It looks like Exxon-Mobil has finally admitted to a Y2K failure problem. They are admitting to a problem in their Asia business unit. Note also the article at the bottom mentions trying to do workarounds in their gas pipelines... Note the credit card problem took 7 days to discover. And I thought the retail side of the oil industry was okay? Guess I was wrong, huh?

This is from Bloomberg News

Exxon Mobil Grapples to Fix Last Minute Y2K Errors in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Mobil Oil H.K. Ltd., a unit of Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's biggest publicly owned oil company, sent a customer bill which confused the year 2000 with 1900, the South China Morning Post reported.

The error suggests some of Mobil's Hong Kong computers may not be ready for potential computer problems associated with the new year. The credit card bill, which was reproduced in the newspaper, was sent Dec. 20 and says the HK$3,251.40 ($418) payment is due ``Jan. 05 1900.'' ``That was a non-standard system, and as soon as we found the problem we fixed it,'' said Joseph Saliba, the Singapore- based Asia Y2K project manager at the former Mobil Corp., which was bought last month by Exxon Corp. ``We've done everything possible to make sure we don't have a major Y2K incident.''

Computers are used in refineries, oil rigs and pipelines, and are vulnerable to possible breakdowns that could occur should systems translate the year 2000 to a two-digit ``00,'' then misread it as 1900. It may also cause computers to malfunction.

Exxon Mobil said on its Web site that because the merger occurred so close to the year-end, each company continued to prepare for preventing such computer problems independently. ``Prior to the merger, both Exxon and Mobil were developing plans to institute a heightened state of readiness within each organization during the century rollover,'' the company said. ``Those plans are being harmonized to facilitate information sharing and event response across the new company.''

In Mobil's Nov. 12 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that is spending $175 million ``solely to achieve year 2000 compliance.'' As of Sept. 30, the company had already spent $160 million.

Problem-Solving

Saliba said the Hong Kong computer problem was first discovered yesterday, and that new bills have been mailed to all customers. Figures aren't available for how many people were affected or the proportion of money spent on fixing the problem in Asia, he said.

In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong and China Gas Co. will disable remote control functions and most of the electronic clocks in its pressure-reduction stations and will operate them manually. An emergency center with more than 1,100 staff will monitor Y2 issues and will stand by at different locations for emergencies.

Exxon Mobil distributes fuels and lubricants and has a blending plant in Hong Kong. The company also operates Esso Thailand Pcl, which has more than 350 retail service stations and runs a 145,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Mobil also has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore.

-- RC (racambab@mailcity.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

dOOMER a@# WIPE...

"we will hue to our baseless confidence and pussyfoot around the obvious... We are going to run this ship into the iceberg and not say a thing until the screeming starts. And then claim we did all we could to make everything compliant. We will burn in hell.""

After reading paragraphs like the above, written by Dale Way-Y2k chair for the IEEE, one can only come away with an indication that things arent all rosy.

Doomer Boy--I did say Boy--you wimpy,wussy lightweight. let me give you my address so you and I can get together. I want to express my appreciation for your illogical antagonisms over the last year. That would be my personal upclose appreciation.

You my friend are a Chicken Sh@#. Spineless,coward. aaarg...

Be a man wimpy-----lets get together and discuss your views personally. What do you say!! A#$ wipe????

-- d....... (dciinc@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Doomer boy,

even though your post was deleted, mY offer still stands.

YOU piece of Sh##.

-- d.... (dciinc@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

HEY BOY, WHAT?? YOU NEED some help from your boyfriend PRO. Ohs he's a pro alright. At least thats what I've heard, if you know what I mean!!

You can bring him to Doomer Sh#$ head. Nothing pathological about A man challenging another man. In the old days it used to be with a pair of gloves smack across the face. Consider the above post my gloves smacking you=== B-O-Y!! I did Say BOY.

-- d... (dciinc@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Hmmmm... maybe this should have been titled "HONG KONG PIPELINE GOES MANUAL." I don't see anything I would call a "failure". Cosmetic blemish, maybe.

-- Hillbilly (Hillbilly@possum.creek), December 29, 1999.

Show my Monniker???

I'm looking to Whip your Silly A## boy. Dont back down now you spineless jellyfish. You and your boytoy PRO.

I'm not worried about any friggin chemtrails you dunce.

C;mon when can we get together?? just you and me!!!

-- D.... (dciinc@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

I take it that intellectual debate is out of your grasp. Reaching the desperation point already huh? Besides I would have you crying like a girl.

-- You Knowwho (debunk@doomeridiots.com), December 29, 1999.

Most honourable Sysops and R.C.`

Please accept my sincerest apology for the abusive posts.

My tolerance for Doomeridiot has ended as of today.

Please delete my responses to the Chicken Sh#$ also known as Doomer idiot.

Respectfully,

P.S. Doomer idiot--if you see this before its deleted--MY OFFER STILL STANDS_____BOY!!!!!

-- d...... (dciinc@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Ummm, -d-, ahh, I hate to tell you, but debunk@doomeridiots.com _is_ a girl.

Just trying to spread a little truth here.

-- Hillbilly (Hillbilly@possum.creek), December 29, 1999.

Hillbilly,

So!!!

-- d..... (dciinc@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Hillbilly... Did you not catch the credit card billing problems??? They told us that their CC units were Y2K "Ready"... I don't think so. And note it took 7 days to catch the error...apparently reported by the customers not an internal discovery.

Pipeline aspects are attempting to do manual workarounds. I'm told this is not easy and very dangerous...no margins for error or boom and additionally plenty of opportunity for misgauging flows and pressure that can result in 'booms'.

The significance in all of this is that its a precursor of things to come... whether much more serious in quality to come or just in quantity...remains unknown.

-- RC (racambab@mailcity.com), December 29, 1999.

RC, not to pick a fight, but getting a bill that has 1900 printed on it is, to me, about as catastrophic as a typo in an email. It's not going to change anything significant.

If I missed something on this, please let me know.

Now, running the pipeline pressure stations on manual, I've got a buddy in the "oil bidness" and he says "Aww, hail, six monkeys and an Aggie can run that, no problem." 'Course, he also says there'll be an Apocalypse next winter.

BTW, loved your 3 part report, can you repost it on this forum in case someone missed it? THX

-- Hillbilly (Hillbilly@possum.creek), December 29, 1999.

Yes, R.C., please RE-POST those threads! I hadn't printed it yet, I was so overwhelmed I ran out to get gas cans (feeble stockpile effort), and I wanted to e-mail it to my Dad (retired from oil industry.)

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), December 29, 1999.

Hillbilly,

My point was that the CC system was supposed to be fixed...no problems it was the one element that all the oil co's were confident about. You're right that 1900 itself is not catastrophic. That was not my point. Point is that it is an indicator of "spin" and "deception"... these guys knew better all along. They KNOW all is not right and won't be. They say as much in those obscure 10-Q forms. Now we're beginning to see the early signs that prove the systems are not fixed.

From what I have gathered in talking with folks in Oil...the corp. honcho's were most worried about getting the CCards and Accounting systems fixed. No real concern to speak of regarding production systems. In fact one source told me that they were initially classifying production systems (read that "embeddeds") as being NON MISSION CRITICAL!! Can you believe that??? Shows you what morons these head honchos can be. Yet they get tens or hundreds of millions of $$$ these days.

Re: pipelines... I was speaking of natural gas pipelines... not to be confused with crude lines. Different animals and different circumstances between the two, but both have serious problems with systems that were constructed without manual workarounds!!! Again, that was my point.

On the article... I'll see what I can do. I think I saved it somewhere I'll have to go digging.

-- RC (racambab@mailcity.com), December 29, 1999.

RC,

Please don't get exercised and try to explain your point to nitwits and mind critens. Let them starve.

Your efforts to validate what we have already learned from several independant oil analyst's is greatly appreciated. Good job.

Cheers,

-- Infidel (Barbarians@thegate.net), December 29, 1999.

Okay, I cede the point.

1900 indicates _at least one_ error remains in the code. End-to-end testing should have easily caught this. This indicates end-to-end testing either was not done, or not thoroughly done. The IT manager knows this. The IT manager goes to the big-deal meeting and assures his manager that all is well, except for a few minor details (which he could only accurately know if end-to-end testing was thoroughly done), or he just flat out lies to his manager, who then either makes public statements based on inaccurate information, or HE flat out lies.

Hmmm, imagine that, a big shot muckity-muck who lies to protect his job and income and power. I'm not at all surprised.

I think the larger picture here is that none of us is surprised when TPTB lie to us. These people plunder our wallets/purses, regulate and tax all activities, educate our children per _their_ curriculum, and then tell us bald faced lies about everything of any consequence.

And we are not surprised, because this is what we have come to expect from our leaders.

==== But, I guess we'll know soon enough which systems will fail on CDC, and within a few weeks we should know about the others. Really, it's too late now to do anything further. Either one is sufficiently prepared, or one isn't.

Hey RC, ya wanna beer while we watch the ball drop?

-- Hillbilly (Hillbilly@possum.creek), December 29, 1999.

Hey Hillbilly,

I am an IBM mainframe programmer. I've have been working on Y2K for three years as a contractor for several different clients.

You said: Hmmm, imagine that, a big shot muckity-muck who lies to protect his job and income and power. I'm not at all surprised.

I think the larger picture here is that none of us is surprised when TPTB lie to us. These people plunder our wallets/purses, regulate and tax all activities, educate our children per _their_ curriculum, and then tell us bald faced lies about everything of any consequence.

I think that about sums up my Y2K remediation experience. I'm stocked up for nine months and will continue to stock up. How bout you?

Cheers,

-- Infidel (Barbarians@thegate.net), December 29, 1999.

I am not at all surprised to see Asia switching to manual on the pipes. I really don't give a shit about bad invoices either. All that accounting crap can be reconciled later on. I have already seen MANY invoices with similar stamp on the document generated by some obviously non-compliant company.

Now, as far as I am concerned, I could care less about accounting. It is however a good indicator of things to come in my opinion.

I'm trying to tell you people from the freaking inside of the belly, that things have not been checked the way they should have been. These are things that when they go wrong can kill people. They can also ruin refineries and pipelines and platforms forever in a broken supply chain. Let's hope that doesn't happen. And it's way past time to challenge someone to a fight.

Lets get icy cool and keep an even keel. Only those with steel balls (or ovaries) will survive this. I can feel it comming over me now just like in the old days when I used to get myself into bad scrapes.

I'm in the zone, and we're gonna do our best to get through this, but if we're screaming we may miss a whistle blowing that could save our lives.

Yeah, that's right, I'm prepared and I'm gonna take my loved ones through this or die trying. And if I die trying then it was a good day to die. C'mon dudes, buckle down. Lock and load.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999.

Okay, I'll play this one time.

Three years supply food. Cash, gold and silver to pay my obligations for 28 months. Water - 1000 gallons stashed, can drink forever if Oh-possum creek doesn't go dry. Medical - everything short of a bad gunshot wound. Arms - Heavily armed, satisfied with my ammo stash, well versed in expedient arms. Psychological/Intellectual - 139 IQ, sitting in a very mellow mindset at the moment, not stressing, not freaking. Network - no radical affiliations, net includes Site A, two Site B and two Site C, all with network support.

Yep, I reckon I'm "prepped" for anything short of solar ejecta or a direct nuclear hit.

Your turn.

-- Hillbilly (Hillbilly@possum.creek), December 29, 1999.

Gordon, I'm in the zone!!!

Best wishes, thanks RC your posts are most awesome!!!

-- (karlacalif@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

Buttloads of food (6mos). Water for 60 days. Fuel for transport = enough to get me where I'm going.

Web gear and packs include: Weapons SKS assault rifle and several thousand rounds pre-loaded mags including armor pierce, hollow point and tracer, 40 cal glock with several hicap mags of hydroshok and a couple thousand rounds. Some military smoke. Scanners pre programmed with all important channels, Nuke Emerg, NG, Hazmat, local pd etc. CB radio to hook up with my buddy a former Ranger who is equally prepped. Cell phone for the hell of it and a few standard walkie talkies for neighborhood watch if necessary. Even got a nice Belgian helmet to keep my noggin safe from stray rounds if the shit really hits the fan for 10 bucks at the local army navy. Maps of secondary and off road routes to bypass any roadblocks.

There's always that moment right before the shit gets bad when all is calm and you know it's comming. I love that fucking moment. It's like when you've figured your trade and you decide to take the position. It's all right there at your fingers.

I will protect my family from this or die trying. That is my commitment to them and any other good people I can help.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999.

Hillbilly,

Good for you, Lets put that high IQ to the test.

1: Do you think there could be a link between a corp's efforts at computer remediation and hardware remediation?

2: Given what you know about protecting your phony balony job, do you think there could be some of the same nonsense in the oil industry?

3: Do you live in Tennessee?

4: Do you think that IQ tests really measure a persons intelligence? with all the variable's therein?

5: Have you read any of the other independent oil analyst's opinions on the oil problem, you know, the ones that are not required to spout the company line?

No offense intended. I have been waiting for some additional confirmation of the same problems that RC has obviously spent much time researching.

6: Do you think RC did this research just to be a doomer pain in the ass? Right!

Cheers,

-- Infidel (Barbarians@thegate.net), December 29, 1999.

gordon: "I will protect my family from this or die trying. That is my commitment to them and any other good people I can help. "

That's what I tell myself every day,
that's what I practice every day.
It's hard.
No wonder so many people laugh it off.
You actually have to get off your butt and do something. a lot of somethings.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999.