ALTHOUGH THIS IS RATHER HUMOROUS I THINK IT SHOWS, AT LEAST FOR ME NOW, THAT Y2K IS FOR REAL; IN THAT SENSE, I STOPPED LAUGHING; WENT TO BUY RICE, CANNED GOODS AND 1100 ROUNDS FOR MY RIFLE (IN CASE I HAVE TO HUNT)

Maine Gets Taste of Y2K Glitch By David Sharp Associated Press Writer Tuesday, Oct. 12, 1999; 5:33 p.m. EDT

PORTLAND, Maine  State government got its first Y2K surprise months early when owners of 2000 model cars and trucks received titles identifying their new vehicles as "horseless carriages."

Despite millions of dollars spent to ensure state computers are ready for the year 2000, computers in the secretary of state's office got confused over the 2000 model year designation.

As a result, some new vehicle owners or lien holders got titles to "horseless carriages" instead of cars or trucks in April.

The case demonstrates the problems that can occur when computers misread the year 2000 as the year 1900, which is what happened in the secretary of state's office.

Since the computer thought the model year was 1900, the titles were printed with the "horseless carriage" designation used for vintage vehicles produced before 1916, said Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky, whose office oversees licensing and registration of vehicles.

About 800 passenger car titles and about 1,200 tractor-trailer titles were issued with the error, Gwadosky said.

Since few people pay cash for cars, most of the titles went directly to banks and financial institutions.

"Most of them chuckled and said we need a clean title as soon as possible," Gwadosky said Tuesday.

Gov. Angus King did not know of the problem until reporters asked him about it Tuesday. He said there is no guarantee computers will work properly but he said the state doesn't envision widespread problems with state computers on Jan. 1.

"The major systems that effect health and safety are in pretty good shape," King spokesman Dennis Bailey said. "We're pretty sure if there is a problem, it will be this kind and not something serious."

) Copyright 1999 The Associated Press

-- Jack (mercer@usa.net), October 13, 1999

Answers

This smells of hoax. How would the term "Horseless Carrage" ever get entered in to a computer when the term "Car" was in common use well before computers were available to local governments?

Keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.not), October 13, 1999.

Here is the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/aponline/19991012/aponline173346_000.htm

I think the Washington Post and the AP writer both have a little too much at stake to print a hoax. They do their homework

Just thought I would add it

-- Jack (mercer@usa.net), October 13, 1999.

No SH*T...

people....try to at least TAP that little tiny bit of common sense god gave you before posting such things.

-- Cory Hill (coryh@strategic-services.net), October 13, 1999.

This was posted yesterday. Makes sense. It's an old designation they used and it just bit them in the ass...

-- STFrancis (STFrancis@heaven.com), October 13, 1999.

Link above didnt work but its at World Net Daily Oct 13 page

kinda funny

-- kman (kaos@mit.net), October 13, 1999.

This story was mentioned on ABC World News Tonight yesterday. Also see this link...

http://www.bangornews.com/News/19991012000000Y2Kbugbite.html

"Y2K bug bites owners of horseless carriages'"

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), October 13, 1999.

You dopes, read the freaking article before you fire off your lame flames.

Since the computer thought the model year was 1900, the titles were printed with the "horseless carriage" designation used for vintage vehicles produced before 1916

When you register a really old car (pre-1916) you get horseless carriage plates.

Dopes.

-- semper paratus (read@it.again), October 13, 1999.

I posted the original thread on this a couple days ago. I live in Maine and saw the original article in the Bangor Daily News, and yes, flamers, it is for real. Maine uses the "horseless carriage" designation for pre-1916 vehicles. This is the same state that tried to suppress a $600,000 consultant study on government y2k preparedness by ordering PriceWaterhouse not to put the report in writing so it wouldn't have to be made public. Officials have since relented, but only after a huge public outcry.

-- Cash (cash@andcarry.com), October 14, 1999.