Actually, I wanted to talk about Y2K because it's been a while for me... in this column anyway. I'm mindful of the fact that we are reaching the mid point of the last year of life as we know it... if you believe some people. Point of no return is another description that comes to mind but we don't exactly have that option!
Where are we at? Good question.
Pretty much everybody agrees we have a problem... it's the severity that remains debatable or arguable, or both. Few news broadcasts or stories go by without the topic coming up despite hotter issues such as presidents being impeached, air wars starting or the latest weather calamity.
A common question I get asked is WHY don't we know... we've all had enough time to think about it? My answer is that computers, and everything that goes with them, has crept up on us over the last thirty - forty years. Certainly no global inventory has ever been assembled of what is where and the same applies to most lower levels. We'll have a far better idea come January 1st.
The solution... take it personally as individuals.
Check your own system to see if it passes the test both hardware and software. There are a mass of sites devoted to Y2K with plenty of links to testing utilities... a lot of them freeware. Here at Suite 101 we have our Y2K Site Map edited by your's truly, with a lot of good stuff including other articles by fellow editors.
Consider your own comfort level and sense of what is reasonable. The best advice I've seen is to plan as you would for a storm warning and how that could temporarily disrupt your normal life. Some extra cash on hand... extra basic food items... a few batteries for extra flashlights. None of this will go to waste if it isn't needed. Whatever you feel is right.
This coming New Year's Eve is going to be like no other for a number of reasons to say the least. As the old Chinese curse goes... may you live in interesting times... that it will! It just remains to be seen whether "curse" was the right sentiment. To misquote Shakespeare... maybe we will end up wanting to kill all the pessimists, not that I'm letting any of the lawyers off the hook.
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