Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: B.K.Myers who wrote (7501)	7/31/1999 5:04:00 PM
From: Ken	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

MUST-READ TECH STUDY:"W/O ELECTICITY,30% DIE IN A MONTH;80% IN A YEAR Those numbers, however catestrophic and unimagineable, must be updated, perhaps to 45% and 90%. The original numbers are EXCEPTIONALLY LOW, due to the following: Since that study was done: 1. computers linking the entire structure of society has become FAR MORE integrated and interrelated, by a quantum leap, 2. JIT was only in its infancy then compared to its virtually total use now in all major systems. 3. the population has increased by about 20 million, espically concentrated in the larger cities. 4. far less individuals are involved in farming now. 5. far less % of the population now has easy access to water sources than then. 6. our society is far more reliant on computers than then, by a huge quantum leap 7. the above list is grossly incomplete, but ok just for starters! <<<<. In the 1970s, Duffy recalled, statisticians calculated that if all electricity were cut off, 30 percent of the population would be dead within a month. Within a year, 80 percent would be dead. "We get up in the morning, and we won't make it to the end of the day unless all these systems are up and running. It's truly scary. And that was back in the 1970s — hell, now it's worse," Duffy said. He has no magic formula for coping with the potential catastrophes simmering under all our system complexity. . . . eetimes.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: B.K.Myers who wrote (7501)	7/31/1999 5:53:00 PM
From: Ken	Respond to of 9818

<plan for each stage> Good thinking, BK. Here's my take on that: There are about 7 different basic senarios that can reasonably occur, with a lot of permutations in-between. After contemplating a number of different senario playouts (cause and effect of each), I realized several key factors, chiefly among them: That it will not be possible, practical or prudent to assume that more than one senario can be ADEQUATELY planned for, in advance. Each different senario requrires major decisions regarding purchases, if not also changes in life-style. But, even only assuming the only major difference involves expenditure of monies for different shopping lists of emergency goods, the senior problem will be: Time! And, its companion, JIT! When the panic starts, only a very small % of the population will clean out storage food reserves, purif sytems, generators, solar systems, and most of the other most vital products!! You buy one shopping list now, and you can for awhile upgrade it, as you see fit. But, in x number of months, it will be too late for most products, and most of the vital products! I expect the panic behavior to occur with ENORMOUS speed, partly due to the instantaneous nature of comm, the net, tv, etc,, and due to the generally hysterical, fearful basic nature of the populus! I would NOT personally risk waiting until the last minute to either prepare, or to substantially add to the basic assets! Espically for those products our lives are dependent on! To me the most prudent course, is making a complete list of desired products, allocating x amount of dollars to it, ie.setting up a budget, and buying EVERYTHING/MOST EVERYTHING on the list as soon as there seem to be the beginnings of significant changes in buying trends in the most vital ones. I look at this list and overall prep, as an extremely expensive insurance policy, but one without, could result in loss of everything, up to and including death. And, whatever is not used in a best-case Y2KAPUTYOU senario, can either be used thru time, and/or donated to charity. I call this the 'Survival insurance policy'.