I'm having such a hard time getting this. No matter how much I try, the reality of Y2K just goes right over my head. I think and think and think, but then I'm so tired that I have to lie down, turn on the TV and watch Seinfeld. Then I feel much better, and I'm able to try and think a little bit more. But I have to watch out, because sometimes I get such a big headache, reading all the different opinions on this forum. And because I have no way of understanding the different points of view, it just makes me want to eat a big helping of macaroni and cheese. That way, I feel really! good (for a while). So I'm gonna try and really get this, because I don't really like being a DGI.

Y2K Shmoe

-- Y2K Shmoe (so@what.com), June 03, 1999

Answers

Troll Alert!

-- not an IDIOT (Icanspot@trollamileaway.com), June 03, 1999.

Does anybody keep track of the percentage of threads that are trollings? Is it my imagination or is the noise level going up here?

Perhaps all the federal Y2K plans and activity are making the little critters nervous and they click their mouses quicker?

The threads "Why Ed Yourdon REALLY is quiting" of course are solid troll, but that's a one time event, let's not count those.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 03, 1999.

I think Y2K Shmoe's little note captures the mindset of the average American who heard something half way serious about the Y2K problem. That's very depressing to think about. It's giving me a big headache. I think I'll go make a big bowl of macaroni and cheese. More, Shmoe?

Sincerely, Stan Faryna

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), June 03, 1999.

A new dIeTer?

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), June 03, 1999.

While Shmoe was pondering his thoughts, I was writing down some of mine. Here's a piece I started last night, and that Shmoe inspired me to finish.

On Contingency Planning . . .

Were planning on being down a week, because that seems to be the dominant view now about how long it will last, the mental health clinics Director told the supervisors meeting. In October, she told them, well begin to identify our most at-risk people and do what we can to help them prepare as much as possible . . .

October. Most at-risk. The words sink in. They tell me two things: those who adopted this policy have minimal knowledge of the problem, and they havent done any preparation themselves. (Ask em if they know what to do with the water pipes at their house if the power is out next winter. Ask as if you sincerely are looking for plumbing instruction. See if they have given it a moments thought.)

People have heard enough, read enough, for the concept to register that we might be without power for three days, a week, over New Years. Heres what they think: Well, THATS gonna stink. They do a quick flashback to a time when the power was out. It was cold and dark. They survived. Power out=cold and dark=survivable. Conclusion: Dismiss concern. Make mental note: Over Christmas, pick up batteries, extra food, a couple gallons of water, a hundred extra bucks.

Thats as far as it goes. The larger picture is too complex . There are too many distractions, too many demands on our attention. Theres too little time in the day and too much month at the end of the money. The last thing anybody wants to think about after work is whether the world is gonna end over some computer glitches. Thats dumb. Besides, the whole thing is only going to last a week. Whats the big deal. Sheesh. Buncha millennium fruitcakes.

Tom Atlee wrote just wrote that its time for us to accept that most people wont prepare and to begin thinking about how we are going to deal with that after-the-fact.

[Note to clinic administration: Do your contingency plans include armed security? Our clients and neighbors do know we have drugs here, after all. And if were the only place around with light, people might figure that maybe its warm here, too. We could be forced to give a lot of people shelter. Who is going to turn them away? A 50-year-old crisis worker who has been on the job now for 36 hours straight and who has no idea when or how hell get home? The police might not be available right away if we need them, and we might not have a way to contact them. Anyway, if youre planning to hire some, you might want to contract for them soon. Too bad everybody put off contingency planning until after the 2000 budgets, huh? Could have taken these things into consideration. ]

So, as I was saying, nobody wants to bother thinking through the chain of connections. It can drive strong minds mad, let alone minds that just barely tick to begin with. If you even begin to grasp it, all your primitive alarms begin to clang in the breeze, and you want just to shut THAT door and go ingest some convenient processed comfort food really fast. Thats life in Oblivia; face it. Its where our population has stubbornly chosen to live.

So how ARE we going to deal with the fact that most people wont prepare? People like the miserable sap who started this thread. People like the staff and administration at the local hospital, the local newspaper, the county commission, the neighbors next doorall of whom are going to be cold and thirsty and hungry and mad and scared.

There isnt time even to talk to a troll now. Focus is mandatory. Lets be purposeful. The debate is over. One of the prime directives still stands: Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. People are looking here for answers and truth. We owe them nothing less than the best we can give.

Faith

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), June 03, 1999.

You nailed it Ken. Visions of a void here makes them crawl faster.

-- Carlos (riffraff1@cybertime.net), June 03, 1999.

Now, now, c'mon folks, lets give this baby troll a break. Remember, even Decker had to take that first itty-bitty step to learn how to be the Master Troll that he is today....

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), June 03, 1999.

Senate Study: Y2K Risks Are Widespread

By Stephen Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 24, 1999; Page A1

A report on the Year 2000 computer problem prepared by a special Senate panel warns that a number of foreign countries and U.S. economic sectors, especially the health care industry, appear at significant risk for technological failures and business disruptions.

The report, scheduled for release this week by Sens. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) and Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), includes a letter to Senate colleagues describing the problem of computers' ability to recognize dates starting on Jan. 1, 2000, popularly known as Y2K, as a "worldwide crisis" and as "one of the most serious and potentially devastating events this nation has ever encountered."

The prospect of widespread computer glitches and lobbying by industry groups have galvanized bipartisan groups in the Senate and House to press for legislation protecting companies that fail to deliver goods and services on time because of Y2K problems.

Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) estimated yesterday there might be $1 trillion in lawsuits filed because of the glitch and urged adoption of an industry-backed House bill to allay "a great deal of fear regarding out-of-control litigation."

A draft copy of the Senate report, provided by staff aides to The Washington Post, describes in vivid detail the scope of the potential Y2K problem and the frustrations that Senate investigators encountered as they tried to gather information from industries reluctant to describe what progress they have made in fixing computer and telecommunication systems.

But the report represents the most comprehensive assessment of the Y2K problem to appear as companies and governments scramble to fix their computer systems. In addition to health care, the report portrays the oil, education, farming, food processing and construction sectors as seriously lagging on computer repairs.

Among the report's findings: More than 90 percent of doctors' offices and 50 percent of small- and medium-sized companies have not addressed the Y2K problem; telephone systems are expected to operate; and planes will not fall out of the sky. The Senate panel also worries that communities will not be able to provide "911" and other emergency services. Even though governments and corporations have mobilized technology staffs and consultants to sift through millions of lines of software code looking for Y2K glitches, the 161-page draft also underscores how little experts know about the potential impact of the so-called millennium bug.

"The interdependent nature of technology systems makes the severity of possible disruptions difficult to predict. Adding to the confusion, there are still very few overall Year 2000 technology compliance assessments of infrastructure or industry sectors. Consequently, the fundamental questions of risk and personal preparedness cannot be answered at this time," the draft said.

*snip*

The Senate report, which grew out of a series of hearings last year by the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, concludes "that the biggest Y2K impact will occur internationally." Two important trading partners, Japan and Venezuela, seem to have miscalculated the time and money needed to fix the computer glitch, according to the draft report. Relying on surveys by consultants, the report suggests that Japan "may have underestimated the resources needed to address the problem," noting that major Japanese banks have indicated far lower repair costs than U.S. banks. Venezuela and Saudi Arabia lag from a year to 18 months behind the United States in Y2K preparations, raising concerns about the availability of oil and other critical imports, the report said. International ports are widely described as far behind in their Y2K efforts, prompting worries that the maritime industry will face shipping problems that could interrupt commerce, the report added. International aviation and foreign airports also appear at risk, and "flight rationing to some areas and countries is possible," the report said. Overall, the report said, "the least-prepared countries are those that depend heavily on foreign investment and multinational companies to supplement their economies. Panic over Y2K concerns may cause investors to withdraw financial support. Lack of confidence in a country's infrastructure could cause multinational companies to close their operations." The Y2K problem exists in millions of lines of software code that uses two digits to represent four-digit years. Unfixed, computers will assume that dates occurring after Dec. 31 use the prefix "19," leading software programs to read "00" not as 2000 but as 1900. That defect could cause computers to crash or spew out incorrect data. In assessing U.S. preparedness, the draft report reserved some of its strongest language for the health care industry, concluding it "is one of the worst-prepared for Y2K and carries a significant potential for harm." The industry relies on computers for patient treatment, insurance claims and pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution. While large hospitals are pushing to fix their computers, the report described hospital management as "playing a catch-up game." Many hospitals are relying solely on medical device manufacturers to certify products as Y2K-compliant, which the report said "could be a serious mistake." The report cited rural and inner-city hospitals as at special risk because they do not have the staff or money to find and fix Y2K glitches.

*snip* Staff writer Guy Gugliotta contributed to this report.

) Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company

Link

-- (trend@watcher.now), June 04, 1999.

"... the Council (President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion) has hired a number of hot shot PR consultants to run the media campaign around the conversations ..."

Your tax $$ at work. Biffed up bunch of PR droids sent to dull the herd, pre-advance conpain. Kosky klones with spit, no polish.

-- Answers (answers@under.nose), June 04, 1999.

Personally the odd troll post does me good.

Haven't we all had moments when our convictions have wavered ? Few of us,I guess, can really envisage how our present lives might change.As Brian once said the whole situation is quite surreal.

So a troll post like the one above allows one for a brief moment to say "wouldn't it be great if ...."& to acknowledge our own secret Y2K fantasy...its just a bump in the road.

Unfortunately,the responsible adult in us kicks in almost immediately & the dream fantasy disappears again.

The troll post also another benefit..the replies !

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), June 04, 1999.

Chris -- true, some of the most entertaining replies on the forum are those made to trolls. King of Spain, you're the best, IMO. Keep up the good work.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), June 04, 1999.

I really crack up when I see how easy it is to bait the know-it-alls on this forum.

-- Troll (Troll@troll.com), June 04, 1999.

Here is what ...Schmoe said on the "Tsunami" thread below in response to our own beloved Y2kPro:

The only way we're going to rid ourselves of 'Pro' is by ignoring its assinine comments. So from now on, a moratorium on anything it says. Don't feed the trolls, because its the only thing they thrive on, OK? OK! Y2K Shmoe

-- Y2K Shmoe (so@what.com), June 03, 1999.

Sounded pretty good advice to me. Along with the comment of the admitted troll above this post.

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), June 04, 1999.

In simple terms...Are you prepared to starve?

-- DJ (reality@check.com), June 04, 1999.

are you prepared not to starve?

-- Realist (real@really.man), June 04, 1999.

Prepared "not" to starve? Yep - if nothing happens, I've got water and noodles and soup for lunch next year. If real problems occur for two-three weeks next year, I've got soup and noodles for lunch and dinner next year.

If real problems occur, I've got some lanterns and candles and a kerosene heater and fireplace next January. If nothing happens, I've got a gas heater and electric thermostat, a few lightbulbs, and some lanterns and candles and a kerosene heater and fireplace next January

What do you have ready? Just in case something goes wrong.....

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), June 04, 1999.

By the way, Seinfeld is showing re-runs now. Are you sure you want to waste your time watching re-runs of a show that itself is about nothing......?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), June 04, 1999.

Mr Cook.

One must assume that, being a clear-minded and logical individual (with regard to Y2K risk and preparations for such), you are now (as per Mr Deckers advice) ensuring that you and your family wear crash helmets whenever you make a journey by car . Is this the case ?

I venture to suggest that if you are not, your argument would seem to be rather fatally undermined.

Best Regards

W

-- W0lv3r1n3 (W0lv3r1n3@yahoo.com), June 07, 1999.