There really are a lot of positive comments on the net today. I have noticed that there have been no reported problems with the Euro and just a couple with the 99 rollover. Maybe this is just one of those days when I want something to knock people over the head with and I am simply not getting anything. Patience is not my strong suit.

Mike Lang

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), January 04, 1999

Answers

Mike, the sudden sheer volume of positive Y2K comments, contrasted by the seriously problematic references has me wondering.

This past 5 days, the newsmedia in the U.S. "woke" up to Y2K. Problem is, we still don't know what is "real" or not.

Diane *Sigh*

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 04, 1999.

Mike - I'm firmly of the opinion that it's going to take a major, and I mean *major* and visible failure of a highr profile entity before it sinks in to the herd what we are facing. I just hope we don't have to wait 'til B-Day before such an event occurs.

As for Euro and '99 and Jo Anne rollover effects, don't be surprised if you don't hear too much about screw-ups and anomalies. It would not be in the interests of major corporations to publicise this sort of thing to it's competitors or shareholders would it???

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 04, 1999.

Here ya go, Mike! This is sobering. Just imagine what it'll be like if the checks stop coming for a while. Here again, it's that 'human' factor which makes Y2K scary.

Two Social Security Employees Stabbed

1/4/99 -- 6:04 PM, AP
Two Social Security Employees Stabbed

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) - An irate man stabbed two Social Security workers in their office Monday during a dispute over his missing check. Larry Edward McGee, 31, became angry when told his Social Security check had not arrived because the office thought he was in jail, witnesses told police.

``They said they would get it all straightened out,'' said Daniel Suits, who was in the office at the time. ``He told them they were all crazy. He got up and that's when he stabbed the first lady. We all ran out the back door.''

Police said McGee used a butcher knife pulled from his pants to stab Gayle Bowman in the throat. He then stabbed office manager William Moore in the forehead and hand, police said.
....
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xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), January 04, 1999.

"Larry Edward McGee, 31, became angry when told his Social Security check had not arrived because the office thought he was in jail, witnesses told police."

Hehe, maybe the SSA has procured the services of psychics.

MoVe Immediate

-- MVI (vtoc@aol.com), January 04, 1999.

Did anyone else hear on NPR that "a small number of investors" had reported "erroneous account balances" with the introduction of Euro?

The fact that, in the time it took to tell me the number was "small," they could have told me what the number was (or given a rough estimate), makes me a bit queasy. Relative to the total number of investors, that "small" number could have been dozens - or millions.

E. Coli

-- E. Coli (nunayo@beeswax.com), January 04, 1999.

I have not really been that much on top of the Euro currency software project (other than being aware that it would be competing for scarce Y2K programmer resources), but I think that a lot is being made of the lack of 1999 rollover problems needlessly. Sort of like the expression, "An ingenious solution to a non-existent problem". Except for the Jo Anne effect, the results of which may very well not be all that evident right off, to the best of my knowledge no claims have ever been made that the 1999 rollover would cause any problems. Certainly, no problems that would cause power outages, bank meltdowns, etc., etc. (Maybe thats why its Y2K instead of Y99K?....)

Don't get me wrong, I think that we will have big problems in 1999: starting April, when fiscal year 2000 rollovers occur in some places; August, when the GPS rollover occurs; and, the unpredictable occurrences when the public loses confidence in the banking system after "living examples" of Y2K problems occur due to things like the fiscal year 2000 rollovers.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), January 04, 1999.

While listening (not watching) to MSNBC financial news today, I heard the talking head say it would be wednesday before any problems show up because of some sort of 2 day delay. I don't understand what he meant but...for what it's worth thats what he said.

MoVe Immediate

-- MVI (vtoc@aol.com), January 04, 1999.

MVI - in Banking he's probably referring to Clearing and Settlement - a fairly complicated process that in a non-realtime environment can take several days (or weeks if there is a screw up and it has to be fixed manually) - the average time is 2-3 days.

Patience Glasshoppaa :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 04, 1999.

1) EURO => There are 5 or 8 countries whose governments have PERSONAL reasons to want the Euro to launch smoothly. Ergo, the Euro WILL LAUNCH SMOOTHLY!! As we are seeing.

I DO mean these people have PERSONAL reasons. If the EURO doesn't launch smoothly, all of teh rest of the EU goes down in FLAMES!! And the senior executives of the countries involved (presidents, prime ministers or whatever) will have a very hard time with their own people.

2) Clearing and recon will probably show some interesting stuff as to whether the banks all got EURO'd or not. I happen to think that we (in the great unwashed) will NEVER hear about the C&R debacle until 2005, if we are seriously lucky. (Not that we don't NEED to know, but it'll be for our own good not to know. Remember, in the 1960's, when PennCentral went half way belly up we ran out of money in the country for about 36 hours and didn't find out until the early 1970's.)

CR

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 05, 1999.

I heard the Euro described on the evening news as the first "cyber- currency". It's a currency that's not printed and not minted (at least not for another three years).

MSNBC has a good article on its site about "E-money". I think it's a little too optimistic about E-money being untraceable and anonymous, but it is informative:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/227104.asp#BODY

"Countdown to a Cashless Society"

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 05, 1999.

Here is a sobering comment from Jim Lord's Y2K Tip of the Week about his recent attendance at a meeting of the World Future Society:

"On the second day, Dr. Harrison Fox, Professional Staff, U.S House of Representatives, subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology (Rep. Steven Horn's subcommittee) gave what many considered the most sobering session of the conference.

Dr. Fox indicated that,

By this time next year, the panic factor will be in full force and rationing will be in effect.

Of great concern are DOD, FAA (them pesky guys again) healthcare and state and local governments (especially water systems).

Within DOD, nuclear weapons management and logistics systems were cited as most critical.

Three of the five oil refineries in Venezuela (which provides some seventeen percent of the oil supply in the United States) will not be compliant in time and will have to be shut down. These and other problems "will lead to disruptions" in the flow of oil.

Medicare will "fail massively."

The State Department is still in the "Quill and Scroll" age.

Unsatisfactory performance in dealing with Y2K is indicative of the poor management systems and practices in use in the federal government.

A comprehensive national level strategy is still needed.

Everyone needs to prepare for Y2K and they need to start now."

This negative assessment from one in a position to know what's going on behind the scenes certainly counters some of the positive spin we've seen lately.

-- Nabi Davidson (nabi7@yahoo.com), January 05, 1999.