Observations of a high ranking VP

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

A friend who is a a VP at an analytical instrument company (you would all recognize the name) is a GI. He used to run a (non-software) division at IBM. He became a GI when one of his friends still at "Big Blue" sat him down about a year ago and effectively said "Get out of Dodge. This will be big." In any event, I talked to him yesterday and at this late date he can't even get a pulse out of his colleagues. Of course there are claims of compliance from certain key personnel, but the vast majority of technically skilled individuals can't even hold up a conversation. As is so often the case, he said "I had to quit talking about it because I was starting to feel/look like a nutcase." He was astonished that the AWWA story appeared on the front page of USAToday (I didn't know that) and nobody gave a damn.

The question we both came to, if you can't find people who are aware of the problem in detail then who the hell is fixing it?

-- Dave (aaa@aaa.com), December 17, 1999

Answers

Dave,

Why don't you give us his name and see if we all recognize it?

-- (Friendof@friend.com), December 17, 1999.


AWWA story?huh? link to that would help follow what you're saying; I missed it too.

"Can't get a pulse" -- are you implying that his alledged perception of his interaction with his old colleagues at IBM is that it's BETTER or it's WORSE than thhey had expected a year ago?

I know this is a rumor, but heck I just couldn't quite figure out what you were implying anyway. Please clarify.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 17, 1999.


Here's a URL to the USA Today story:

URL: http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001yYZ

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), December 17, 1999.


The pulse refers to his current colleagues.

-- Dave (aaa@aaa.com), December 17, 1999.

Dave....got a freind that I met online about three years ago. He's a quiet guy that I know works in a IT/Tech situation but ever since he and I have talked he never revealed what he foes exactly. Now, this guy has helped me in several ways to solve problems with my computer and I know he knows his stuff. Sometimes when we talk he 'dissapears' for a few to go 'take care' of some situation having to do with his business. [I know..this is probably a freind-of-a-freind scenario to some- tough titty.] All I'm saying is the guy knows his stuff around computers and works in the field. Maybe even Gov. work..military? So I caught up with him this morning about 2A.M. and we started talking. I'd asked him what his views on Y2K were last year and he avoided the question. Last night he finally says he's prepped for a year and listed out some of his firearms he's packed away. That scared me. I trust this guy's opinion enough that to find THIS out got me the goosebumps. He's considering 'loaning' me a couple of rifles. Take it at what you want...but I see the clouds getting darker and darker on the horizon.

-- Satanta (JustRe@dIt.com), December 17, 1999.


Thanks snooze button;)~

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 17, 1999.

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