I know I'm going to get flamed for this one but here goes. As I've mentioned before I have a cynical side. I do not think Ed lied to us in his farewell post. That isn't like Ed. It just doesn"t make sense to me. My take on this is he hasn't told us the whole story, He can't, for what ever reason. The forum members are smart enough to get closer to the truth. For some reason I think that is what he would like us to do. Will the bright ones out there please put your heads together and get closer to the bottom of this. I think Ed would expect this of us.

-- thinkIcan (thinkIcan@make.it), June 02, 1999

Answers

Am looking forward to your answers so maybe I can put this one to rest.

-- thinkIcan (thinkIcan@make.it), June 02, 1999.

Ed has done everything he can possibly do to sound the alarm. Simply put, any further discussion at this point is mostly futile, and he's probably burnt out on both the issue and the usual arguments. I have felt the same way many times...the only thing left to do now is sit back and watch it unfold. I don't think there is anything hidden here.

-- Codejockey (codejockey99@yahoo.com), June 02, 1999.

What is there to understand?

- The man has already warned the world of the dangers of y2k (I first realized its significance after seeing him last July on NBC Nightly News).

- He's tired of being attacked by what is becoming a very malicious and vindictive pollyanna crowd (cpr's dossier on him is no doubt quite large)

- He is ready to "practice what he preaches" and prepare for the coming 10 year depression he predicted (kind of hard to do when you've been on the road consulting and speaking for the past year).

-- a (a@a.a), June 02, 1999.

1) Parse Bill Clinton, if you want tricky verbiage to dissect. You don't have to worry about it with Ed. There's nothing between his lines to read. He told you everything.

2) You're working way too hard on this. Ease up on yourself.

3) Ed is off to do what he needs to do. It's not the end of the world. Relax.

4) As far as I know Ed never depended on 'us' for anything. So how could we fail him?

5) If none of this helps, scrunch your eyebrows really close together. That will guarantee you get a real headache to compound the needless worry.

-- (2hard@work.here), June 02, 1999.

I may pass as a mild mannered (and real) church organist,but I have to admit that there is a conspiratorial side to my makeup. THEY know and catalogue every e-mail and site we visit, but most people who are DGIs are small potatoes to THEM. I am sure Ed has had his phone tapped, and perhaps has seen some dark sedans around his new location. Cigarette smoking man is more than fiction. Ed needs time to tend to his affairs. Got Morleys?

-- churchorganist (swedemusic@webtv.net), June 02, 1999.

Can you say$$$$

-- Dollar bills ($$$@@@@.$), June 02, 1999.

No, but we can ask that you refrain from HMTL you don't understand......

-- Lisa (lisa@work.now), June 02, 1999.

Lisa, [Edited For Profane Content]

-- gangi (gangi@hohi.com), June 02, 1999.

Another idiot crawls out from under a rock! Time is running out for Ed, as well as the rest of us. We must finish and test our preps. YOU CAN'T DO THAT, WHEN YOU SPEND 10 HOURS A DAY TALKING TO A WALL!

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), June 02, 1999.

I have no reason to doubt Ed. This is the end game, and it's time to get the show on the road, for everyone. What else can he say? He just testified before the Senate, what more do you want? Does he need to make a private appointment with B.J. Clinton, like that would make a difference!

It's time to make up your mind. It's time to start checking the list. Mr. K, Invar, and Blue are... <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), June 02, 1999.

I have no reason to doubt Ed either. I guess I've been around long enough to think there could posssibly be another side of this that he could not related to us but would put a smile on this face if we as a group were able to figure out or came close to figuring this out. He works for years on this problem and then almost at the end withdraws from the race. It has nothing to do with him, it has everthing to do with them.

-- thinkIcan (thinkIcan@make.it), June 02, 1999.

Ed's gone.

-- R. Wright (blaklodg@hotmail.com), June 02, 1999.

I read his farewell address. If one can take anyone that they don't personally know at their word, I believe that what he said was perfectly self explanitory and if I were in his shoes, I'd have done something similar a long time ago. Y2K and it's unknown sidebar effects is an exhausting subject with emotions running high on all sides with no definitive answers until the roll over date. I imagine Mr. Yourdon has eaten, slept and dreamt Y2K for the past several years now and is well ready for a break.

But bottom line, does it really matter that Mr. Yourdon has decided to step down as the standard bearer for Y2K awareness? Does it matter if he raked in a gazillion dollars in book sales or does it matter if he no longer desires a public, visible Y2K voice or does any other allegation leveled against him matter? Not really. One is either going to prepare for Y2K or not based upon personal decisions and points of view. Mr. Yourdon, while persuasive, really had little to do with my own decisions regarding Y2K and I think many of you can say the same. I think it might be respectful at this juncture to respect his wishes and let him do what he plans to do, while we all move on with our individual plans using the best information available to us.

Respectfully,

-- Ramp Rat (Aviation_R_us@noname.nocity), June 03, 1999.

i wouldn't waste too much time wondering if we have failed Ed. if anyone has failed him, it's the government. anyhow, he's right. there's a lot of stuff to do and not much time.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), June 03, 1999.

ThinkIcan, you are smart enough to read between the lines????? Take it for what it's worth, he had enough. He had enough of whiny people like you always e-mailing him for his interpretation of reports. What would you do if you were e-mailed 300 times a day? He needs to do more preps, give me a break. He has all that he needs in New Mexico. It doesn't take years to prep. He wants to move on with his life. Can you blame him? Yeah, you're all so bright. Duh.

What is there to understand? [ that a's an idiot ] - The man has already warned the world of the dangers of y2k (I first realized its significance after seeing him last July on NBC Nightly News). [ give me that old time religion ]

- He's tired of being attacked by what is becoming a very malicious and vindictive pollyanna crowd (cpr's dossier on him is no doubt quite large) [ he's a big boy and can take what he dishes out, if not he doesn't belong in the lime light ]

- He is ready to "practice what he preaches" and prepare for the coming 10 year depression he predicted (kind of hard to do when you've been on the road consulting and speaking for the past year). [All the preps in the world can't prepare for this kind of scenario. He's already in a remote area with solar, backup and food what more can he do to prep. A is an idiot.]

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), June 03, 1999.

Ed says it all in Sayanora. And the timing of his departure for other greener pastures - perfect. Only a few days after his testimony to the most significant and influentual addience on the Planet, The US Special committee on Y2K. They either "got it", or not. Any further input in any forum by Ed would be just wasting his time.

Ed - if you read this - thanks for a terrific job !!!

PS. The entire senate testimony is well worth a listen.

-- Jim Standen (jstanden@ucalgary.ca), June 04, 1999.