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

To: John Mansfield who wrote (1100)	2/23/1998 3:18:00 AM
From: R. Bond	Respond to of 9818

Re: electricity supply. This story will give you a glimpse of what an urban power failure is like in real life. >>A crisis committee of police, civil defence, firefighters, health officials, insurers, and power company Mercury Energy said the risk to public health and safety was too great and no shop or office should open without power. The fire service warned it was unsafe to enter buildings with alarms, sprinkler systems, and lighting. << >>Police have brought in mass reinforcements to protect shops and buildings left vulnerable by lack of lights and alarms. << >>.........machines designed to provide back-up for short periods could catch fire if run at capacity for days at a time.<< >>The costs to the city and nation are likely to run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Many businesses face crippling losses, possibly bankruptcy, and are unlikely to win more than limited compensation......<< >>......machines designed to provide back-up for short periods could catch fire if run at capacity for days at a time. << >>.....employers were obliged to pay workers told to stay home -- 60,000 people work in the area. Thousands of inner city apartment and hotel dwellers have been told to find other accommodation. << >>Mercury's board apologised publicly but indicated it did not believe it or its management were at fault. << press.co.nz Cheers, Bond

To: John Mansfield who wrote (1100)	2/23/1998 4:36:00 PM
From: John Mansfield	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9818

UK Financial Times: 2000 problem simply is not seen as a potential international emergency MONDAY FEBRUARY 23 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From Mr Martyn Thomas.<Picture: Write to the Editor> Sir, You have reported on concerns that the UK's effort to beat the millennium bomb is losing pace and urgency. In reality, no sense of urgency has yet been created. For 18 months, up to December last year, I led the Year 2000 service line for Deloitte Consulting worldwide. I have seen dozens of year 2000 projects in some of the largest companies in the world. Most companies had not finished analysing the extent of the risks they faced or the cost of repair or protection. In every case, estimates increased as the risks became better understood. Forecasts of the impact of problems are based on survey answers by companies that have not finished their estimates, provided by managers who underestimate the problem. Most problems will not be found in time, but 2000 is not yet seen as a potential international emergency. Will the limited resources be focused on ensuring that power, water, transport and food are available and that emergency services continue to operate? Will there be serious and long-lasting infrastructure failures? No one knows, but there is a substantial risk. There is plenty of evidence that the scale of the risk has not been recognised by governments. Emu-related computer system changes are taking priority in many companies, yet Emu could be delayed and monetary union will be tested to breaking point if there is a deep global recession early next century. The government could have announced that there will be no more legislation that would require widespread computer developments this century. The public sector could have shown leadership in tackling the problems with visible urgency, but keeping to spending limits has been given higher priority. In your leader "East Asian shipwreck" (February 16) you write in another context: "This is a world of panic. Once panic begins, each investor rationally wants to escape before all the others." In the run-up to the end of the century, against a background of increasing computer system failures, what assets will investors want to hold? How soon will the rational investor want to escape? Martyn Thomas, Holly Lawn, Prospect Place, Bath BA2 4QP, UK ft.com

To: John Mansfield who wrote (1100)	2/26/1998 4:50:00 AM
From: Michael Brian	Respond to of 9818

If only 5% of the big frame computer systems fail, wouldn't this present a huge network security problem? Is this one reason why companies are rushing to install total network security systems?

To: John Mansfield who wrote (1100)	2/27/1998 2:20:00 PM
From: John Mansfield	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

LOL : "The MBTA Board directors approved a FIVE year program to fix the problem' From the SIM board. John ________________ 7. Author: David C. Hall ( dhall ) Date: Feb. 26 2:04 PM 1998 I wish this was a joke, but it's not. The Boston Globe on Friday 13, 1998, page B5 reports that the MBTA (the local Boston transit authority) "faces a Year 2000 problem. That is when computers programmed only for dates in the 20th century may shut down or go bonkers becasue they will not recognise the shorthand "00" dateas 2000." It goes on to report that "The MBTA Board directors approved a FIVE year program to fix the problem". Draw your own conclusions. Dave Hall dhall@enteract.com