1. Major utility "downs" can't be covered up and will be reported, either by mainstream press or by hams/shortwave/Internet. The same is true for major water/sewage collapse for urban areas.

2. Flash nuclear or chemical catastrophes can't be covered up (see 1. above).

3. Degrading utility, nuclear or chemical situations will be hushed up until fixed quietly and/or are affecting the public unmistakably.

Net net -- if power stays up in vast majority of world (see my thread last week on "sighs of relief" and remains stable through 01/07/2000, it will be very good news and worth serious celebration. Ditto telecom.

DON'T look for cover-ups under every bush. At the same time, DON'T assume that the evident good news if/as it comes in means bad news on infrastructure may not be smoldering below the surface.

Remember that banking, markets and software broadly will be heard from over a much longer period of time (weeks and months).

Not to mention - oil.

Keep your head screwed on right and uncork the champagne no matter what transpires over the next 48 hours.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), December 31, 1999

Answers

My own trepidations have a lot more to do with the long term economic consequences of this. I'm VERY curious to see what happens on the 3rd when most of us go back to work.

-- Ludi (ludi@rollin.com), December 31, 1999.

I agree with Ludi. It's what happens from January 3rd until sometime in February that interests me (not to mention Feb. 29th). Watch oil.

-- cody (cody@y2ksurvive.com), December 31, 1999.

Ditto

on de rock

-- Walter (on de rock@northrock.bm), December 31, 1999.

CNN just made a mistake and leaked their process for evaluating Y2K information.

"We just checked with the Australian Y2K Center and they said everything was fine."

That's it. If the government says everything is fine everything is fine. End of story.

CNN will be the _last_ to know if there are problems.

:-(

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), December 31, 1999.