On This Day Pre-Y2K
Confused by any of the jargon you see below? Check the Y2K Glossary!
March 1, 1999 Permalink
Here it is 10 months to go and we still have company presidents saying what is Y2K? and Can’t we just set the date ahead? A further indication is the relative lack of panic to hire the competent experienced programmers. The denial is so complete that the people still can not deal with it. Unfortunately people still believe the press, the network news anchors and Government officials with all of their assurances that it is a minor inconvenience. A public that would give the President the highest approval ratings despite his despicable conduct that would send ordinary citizens to jail and who would not demand his removal from office are too dumb to accept and understand reality. Murphy’s law has struck again with a vengence which says that people rise to their level of incopetence. Instead of being promoted based on merit, promotions in this administration are based on skin color, politics, and political correctness instead of who can do the job. The people in charge of the Post Office, Internal Revenue Service, and all but a handful in Congress were not capable of dealing with the problem until it is too late. They call it equal opportunity but don’t kid yourself. It is a quota system pure and simple. Paul Harvey was talking last week about the shortage of women in construction that was so bad that the contractors were paying premium wages to women in an effort to recruit them. Is this because women can do better work in construction because they are stronger and deserve more? People working for Federal agencies involved in these programs can tell you that it is because the contractors are forced into reconcilation agreements where they have to agree to hire the women and minorities that are not available in that area for that speciality. There will be many surprised and dead people next year. Will they wake up then?
—Steve, Time Bomb 2000 Forums (LUSENET), 03/01/99
I’m the new Year 2000 project manager at my company. I was given an hour to present Y2K in all its glory to the company’s senior management. My shining time to convert all of the DGI/DWGI...
During the hour, the company president asks me, “Why can’t we just turn our computers some date other than January 1 on that day? Wouldn’t we avoid the expense of replacing these computers?”
Though I’ve seen it many times, it hits me anew - there are so many people who just won’t get this. I watched my mother recently express outrage that she couldn’t post a bid on eBay. “It always worked before!” She is the consummate DGI.
So I watched the eyes around the room as I presented my heart out, this most passionate subject of mine.
“I recommend we tell our employees to prepare for two reasons: one, we have a responsibility to them since most can’t understand this issue and don’t have the resources to investigate it. And two, it’s good for the company, because the fewer problems they have January 1, the more secure they will feel and the more likely they won’t feel threatened by the new millennium.”
Around the room I saw glassy eyes, bobbing heads, and one guy who was intensely interested.
It turns out that after I left, they discussed it. My manager came up to me and said, “Well, lots of opinion. You and Wayne (the company president) define the poles.”
Of course, I’m thinking - Wayne has the most to lose. Besides, the WSJ has done little to prepare him for what he just received.
Fortunately, my manager has somewhat converted. He’s now talking recession. And our MIS manager (former EDS employee) is on board, but still plans to rake it in from the bottomed-out stock market sometime late in 2000.
It’s a process. Y2K takes seasoning and time and redundancy. Hopefully, I can use my position to help the employees of our company to begin to prepare themselves. I think that’s my ultimate goal in this.
I’ll be steering the contingency planning committee later this month. It’ll be interesting to see the response there.
Never give up, never give up, never give up...
—Brett, Time Bomb 2000 Forums (LUSENET), 03/01/99
