.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 06, 1998.

Diane, the frog thing worried me. But then I got to wondering if it might be connected to the fact that much of the world was short on rainfall the last couple of years - droughts and such.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), November 06, 1998.

Solar energy works.

Things that don't work:

Nuclear weapons and plants Any type of pollution Biological warfare People starving or homeless

-- Anna McKay Ginn (annaginn@aol.com), November 06, 1998.

Richard,

The point is no ONE person has the answer. We all do, collectively. Or at least can figure it out, as a group, each doing our part to shift attitudes in our local locations (not to mention FIX whats important). We can create a reverse domino effect ourselves, to counteract Y2K devastations. Think globally, act locally is so true. Ripple out the word, so the grandmothers and grandfathers and their families can get prepared. Do it without spreading FEAR, but challenge. Ask people to dig deep within themselves and find the right stuff.

See Roberts response: Work so hard and so effectively so heaven can come to earth; but prepare as if as if hell were coming. That just says it in a nutshell. (Its okay Robert, we count on you to be Mr. Fix-it, there are others who like to cook, and prepare and, and...).

Paul, research the frogs. There was a whole convention about it, over in England, I think. Its about pollution. Ill try to find the links again.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 06, 1998.

What works? Human spirit, compassion, and courage,... imagination, children, music and art and literature...

What doesn't work? Violence, any military, automobiles and fossil fuels, exchange economics as currently set up on Planet Earth...Greed and fear. Humans who trained to think that force-backed domination is a good thing.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 06, 1998.

SmokieJoe,

Money is just frozen green energy. Depends upon how you use it. To help and serve, or to hoard and harm?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 06, 1998.

Diane, are you going back to your rock now? Frozen green energy? Cash???? Quick, act now, let us all become one with nature and Diane, the little goddess of the yourdon forum.

<<
-- anonymous (no@aol.com), November 06, 1998.

What works: fixing bad code so that it becomes good code. What does not work: the amount of time left to do it. What needs to change: relocation to rural area; stored water and food; alternate sources of energy; firearms and the determination to use (see Diane's previous post on "... Attitude"; think local, act personal.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), November 06, 1998.

Diane,

I'm afraid it looks like Toad's escaped again. Pay no attention. He'll be recaptured soon.

BTW, IMO no one would ever mistake you for Gary North!

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), November 06, 1998.

Of COURSE there is a silver bullet! The lady who just checked me out at K-Mart told me so. She has a relative who works for the government and "they have it all taken care of. They know exactly what they're going to do about it." I started laughing, (I really couldn't help myself) and she got offended. She said, "I'm serious!" (But she couldn't tell me what that "fix" was, or why it hasn't been implemented yet.)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 06, 1998.

The only "silver bullets" that really work are made outta shark oil and some other stuff and ya' gotta keep 'em in the 'fridge so they don't melt. . .

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), November 06, 1998.

If ya'll are gonna bicker at least close your HTML tags...

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 07, 1998.

Had to cogitate on this one overnight. Robert, I think it was you, responded to someone who offered that erasing the computers programming data and code, would take care of the Y2K problem. You wrote:

In very simple situations, with an isolated computer doing work that doesn't require historical records, it would work. In the real world, it simply won't work unless you are willing to trash every historical record. Think about what that means.

Well, think about that one. It is a stunner, but it would be a simple Y2K solution. Backup the historical data and write new code in the systems that just cant be ready in time.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 07, 1998.

Write new code? Why not just write GOOD code?

"I'm kookoo for Cocoa Puffs"

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 07, 1998.

To the Ms. Diane,

T'was me I believe - in reference to a question about resetting the internal clock of "all the computers" back so "we could have more time to solve this."

I wanted to be clear to the questioner - a first timer I believe, and so unused perhaps to a more critical answer - that it was a good solution in certain cases. Nothing wrong with her logic, nor her attempted solution.

Until you think of the whole picture. So I wanted to show her that there cases where her solution was going to be used as a backup - if the traffic computer vender in Orlando was unable to finish was the example easiest to recall - but I wanted her to realize that nationwide/worldwide it cannot be done accurately or simultaneously or in any intergrated manner.

It is rather better (as referenced above) to find the problems, figure out which have to be fixed in what order, fix them correctly, test 'em. and go to the next.

Avoid rework. Avoid errors. Avoid shortcuts that require rebuilding solutions to problems that are caused by shortcuts.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 07, 1998.

Watch a kid sometime play with a pile of tinker toys or lego blocks. If its in a broken pile, they create something new. Fascinating.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 08, 1998.

Nope, RD Herring made the original comments, not me. Wish I did though, it's a good comment. Sorry about that, boss.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 08, 1998.

What works? Women. We work double the load in half the time. We think better and more logically for this planet's best interest. I say, get rid of men (at least the Dedah's and Dales). It's evident that THEY put us all in this mess; until recently, we were still their slaves chained in the kitchen with no power, while they invented this messy world.

Take that long muffler and shove it in thier throats I say. Painless.

-- A woman with the answer (lost@space.net), November 12, 1998.

Oops..I meant the Cooks and the Dales...sorry for the mistake Uncle...hard to differentiate men... all the same when viewed from a hole...I mean as a whole.

-- A woman with the answer (lost@space.net), November 12, 1998.

"A woman with an answer", a true feminist, you can say that with impunity but men saying the same about women would be accused of "sexism". I know its just a wind-up, but knowing the lack of ironic sense in Americans it probably isn't. List a few of the the great achievements/discoveries/art etc of women. What have you done, anything?

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 13, 1998.

http://dieoff.org/

-- Requiem (doom@gloom.com), November 13, 1998.

Dear requiem, the deaths in Africa are mostly due to the inept and fascist governments of that continent, of course it is politically incorrect to say so. The problem will never be solved. What was said about the outright genocide in Rwanda, precisely nothing.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 13, 1998.

You're letting your emotions cloud your brain, Richard? How un-brit-like! Women didn't have a chance to achieve anything much since they were chained in the kitchen and forbidden to vote. But still, several managed to make the men-written history books. Try to get your knowledge and news from other sources than porn mags Richard, might open your eyes.

-- A woman with the answer (lost@space.net), November 13, 1998.

Strange posting, none of it based on logical argument.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 13, 1998.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/ndsfri01.htm 11/13/98- Updated 02:00 AM ET The Nation's Homepage -- USA Today

More than computers vulnerable to Y2K

"...In the millennium bug, we have developed a technology equivalent to natural forces. If it is anywhere, it is everywhere," says G.K. Jayaram, chairman of Transformation Systems of Princeton, N.J. "Nowhere at any time in human history has there existed such a problem."

Its all about different choices.

Is this logical enough for you Richard??

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 13, 1998.

Diane the comment was not directed at you, but at the other woman with an answer, who seems to have disappeared into cyberspace.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 16, 1998.

Sorry Richard.

Just a tad gunshy where you're concerned.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 16, 1998.

Diane,

What works? Serenity to accept things you can't change, and courage to change the things you can.

What doesn't work? Not having the wisdom to know the difference.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 16, 1998.

P.S: I'm concerned about the environment, too. Nature is just as interconnected as our computers are. If Gary North was an environmentalist, he'd say the problem is systemic... 8-)

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 16, 1998.

Yes, it is systemic. Y2K is the more immediate puzzel piece. We need to focus on what can be changed and let the rest go until we get beyond 2000.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 17, 1998.