I just received my copy of the much hyped Millennium Factor documentary. I have to say that I was getting a little tired of reading the "spam-like" postings here and on the USENET groups but the video turned out to be up to the attention that it has been getting.

While it did not contain a lot of new information for those of us who have been following the issue, I found that it did help to actually see someone like Jane Garvey of the FAA explaining her position. You could clearly see the doubt and fear in her voice as she answered the Senators questions.This had a lot of impact for me personally.

Also it is very powerful to see someone like Rick Cowles, an expert on electrical power speak very frankly about possible disruptions. I think that the video could be vital to making a lot of folks understand this very complex issue. And like others, I cannot see why it has failed to attract the attention of the networks. This is the kind of program that they should have been running a year or more ago.

The program was slick and obviously the work of professionals. Not at all like any of the other Y2K videos that I have seen which appear to be shot by someone with a camcorder. I felt that any comments about the style of the piece were unwarranted. While it does have an "X-Files" feel to it, I am certain that the producers merely wanted to keep their audiences awake during the talking heads portions that make up a lot of the video. (Some of these do get a little boring, at times)

I did wish that parts of it had been longer, and would have liked to have seen more of some of the people being interviewed but overall, I felt that is was a first rate piece of work. Clearly it was intended to meet the needs of the general public and not folks who were closely following the issue. However, even there the producers have done a great job by building a very nice web site to keep viewers up to date. The site appears to be updated daily and often contains special reports on the Y2K.

For my money, it's a bargin at $20 bucks. My hat is off to the producers and I say buy a copy for that smart ass wife beater on your block who thinks you are a kook. He might change his tune after watching this one. Or do like I did, share your copy of the video with your boss. Mine finally agreed to let someone check all the PC's in our office for hardware and software bugs. Until he saw this video, he had dismissed the whole thing as "a hoax for computer guys to make a lot of money".

Teri 1159

-- Terri Fuller (terri@telenational.com), March 15, 1999

Answers

That post couldn't be more transparent.

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), March 16, 1999.