K, why wait till January? You can go away right now and your HTML and big type won't be missed.

-- Dubious (dubious@polly.net), August 03, 1999.

Public Relations Experts Preparing Y2K Spin-Doctoring dated July 28 <:)=

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Worried about what Y2K will do to your computer, fuel bills, credit-card accounts and bank deposits? Don't worry.

Some of the nation's top image-making firms are preparing to ease your fears -- to explain them away or make you forget them. It's a byproduct of what many American corporations are calling ``crisis preparedness.''

Two of America's largest public-relations agencies, Burson-Marsteller and Hill and Knowlton, have set up teams and processes to help companies counter consumer fears and intensified media stress on the perils of computers unable to cope with the shift to the year 2000.

But some may wonder: is the Y2K frenzy already only a simple case of too much hype leading to an awful letdown?

Christopher P.A. Komisarjevsky, chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, does not seem concerned by that possibility.

``No one knows what will happen,'' he said, ``but we see heightened interest and concern about it. It's both a technological and a perception issue. We see volatile moves among consumers, like hoarding water and food, hiding their cash and so on while the media reintensifies the issue, especially as we get closer to the end of the year.

``Companies that never got questioned about their methods will be barraged by the media and will have to respond to them, to customers, vendors and others. That's where we can help.''

Even those who may be skeptical surely recognize the Y2K hysteria that has gripped business and the public. Many banks, utilities and others have already assured their customers that they are taking steps to avert any problems come Jan. 1, 2000.

However, in recent weeks, some airlines have announced no flights on New Year's Eve. At least one major company has pulled an advertisement on Y2K, fearing it would lead to more questions than answers.

Companies have spent billions of dollars preparing their computers to recognize the year 2000 instead of reading it as 1900 or freezing up.

Aggressive insurance companies have offered policies covering possible computer glitches, and some are already being sued by corporate customers to recoup money spent on preventive repairs.

A rash of suits from consumers and advocacy groups is expected as the public finds itself anxious over potential electronic interruptions in basic services. Early in July, Congress passed a bill shielding businesses from computer-related suits by giving companies 90 days to fix Y2K problems before a suit can be filed. Whether this will curb litigation is hard to say.

Hill and Knowlton aims in its new program to ``prepare business in continuity planning, in case, say, a payroll goes down, the company can properly communicate with its employees or to exert damage-control in many other ways,'' said Michael Van Dusen, H&K's senior vice president responsible for global Y2K activity. ``We will work in teams, pulling together from 45 to 50 people in such of our practices as advanced technology and crisis communications.''

Van Dusen said he expects the most interest in the project to come from companies in telecommunications, finance, health care, food and auto parts.

At Burson-Marsteller, Komisarjevsky said, ``We believe that Y2K has the potential to be a major disruption for companies dealing with the public even if not a single computer malfunctions on New Year's Day. That's because the 'millennium bug' is no longer just a problem of technology but one of perception, too.''

Noting that ``irrational behavior'' can disrupt fourth-quarter business and hurt profits at thousands of companies, he said, ``the solution lies in guiding public perceptions and creating informed opinion now rather than letting uninformed opinion take the upper hand in coming months. That's where we come in.''

Komisarjevsky added that 24 ``communications command centers'' have been set up domestically and abroad to provide communications help between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3.

Burson-Marsteller will get its revenues from the project in either of two ways -- by charging existing clients for staff time to help them with Y2K issues or, in the case of new clients, it will charge a fixed fee. Hill and Knowlton is offering its program as a ``value-added'' or additional service to clients, rather than as a separate service, Van Dusen said.

``I think what the agencies are doing is a valid effort,'' said Fraser Seitel, a public relations consultant and author of a standard college text on the subject.

Asked whether the Y2K issue is perhaps being overdone, he responded: ``Well, many consultants have gotten rich helping corporations to get their systems arranged. But it's clearly a perception problem, too. If Armageddon looms, you have to be prepared for it. It's an extension of crisis preparedness.''

As more public relations agencies, advertising agencies and marketing consultants join in the spin-doctoring effort, it could conceivably breed an entire new professional services segment: ``Y2K Image Control.''

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 03, 1999.

Why January??? Good question...

If these embedded systems have Real Time Clocks (most of the true computers have them) then by definition they are processing real world dates and time. It IS possible to ENCAPSULATE a system and have it use a "virtual" date, as long as a REAL data NEVER enters via data exchange, stray software, etc. but virtually none of these systems took that approach. January presents real dates which are not monotonically increasing. (See www.embedded-science.com for an excellent discussion and instruction manual)

Many more embedded chips fall far short of full computer status, yet process date and time stamps. Any large power user has some "interruptable service" contracts with power suppliers. These chips have failed rollover tests and in many cases have 'locked up'i.e. did not return to ZERZ STATE), necessitating printed circuit board replacement.

-- K. Stevens (kstevens@It's ALL going away in January.com), August 03, 1999.

Oh jesus, now we are back to the "Invisible Failures" that all the companies are just covering up.

There wasn't anything fake about YourToasty's failed predictions. But as soon as someone brings that point up you Doomers call out your "Don't Feed the Trolls" Infantry.

Laughable, but hardly.

-- (duh@invisible failures. huh?), August 03, 1999.

K. Stevens - so you are saying that your date is 1/1/2000? That if we don't collapse on or near 1/1/2000 that you are going to feed the beans to the chickens and forget it? If not, please give me your final date for the BIG ONE to manifest.

Thanks.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), August 03, 1999.

I'm going to have to be with Pauliana and dubious on this one. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED! NOTTA DAMN THING! I have a years worth of food and water stored. Been at the squirrel game now for 1-1/2 years. Man was I ever scared about the thought of TEOTWAWKI. I was day and night with very little sleep gathering as much doom and gloom information I could. I got on the soap box and warned neighbors, family and friends of the impending doom. They are coming to me saying, SO WHERE'S THE SKY FALLING IN AT? I've grown weary and plan to give all my food to the food bank come Thanksgiving, and use the water to water my lawn and flowers. I'll use all my ammo for target practice then sell my guns. I may hold onto one or two for self protection. I swallowed it all hook, line and sinker. And I do plan on eating prime rib, and gettling my life back.

-- No longer a fool (Nolongerafool@nolongerafool.com), August 03, 1999.

Dear No Longer,

Your logic is astonishing.

--ww

a few quotes...

"Sure it's always darkest before the dawn, but it's always the brightest just before the sun goes nova."

"For every credibility gap there is a gullibility fill. "

"It is better to keep silent and let someone think you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. "

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true."

-- winter wondering (winterwondering@yahoo.com), August 03, 1999.

In fact, why not pretend Thanksgiving is today? Since you believe the year 2000 came and went already, this won't be too much of a jump for you.

But oh look, on my calendar, it's still quite a few months from now. Now how can that be?

-- ThankYou, (drive@through.com), August 03, 1999.

Dear Not a fool: you're a fool. Sorry. Or else a very shallow troll.

I don't believe that someone who believed all the doomers would really dispose of all their supplies. So suddenly you are able to sleep? Me too. I haven't lost much sleep over this whole thing. It does no good to lie awake worrying. It only helps to prepare, and be aware.

So what if the sky doesn't fall? Great! I'll certainly be happy. Meanwhile, I'm almost as prepared as I need to be. All else is karma.

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), August 03, 1999.

Did I miss the last, let's see, 4 months and 28 days of my life, No longer a fool? Yea, you look like a "trol" to me, but,

IT AIN'T Y2K YET!!!

Where's my rubber stamp... <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 03, 1999.

Winter Wondering,

You forgot one little gem:

An optimist is someone who obviously does not understand the problem.

-- gizmo (gizmo@aol.com), August 03, 1999.

I'm not a troll, just a long time listener, contributor, lurker, and now I don't see any reason to be excited, scared, threatened, humiliated, or to carry on being manipulated with propaganda from the government, experts, or want-to-be's. I just see things in a different light now. Don't call me a troll just because I now see things differently. Bring me back to the other side before I dispose of my goods if you have something earth shattering that would make me rethink my decision. Not everyone is a troll here, just trying to make sense out of it all. Could it be possible that we are all brainwashed? Legitimate question. And, when you flame the serious, you push them further away.

-- No Longer A Fool (nolongerafool@nolongerafool.com), August 04, 1999.

No Longer A Fool: Let me get this right. You essentially ARE prepared for Y2K, but since you no longer believe it to be a threat, you are thinking about ditching your preps -- rather than holding onto them for a lousy 5 months to see what happens. Oh, yeah, and you are not a troll, either. Well, you certainly are not a very smart troll, thats for sure. You need to do better than that, dude.

Inquiring minds want to know: Paulianna = Paul Davis in drag???

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), August 04, 1999.

Your're wrong King Of Spain, and I think you've been mud wrestling too long. You have it right, why should I hold onto my stash if NOTHING HAS HAPPENED, and EVERYTHING IS GOING AS PLANNED! I'm giving all my stash away at Thanksgiving because that's when all the REAL TROLLS come out of the wood work and ask for handouts. However, I have it planned to where ONLY THE REAL NEEDY will get my stash! Besides, I just can't quite hack the taste of SPAM and canned salmon. I'm looking forward to that prime rib...and I'm changing my handle to: "not a turkey." So go ahead and barbecue me, but that's the way I see it now, at this time.........P.S. I wonder how many other's on this forum are thinking the way I think?

-- Not A Turkey (notaturkey@notaturkey.com), August 04, 1999.

Not-A-Turkey:

I'm one of the more optimistic some-time posters on this forum, and never DID believe any of the 1999 dates that the so-called-experts touted would cause problems. My lack of concern over these dates was due to my experience in IT and my work on remediation projects.

However, I'm as truly baffled as anyone else here as to why you would choose to give away food at Thanksgiving. Of course I have no idea how MUCH food you purchased, nor the variety. If you feel now that you've purchased too much or food that you don't generally like, I would agree that you should give it away.

Personally, I'm quite content with a full pantry of non-perishables these days. I didn't ALWAYS live this way, mind you. I got scared last year when my water director didn't have a positive picture regarding Year 2000 and water for my area. Things HAVE changed, and I may very well NOT need that food or water.

However, I've found it's been quite a comfort to have food in the house. My kids look in the pantry and say, "My God...there's food!" [grin] I never purchased spam. I never really understood what folks saw in it. I DID, however, purchase salmon. My entire family enjoys salmon patties. They also enjoy those canned hams that require no refrigeration. Tuna fish goes great with tuna helper. [Can you tell I'm NOT a cook? Rice and dried beans would throw me over the edge.]

I like prime rib also. I usually get it at restaurants where they know how to cook such things better than I. I settle for less, though, when I don't have the funds to eat out.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is: If you have food you don't like, give it away whenever you want. [Why did you buy food you didn't like?] If you feel you have too much, feel free to give extras away also. I never bought any food I didn't like. I'm just now allowing my family to help themselves to food in the pantry. Of course I replace anything eaten within a week if they liked it. There's just a certain comfort in not having to go to the grocery store because we have no food.

-- Anita (spoonera@msn.com), August 04, 1999.