Hi gang.

Spent a lovely weekend and didn't think about this mess AT ALL! What a relief! Anyway, here are a few tidbits that I've found that I haven't seen posted here elsewhere. Sorry if any are dupes.

http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?IWK19990118S0011

"Y2K: Call A Shrink

A California therapist says IT executives with anxious tendencies may become worried-really worried-this year about possible societal and safety problems resulting from the Y2K computer problem. In fact, they may become more anxious than members of the general public because they may witness many of the problems up close-as they occur. To help IT people and others cope, Dr. Kevin Grold in Del Mar and colleagues who run the 1-800-THERAPIST line are organizing Y2K Anxiety Day, set for Dec. 1."

(That's actually the whole piece. "Y2K" Anxiety Day? for Dec. 1? Don't you think they should do it a little sooner?)

http://www.newszap.com/118b.html

This one is about a big New Year's Eve Bash in Delaware that is being cancelled "because of predicted computer problems associated with the change to the year 2000, government agencies will be putting a hold on generators during the time around the New Year."

(I wonder how many other big parties like this will be cancelled way in advance?)

http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/nb/nb2.htm

(This is another dumb USAToday piece. I wouldn't bother reading the whole thing. I just liked these quotes:)

"Can you hear the four horsemen galloping off in the distance?" remarked Alistair Stewart, a senior Year 2000 advisor with Giga's information technology (IT) practices service. "It's easy to scare people with talk about the Great God Teotwawki."

"Let the market prevail," declared Stewart.

("The Great God Teotwawki! Gotta love it! Let the Market God prevail! Ha!)

http://www.southam.com/ottawacitizen/newsnow/cpfs/national/990115/n0115108.html

"ACROSS CANADA Troops bracing for massive New Year's deployment

OTTAWA (CP) - Canadas entire military machine of 60,000 troops, reservists and civilians is being put on alert for the fallout from malfunctioning computers a year from now, defence officials said Friday.

Nobody knows how much disruption will be caused by the millennium bug. It could be concentrated in a few areas or small enough for civil authorities to handle.

But the Canadian Forces arent ruling out the possibility of a massive deployment."

(At least the Canadians are Human enough to admit this. The US Government...well...don't get me started)

http://boardwatch.internet.com/mag/98/nov/bwm33.html

(John Dvorak, who is one of the original PC columnists, wrote this pollyanna piece. Over the years I have variously respected and reviled him. This piece is crazy, even for him.)

Anyway, that's all for now. Praise the Great God Teotwawki!

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), January 18, 1999

Answers

60,000 is Canada's entire available contingent? That not enough to conver a single city 24/7 - if troubles really require martial law.

(I'm figuring 3 shifts, plus 1/4 as reserve/replacement refit. Then figure transit/supoort/comm's, outside supply types etc. drain as many as half of the remainder.) Not many "ground-pounders" left to actually be in the streets.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 18, 1999.