Y2K Early Warning System (YEWS) NRC FAQ

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There is an NRC FAQ site on the Y2K Early Warning global internet information system now being set up at:

http://www.nrc.gov/IP/Y2K/yewsfaq.htm

What is YEWS? "YEWS is a secure, proprietary, Internet-based communications system that allows for rapid transmission of information on the status of nuclear facility operations, local grid stability and tele- communications during the Y2K transition period. Regulatory authorities throughout the world have been invited to participate in this system. "

So far the countries and organizations which have decided to have contacts in this system are:

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Korea (Republic Of), Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Nuclear Energy Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999

Answers

Hey, wait a minute - isn't the Internet and telecommunications going to be TOAST???? lol.... Regards,

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999

The NRC didn't miss that question, Factfinder. *smile*

"Will there be problems with the Internet during the Y2K transition period?

According to an August 17 statement by the head of the U.S. Presidential Y2K Commission. Mr. John Koskinen, the Internet will not break down with the changeover to the year 2000, although failures may occur in some parts of the global web of interconnected computer networks.

The core technologies of the Internet, developed mainly within the last two decades, are not particularly susceptible to the so-called millennium bug and the Internet's decentralized structure means it can keep operating even if local disruptions did occur."

So the answer according to Mr. Koskinen is, Should be Okay, Mostly. Maybe Not in Some Places, but We Can Work Around or Do Without Those. Sounds pretty much like the answers he gives to most of the Y2K questions he gets. *laughing*

I particularly liked the finesse of putting "the internet will not break down" in the very same sentence as "failures may occur in some parts of the global web". Nice trick, eh?

And if you happen to be in any "parts of the global web" where those failures "may occur" you can be comforted by knowing the internet did not break down even though you can't communicate on it.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999


Hey, wait a minute - isn't the Internet and telecommunications going to be TOAST????

Nice extreme straw man. Just ignore all the bad possibilities less than the collapse of civilization.

Hey, I don't blame you. It's neat, clean, and easy to do it that way: you don't have to think. I guess thinking gets in the way of finding "facts". :-)

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999


Aw cousin Lane and Bonnie, I was just shuckin' and jivin', I've read a couple of articles lately concerning Y2K problems associated with the Web so I took a little shot..soon after posting, I kind of wished I hadn't, because I do believe this is an interesting topic, thanks for posting it. The internet by the way was designed to be fault tolerant with it's TCP/IP protocol by the way, which can allow routing through many different paths if some servers go out of service.

I am curious - I haven't been cruising through the Y2K sites lately, do any of you know if there are plans for a similar setup on the Internet for the masses (i.e., us) to watch what happens across the world during the rollover to Jan 1, 2000? I would find this interesting, even though I wouldn't expect much at all, even the few more significant Y2K bug reports may not come in for a day or two, and the minor ones we will hear about over the weeks.

Regards,

-- Anonymous, September 03, 1999


Factfinder, does the internet work without electricity? Is it run by regular batteries or solar/deep cycle batteries? Shame on me, of course it works with electricity and we have no problem with electricity or oil wells or pipelines or refineries or our ports or foreign ports or tanker ships or foreign ship canals, or foreign oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, The Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Africa, Venezuela, and Mexico. What could I possibly have been thinking! Remember, you heard it here first - none or little oil and its products = no electricity. Factfinder just doesn't get it, but, BY JOVE, I'VE GOT IT! I also have oil lamps and kerosene stoves.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 1999


Fact Finder, et al:

Theres an interesting project that involves Y2k watchers globally, open to all who wish to observe/participate. I've known the gentleman who provides this service for some time as a member of a mailing list I am on, and can vouch that this is a serious effort to provide info to all civilians. Being HTML challenged-I cant even figure out how to cut and paste anything into the reply box, it never seems to work for me : )-I'll just type the URL here. Please take a look and let me know what you think. HTH

http://www.jrwhipple.com/z2k/

-- Anonymous, September 04, 1999


Factfinder, Most of us don't care whether you are shuckin' and Jivin' or not. You have lost all credibility from me and i woudl presume others since you take it so lacksadaisically (sp). To me you are just a plant on this forum. Now that things are coming to a head you are making jokes about things. When the evidence is against just ridicule everything and everyone, right!!! Malcolm gives us examples of what is going right and wrong and you give us nothing except a Y2K readiness Disclosure. If someone cannot link ALL forms of civilization together and see the danger then their comments are just trivial, with no basis in fact and are not worth listening to. Y2K might be a big problem because of our reliance on the oil industry and the transportation industry! Until you address those issues your comments are worthless based on one sites readiness. Mark D. DeVries

-- Anonymous, September 04, 1999

Mrk D. DeVries,

You took the words right out of my mouth and said it better than I could.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 1999


Ah FF must realize only too well that if our forum goes down the electric industry doesn't stand a chance. C'mon people lighten up, you have a skeptic in FF, deal with it. I can't believe I'm doing this because I agree with almost none of what FF has to say and he certainly doesn't need my approval for any validity or lack thereof, but, and this is a big but, anyone recall the Bently Nevada GPS warning. I doubt 5% of the posters on this forum had both the research skills and the electric industry experience to realize that particular problem posed a threat to our health and safety. I never got around to it earlier but thanks FF for warning there, we may never know if it made a difference.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 1999

Laura, thanks for the link, I bookmarked it. Paul, thanks for the kind comment. For everyone else, thanks for keeping me in your thoughts, lol...

Regards,

-- Anonymous, September 05, 1999



Factfinder, I have always thought your posts are dangerous. There may be someone who actually believes you and will not prepare. Perhaps you could preface your remarks with, "This time I mean it," and "This time I don't mean it." And do a little study on other sectors that have to work for electricity to work, such as fuel.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 1999

FF is not a Y2K skeptic. I'm the Y2K skeptic. I have a great deal of doubt about the extreme possibilities at both ends of the spectrum. (FF is quite certain about both ends of that spectrum.) I have a great deal of doubt about how the situation will play out in any event. I have more than a great deal of doubt about official pronouncements, good, bad, or ugly. I'm the skeptic, not FF; you're giving him way too much credit.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 1999

I signed up on the jrwhipple.com site. I'm in SW Oklahoma. Did anyone else sign up? Where is your general location? I noted that quite a few are listed for the USA; would like to see more "reporters" from different areas of the world.

-- Anonymous, September 08, 1999

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