This seems, for whatever reason, to be the time that a lot of folks -- with obviously Ed Yourdon being the heaviest of the heavyweights -- are bascially "retiring" from the discussion side of Y2K, and moving onto the personal side. INVAR, Mr.K, now Blue. For myself, I sort of retired last month too -- I re-located from the Washington, D.C. area to a farm in Northwest Arkansas to prepare for what is coming. And I find that this forum is more of a soapbox for polly versus doomer rants rather than what it is supposed to be: a means for discussion of Y2K preparation.

I think that Ed is absolutely on target -- there simply is no more time to do anything other than call Time. Look, if you believe that Y2K is worth preparing for, do it. And if you have information worth contributing, share it. And if you think Y2K is a big nothing, go plan your New Years Eve party on Times Square, and bring in the new century with a smile. But these continuous debates over whether there really is a problem, whether its a really bad problem, whether non-complaint data from one bank can corrupt the data of another bank, whether the correct term is embedded "processors" or "chips", even now whether the term "the code is broken" is correct or incorrect -- this is getting nowhere.

To be sure, there have been some very worthwhile debates on this forum, many by people who no longer seem to post anymore (e.g., Runway Cat, Woe Is Me). It helped, I am sure, for people to understand Y2K, and make the decisions that they needed to make. It certainly did for me.

But it is practically June 1999 -- time has run out for anything other than personal preparation. It should have run out months ago, quite frankly, but John Q. Public is still so Y2K unaware, you can still buy rural property real cheap, buy a generator if you look hard enough (my China Diesel arrives next week; I ordered it in February), etc., etc.

I wish everyone a lot of luck. I'll be around this forum (if Ed leaves it up that is!) on threads that have to do with personal preparation. But days of debating how many non-compliant utilities can stand on the head of the power grid are gone. There is just no more time.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.met), May 29, 1999

Answers

Well said, Jack!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 29, 1999.

Just enough time left to harvest eMail addys. Starting Summer with a nasty jolt and sinking heart. We really admired Ed, felt his invisible presence kept the Forum on a somewhat even keel. The losses are snowballing ...

xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), May 29, 1999.

Jack:

There never has been much that most of can do individually about the big picture. The fact that the big picture is coming no clearer at this late date makes the case for preparations all the stronger. But we can prepare and puzzle over what's happening out there at the same time. Most of us aren't like Ed, consuming so much of our time writing books and making speaking tours that we don't have time to prepare.

I find it difficult to believe that anything anyone says on this forum is going to make any real difference to the future, one way or another. I sincerely hope nobody here finds themselves in need later, when it shouldn't have been necessary. I'm already starting down my list of 'last minute items.' I hope you are too.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), May 29, 1999.

111 working days to go, time gentlemen please, time to go home!

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), May 29, 1999.

Sounds to me like those "last minute items" are exactly the kinds of things we should be sharing on this forum!!! (It is getting rather late, for that very important date....)

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), May 29, 1999.

Great, just great.

I return after spending weeks doing Y2K preps and find this forum leaking posters. Ed Yourdon bails out with others. The trolls seemed to have known this would happen, as I don't see any of their noxious postings cluttering the deck.

I shan't surrender to the dismal forfeiture. Old Git, hoist the flag and rig the harpoon. Tis time to lance the Great Y2K Wail...

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), May 30, 1999.

Ditto, Jack!!! (standing up applauding)

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), May 30, 1999.

Bravo (oops, dropped my mouse) Bravo

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), May 30, 1999.

Re: Ed :

"it" affects us all :

first we gain a bit of awareness, then we make some personal preps, then we try to inform the world, and when they won't listen, we try to inform only those whom we know will respond, - then we step back and take another look, then we realize that we've probably done about all that one can do with the resources at ones disposal, then we get on with life...

as for me, amongst other things, I traded my lovely Mason and Hambin Grand Piano for a Moore #2 Jig Borer (so I could be of some benefit after the rollover - ...part of the solution rather than part of the problem) - and now?

I'm sitting here listening to Christa Ludwig sing the Brahms' Alto Rhaspsody on a scratchy old LP...thumbing through "The Great Thoughts" compiled by George Seldes - wondering about what each of you look like, and how we might respond if we met...

yours for a better tomorrow,

Perry Arnett

-- Perry Arnett (pjarnett@pdqnet.net), May 30, 1999.