Y2K
February 9th, 1999
The Y2K thing is starting to bug me. Not the actual problem but the hype. Personally I don't believe there will be an actual problem. At least not any major ones caused by computers. The real problems will happen because of various people over-reacting to the supposed threat.

If you want a good analogy read the book Nightfall by Issac Asimov. The book is about the people that live on a planet that has 6 suns. Because of this it is always day everywhere on that planet. At least one sun is always in the sky on each side of the planet. Except, once every 1000 years all the suns line up and for 24 hours the planet has a nighttime (or Nightfall). Since the people generally have never experienced nighttime, even though they are a semi techically advanaced society (say 1950s-ish), zillions of people basically go insane and destroy the entire society all because of "nighttime". One interesting thing in the book is that since it only happens every 1000 years and since each 1000 years civilazation destroys itsself, there are records of each destruction but being at least 1000 years old they and up reading like scripture and so it helps feed the "fuel" of hype and panic that every 1000 years the end of the world happens.

The point being that basically nothing is going to happen at Y2K except that crazy people or going to do crazy things.

If I could only bet all the Y2K believers that no major problems will happen that can be proven to be computer related Y2K problems I'd be filthy rich. The problem is more crazy people will blame all problems on Y2K because of the hype. "What? My credit card has reached its limit? I didn't do that it must be a Y2K problem." "What, I was driving at 150mph? My odometer must be malfunctioning because of Y2K." "Embezzle?, What? No I didn't. Because of Y2K our computers lost track of lots of money. Yeh, that's the ticket."