Mike, don't forget to read this !!!!!!!!! HA HA HA !!!!
Peter de Jager and Year2000.com Launch PROJECT DAMOCLES; Service Will Hold Sword Over the Heads of Corporations That Choose to Cover-up Their Y2K Problem
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 30, 1997--A new service launched today, called PROJECT DAMOCLES ( year2000.com ), aims to force the hand of corporations that are willfully withholding information regarding serious Year 2000 problems within their systems.
Peter de Jager has been working on the Year 2000 problem since 1991 and during that time he has received a lot of information about potential Year 2000 problems and failures. Some of it is unverifiable hearsay, some is unfounded rumor, but some is undoubtedly accurate reporting. In the last 4 to 6 months, the information flow to de Jager has become increasingly disturbing. Reports such as:
-- Chemical plant manager describes an embedded chip which, if not fixed, will cause explosions involving Chlorine gas.
-- Airline Y2K manager indicates that they plan not to fly on Dec. 31st 1999 to 2nd week of 2000.
-- A list of some 30 medical devices, including model numbers, and a description of how they will fail in 2000.
-- Large chip manufacturer has identified embedded systems which will fail. The decision on whether or not to inform it's customers is being made by the marketing department.
If these reports are true, then the companies affected are choosing to keep quiet. One is tempted to help those affected by the potential problem by sending the information to the press. However, if the information should prove false (and in many cases there is no easy way to verify it's accuracy) then one would be justifiably open to charges of libel or slander.
PROJECT DAMOCLES uses this information in a private way to force the hand of companies who have information regarding the failure of their own systems and who are reluctant to make that information public. The goal is to fix 'issues' before they become problems.
"My objective is to force manufacturers to do what is right by hanging a sword over their heads. A sword that swings into action after they allow a failure to occur," stated Year 2000 spokesperson Peter de Jager. "PROJECT DAMOCLES helps companies in managing rumors and in identifying which of their systems need attention. It will be an ever present threat that their problem is known and they'd better act responsibly -- otherwise the lawyers will have the information necessary to make their case."
HOW IT WORKS
If someone has first hand knowledge of a system which fails, either an embedded system, software application or computer platform, AND the system manufacturer (which may be their employer) refuses to either fix the problem or announce publicly that a problem exists, then they should e-mail that information (in the format described at the end of this release) to Damocles@Year2000.com
Information submitted in a Damocles report will be sent (with the submitter's name withheld) by registered mail to the legal department of the company in question. The information will also be kept on file by PROJECT DAMOCLES, except that, once the sender of the report is verified, all record of who has submitted the report will be removed. Should the report turn out to be true, and failures do occur accompanied by lawsuits, these files will be made available to the lawyers as part of the discovery process
PROJECT DAMOCLES will, from time to time, distribute press releases announcing how many Damocles reports have been received and the industries that they relate to. However, at no time will specific companies or devices be made public by PROJECT DAMOCLES unless the report turns out to be true, a failure occurs, a lawsuit ensues, and the report becomes part of a legitimate discovery process. It is also possible that some companies that receive Damocles Reports will announce that they have received them and the resulting actions they are taking.
The PROJECT DAMOCLES allows rumors (e.g., the elusive microwave oven failure rumors) to be addressed by the manufacturer whose devices are rumored to be defective. Manufacturers of devices which are defective will be made aware that this information is known outside of their company, even if that information is not 'widely' disseminated. In short, it's a double-edged sword hanging over their heads.
PROJECT DAMOCLES is a free public service by the Year 2000 Information Center ( year2000.com ), a Web site dedicated to providing information about the pending computer crisis. The site sees about 160,000 visits monthly and is in the press several times each week. The site is a joint venture between Year 2000 expert Peter de Jager of de Jager & Company Limited, and The Tenagra Corporation.
The name Damocles is from Greek mythology. Envying the position of the King, Damocles was granted his wish to be 'king for a day.' He was seated at a banquet with a sword hung above his head with the advice that if he made a mistake the sword would fall.
ABOUT THE YEAR 2000 COMPUTING PROBLEM
The Year 2000 computing problem is a failure of the two-digit notation system (e.g. 11/13/97) commonly used to track the date in many software programs. Industry analysts at Garner Group recently released a study indicating that 30% of companies worldwide had not even started addressing the Year 2000 problem. Analysts estimate that programming, new software and hardware, business interruptions, and litigation put the cost to fix the problem at over $1 trillion.
ABOUT PETER DE JAGER
Over the past 6 years, Peter de Jager has gained worldwide recognition as being the leader in creating awareness for the Year 2000 Computer Crisis. He created The Year 2000 Information Center, considered by many to be the premier source for information on this subject. He has also co-authored the book Managing 00 with Richard Bergeon, which can be ordered from year2000.com or through the publishers, John Wiley & Sons.
ABOUT THE TENAGRA CORPORATION
Founded in 1993, The Tenagra Corporation ( tenagra.com ) is a full-service Internet agency based in Houston, Texas. In addition to its Internet publishing ventures, which include The Year 2000 Information Center ( year2000.com ), The Tennis Server
( tennisserver.com ), and The Online Advertising Discussion List ( o-a.com ), the firm supports the online web design, publicity and marketing efforts of an international client base. Tenagra was recently named one of the Top 100 Internet agencies worldwide by ChannelSeven, a web community for Internet advertising, marketing and commerce.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
A downloadable production-ready screen shot of The Year 2000 Information Center main page is available for download at:
year2000.com
CONTACT:
de Jager & Company Limited
Peter de Jager, 905/792-8706
pdejager@year2000.com
or
The Tenagra Corporation
Richard Hoy / Cliff Kurtzman, 281/480-6300
email: rhoy@year2000.com / cliff.kurtzman@year2000.com
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