Re Embedded Chips
Hi Jim,
I have a couple of comments, if you don't mind me jumping in.
My understanding from reading about embedded chips is that they can also be set with the date, including year, remotely from a computer or other system component and thus may still experience the problem in inaccessible locations.
There is also a problem with chips having the date of manufacture coded in as a start date. If a device is left on for many years, for example in an oil or gas monitoring system, the counter may run out and powering it down may or may not fix the problem. However, these failures will not correspond with any specific date like Jan 1/2000, but rather will occur more and more frequently into the next century.
With respect to the GPS rollover, IMHO it was handled in a much more professional (and honest) way by the Government (Coast Guard, Airline Regulators, Military) than Y2K. In addition many GPS devices are stand-alone or handheld and not part of a complex system. Also, the recommendation was to have a secondary method of establishing your location (ie a sextant) on hand in case of failure ... Of course, that only works as long as the weather is good. We may yet have a lot of lost hunters this fall when they drag the ole GPS out of the closet and head out into the bush. < vbg >
I will be very interested in reading BK's response and would appreciate anyone correcting the above.
John |
