The crisis, that is: and the problem, and the related web-sites, and the government spin; and our pre-occupation with the problem; and ..... this board? Man ... it is true, a "dud" and a virtual non-event. It is getting reeeeeeal quiet. There's nothing on the board except airplane crashes and "puff pieces". How long to keep checking in for developing news if there is none?

-- Squirrel Hunter (nuts@upina.tree), January 14, 2000

Answers

Let's forget about it and go squirrel hunting, what do you say?

8=)

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 14, 2000.

Squirrel,

The garden of doom that Ed has cultivated is slowly reaching it's peak. The flowers are slowly being picked. The fertilizer known as Y2K has lost it's potentcy. The frost is near.

-- (i'm@pol.ly), January 14, 2000.

http://news.excite.com/news/r/000105/13/y2k-canada-prophet

Link

Y2K bug prophet warns next few weeks crucial Updated 1:57 PM ET January 5, 2000

By Natalie James

TORONTO (Reuters) - One of the world's most quoted Y2K computer bug prophets, Peter de Jager, says all is not over despite the almost total absence of Y2K glitches as the start of the year 2000 came and went.

"Have you received your paycheck? Have you received your Visa bill? Have you received your electrical bill?" said de Jager, the Canadian technology expert widely credited with helping to sound the alarm to the world on the so-called Y2K problem.

"None of these business processes have occurred yet. So, for anyone to suggest we're through Y2K is making the assumption that none of these business processes are going to be affected. That's an extremely naive assumption," de Jager told Reuters in an interview Tuesday.

De Jager was one of the most widely quoted Y2K experts who warned of possible widespread power blackouts, nuclear disaster and other catastrophes that could develop unless computers were modified to distinguish 2000 from 1900.

The next few weeks will be crucial to see the back of the Y2K threat, de Jager warned.

"If there are any problems they'll become apparent over the next few weeks," he said.

"When we come through mid-Febuary we can all start putting (the Y2K problem) behind us and leave the rest of the clean-up to the computer people," he predicted.

But with Y2K now more myth than menace, De Jager's predictions are raising questions that his warnings of potential disaster were sometimes overblown and possibly self-serving.

De Jager charged C$7,500 ($5,200) a time as a sought-after public speaker. His web site, www.year2000.com, operating with Houston-based Internet marketing company, Tenagra Corp. has also been profitable, attracting enough advertising to cover its annual expenses of $600,000.

An unidentified bidder recently offered $10 million to buy the site which offered information on the millennium bug, after it was put up for sale on the Internet auction site eBay Inc.

De Jager spent six years traveling the world to warn businesses and governments of the potential for disaster as the new millennium dawned.

He was among the first to realize that a method of recording dates in computer software could cause chaos as clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000 because of old shortcuts that recorded the year with two digits only. Unless fixed, he warned that this could disrupt everything from airlines to health care to telephones.

His predictions caused the likes of Chase Manhattan Bank to spend $600 million on Y2K preparations, but de Jager admits some companies did spend too much in attempts to safeguard their operations against Y2K-related problems.

"When you try to fix a problem like this, you tend to go at it with a shotgun approach rather than a laser. In other words, you try to fix everything in sight even though you're not sure it's broken," he said.

And what of the legions of computer experts who cashed in on Y2K hysteria? "They're all highly employable. Y2K is nothing but a computer problem. They've solved that so now they can work on other computer projects. They are not obsolete just because Y2K is done." he said.

"As for me, it's time to take a break," said de Jager.

($1-$1.45 Canadian)

-- (Wait@and.see), January 14, 2000.

It's all true, there is no unifying theme here now. More and more, it's a forum for less and less. Then why am I still addicted? Certainly I am not part of the problemo?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), January 14, 2000.

Jeez you guys.

The world doesn't explode. It slowly gets f*cked up. Phone service is getting kinda spotty. My ISP is useless during peak hours. My bills are eratic.

It ain't over till it's over.

Go to:

http://www.ciaosystems.com/glitchcentral.htm

and monitor the "Glitch Graph."

I'm not looking for doom. I'm just waiting to see how many little screw-ups turn into pain-in-the-ass disruptions.

I'm VERY pleased the big stuff worked on rollover no matter how they kept it glued together. We had a baby on the 6th and electricity was a pretty handy item to have around.

Keep watching. It's fun to watch the spin.

-Fractal-

-- Fractal (bobalex@silverlink.net), January 14, 2000.

I hear ya, Fractal. tis interesting to watch the spin, especially reading the pithy similes, metaphors, and whatnot...sort of like listening to teenagers reading bad poetry, attempting to "sound" intellectual, heh heh.

-- Tim (pixmo@pixelquest.com), January 14, 2000.

Squirrel Hunter, et al,

Hey, guys, before you leave, how about dropping in on the philosophy and religion thread, "The Great Deception..."? At this point it might be the longest thread ever, in terms of space used. I think it's towards the top of New Answers.

Even if you're not into it, could you just put in your two cents?

Thanks.

PS -- Oh yeah, SH, I suppose this means you're not gonna use my wood bread recipe, eh? (Mona Lisa smile)

-- eve (123@4567.com), January 14, 2000.

Whats a matter Squirrel.....head get run over by a car. Take a little break....you'll be back. The fun is just starting. Or are you gonna go sell all your nuts................

-- gomer (gnomer@dot.com), January 14, 2000.

So the fourm will morph... die... or change. What else is new with life in general?

Some, like to read/observe until the end of the story. Or not.

Your choice.

Diane

See also...

The Jan. 10th issue of INFORMATION WEEK surveyed 2,083 IT professionals. Almost 30% indicated Y2K related computer problems. This figure is up from 10% a week earlier. Additionally, 10% have already experienced supply chain problems.

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 002JbJ

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 14, 2000.

The garden of doom

With it's flowers of gloom

Will soon go boom.

-- (I'm@po.et), January 14, 2000.

.....but we don't know it.

-- (Whose@the.poet), January 14, 2000.

If you really think that there's no problem anymore, then leave. Those of us who realize that this is just getting STARTED will still be here, and you won't be missed.

-- (daveO@quedfire.net), January 14, 2000.

Why don't we just call it the current event board that it has become?

-- Squid (ItsDark@down.here), January 14, 2000.

I realized something a few days ago: I have work to do.

So many productive hours have been lost and I have plenty of catching up to do.

Yes, I am a news junkie but that is only one of the reasons that keeps me stopping back here. I drop in for the community that has developed before my eyes over the past year or so.

So I'll be here as long as the names are recognizable, the posts are interesting, and someone makes me laugh once in a while. It's like the corner pub without the hang-over.

...and everyone knows my name. (sort of)

I like Squid's idea: Current Events Forum. Or News Junkie Central. What ever we call it, I want to be here with my pals. (As long as I can also get some work done.)

-- semper paratus (still_here_with@my.pals), January 14, 2000.

I don't feel the following is worth a new OT thread but I did want to share some Dave Barry humor via an e-mail from a friend today.

Sixteen Things That it Took Me 50 Years to Learn.........by Dave Barry

1. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

2. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

3.The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

4. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic back-ground, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

5. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.

6. There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

7. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never what you to share yours with them.

8.If you had to indentify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

9. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.

10. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He WILL NOT use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.

11. You should not confuse you career with your life.

12. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

13. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

14. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.

15. Your friends love you, anyway.

16. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and .. dance.

-- rb aka tc (ronbanks_2000@yahoo.com), January 14, 2000.

I STILL like the name Forum 2000 - simple, yet elegant with sleek lines that corner like a cat and leaves you feeling like you've just stepped into another world far, far from home.

:-}

-- Ric (ice163@worldnet.att.net), January 14, 2000.

and leaves you feeling like you've just stepped into another world far...

Lately it has been leaving me feeling like I've stepped in something, that's for sure.

-- semper paratus (still_here_with@my.pals), January 14, 2000.

Time to take your shoes off and get in touch with that something, semper....

I'm fairly new to this board, so what are/were your views on the whole Y2000 thing? Have yours changed or have they remained the same? And what has caused any changes?

I'm convinced the potential for real problems is still "there" and I keep thinking there's something we're not being told. But, I just hope it's not something totally off base from Y2K and comes as a huge surprise to us (did I see a post earlier about Russia or China invading or something? I don't like rice all that much and certainly not borscht....)

Your name (s) - any military background? semper fi...Marines, perhaps. Navy Seabees for me (you knew the Marines are Part of the Navy, right? (that should earn a comment or two from SOMEONE!)

-- Ric (ice163@worldnet.att.net), January 15, 2000.

First;

If Nathan really is being scinetifically selective with his graph... see the link above... we are in for problems.

Second...

There is no second.

-m-

-- Michael Erskine (Osiris@urbanna.net), January 15, 2000.

Ric:

First: We know you are new here.

Second: Semper Paratus does not equal Semper Fidelis. The former is the motto of the U. S. Coast Guard meaning Always Ready. The latter is of course, the motto of the Marine Corps meaning Always Loyal. And yes, I served in the USCG.

Third: My read on Y2k was to take the same actions that I saw governments and corporations taking. My interest was to protect my interests. I was motivated by the uncertainty of it all.

Fourth: If you have read my post above, you know why I am still here. I do not, however, expect Y2k problems to affect my daily life in any way other than a possible annoyance from time to time. (Call me a fool, but dear god, don't call me a polly.)

Fifth: If you were a Seabee, you must be ok. Welcome.

-- semper paratus (still_here_with@my.pals), January 15, 2000.