READ ONLY - Y2K List of Failures Part 3 - Please do not post to this thread

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

31. Source: The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/99/02/st022802.html

Y2K's already here when it comes to computer glitches Sunday February 28, 1999 - By Steve Woodward of The Oregonian staff

(Check out this link for numerous Y2K failure examples - and thanks to forum posters Bender, Ashton, and Leska for this link)

32. Source: Information Week

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/y2k/twb19990126s0004

One of the original online services will become just a memory and a dial tone this October. - By Bruce Caldwell

(Excerpt)

In an e-mail sent Friday to the 200,000 customers of Prodigy Classic and in a statement posted on its website, Prodigy Communications said Prodigy Classic will be discontinued because the company is "unable" to make it year 2000-compliant.

"This retirement is a result of the Prodigy Classic service's proprietary technology that predates current Internet standards," the Web statement says. "Due to the limitations of this technology, Prodigy is unable to make the Prodigy Classic service Y2K-compliant."

33. Source: Data Communications - March 07, 1999, Issue: 2803 David Newman and Stephen Saunders

http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?DAT19990307S0063

(Excerpt)

But the biggest military mishaps may be yet to come. As Soldier of Fortune points out in its February issue, the Y2K bug has been wreaking havoc for years-and it's still a menace. In 1993, for example, the North American Air Defense Command simulated the year 2000 rollover and froze the early warning systems used to track missile and bomber attacks on the U.S. So when will the problem be solved? The Air Force says it will be 40 percent Y2K-compliant by 2003. What's that old military motto about hurry up and wait?

34. Source: CNN Interactive - March 8, 1999

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9903/08/Japan-Satellite.ap/index.html

Japanese satellite tests suspended over Year 2000 problem

(Excerpt)

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's government-run space development agency will suspend experiments aboard two unmanned satellites by late November because of glitches related to the Year 2000 computer problem, officials said Monday.

Yoichi Fujita, spokesman of the National Space Development Agency, said the agency has yet to address the Y2K problem as it relates to control computers on the ground, although the two orbiting satellites are free from the so-called "millennium bug."

35. Source: Associated Press

http://www.startext.net/news/doc/1047/1:POLITICS36/1:POLITICS36031099.html

Planning for Y2K disrupts income tax services - By Mark Lavie

(Excerpts)

JERUSALEM -- Israel's income tax collectors didn't wait for the Y2K bug to shut down their computers at the end of the year -- they inadvertently disrupted service a year early. The glitch occured when they tried to bug-proof the computers of the Israel Tax Authorities, and thousands of grumbling taxpayers found themselves overpaying. The mess at the tax office is an indication of the kinds of problems in store for Israelis -- and people worldwide - as the millennium draws near.

The trouble at Israel's tax office started Jan. 1, the beginning of Israel's fiscal year, when computer programs are routinely changed. Government computer experts decided this would be a good time to develop a Y2K-proof program. But the new software was not ready on time -- creating chaos in tax offices, which no longer had programs for updating files or generating the tax-deduction forms critical to determining workers' take-home pay. Without the tax-deduction forms, employers were required to deduct half of a worker's pay for income tax. Understandably, that led to an outcry from taxpayers and tax collectors had no choice but to turn back the clock -- literally. "Instructions were given to clerks to issue handwritten permits," said Sarit Giladi-Dor, spokeswoman for the Income Tax Authority. For three months, copies of the scrawled forms have been piling up on the desks of 35 tax offices around the country, waiting to be entered into the computer. Tax advisers and accountants were often unable to even access their clients' files, said Jerusalem tax adviser Yitzhak Becker. Now the end of "Bug 99" is in sight, but it's just the start of work for the clerks.

36. Source: MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/local/KXAS/99915.asp

(Excerpt)

Retired Fort Worth doctor Sim Hulsey was born a century ago, long before computers and even cars. He says, "But we had some good horses, good mules, good buggies, good wagons, and all that sort of thing!" Hulsey just celebrated his 100th birthday on March 11th. But when his pharmacist recently typed his date of birth in a computer, it assumed the "99" was "1999," not 1899. The computer said Hulsey wasn't born yet.

37. Source: Associated Press

http://tampabayonline.net/news/news1021.htm

(Excerpts - Thanks to poster "don" for the heads up on this. A few days after this story was reported, it was claimed that the problem was not due to Y2K, but happened as a result of an attempt at adding capacity. If you are interested in the forum discussion that ensued regarding this click on the following link:)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000e7r

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - An overhaul designed to protect New Jersey's main welfare computers from the so-called Y2K bug may have caused a glitch that enabled thousands of food stamp recipients to access their April benefits a week-and-a-half early.

Human Services spokeswoman Jacqueline Tencza said the state's main welfare computer underwent an upgrade and an overhaul two weeks ago to improve its capabilities and to protect against the so-called "millennium bug," a situation in which computer systems may interpret the last two digits of the year 2000 to actually be 1900, causing unpredictable consequences.

Because of an error in that upgrade, the computer wrongly sent a message to an electronic benefits transfer company telling it to credit benefits as of April 1, 1990 instead of April 1, 1999, Tencza said.

38. Source: Chicago Tribune

http://chicagotribune.com/business/businessnews/ws/item/0,1267,9693-9678-25421,00.html

Many nations are unwilling or unable to fix possible computer woes, leaving the U.S. in peril By Colin McMahon and Laurie Goering Tribune Foreign Correspondents March 21, 1999

(Excerpts - Thanks to posters Deborah and Drew for this link.)

As part of an experiment last year, technicians at the huge Xingo hydroelectric dam on Brazil's Sao Francisco River set the dates on the plant's main computer forward to Jan. 1, 2000. What happened next is still sending chills through Latin America.

"When they put the date forward, the whole control board went haywire," remembers Marcos Ozorio, one of the members of Brazil's presidential Year 2000 commission. "Twelve thousand warning lights flashed all across the board, with all kinds of alarm information."

Technicians quickly switched back the date, and are now ferreting out the plant's Y2K bugs. But "if you had been surprised by a situation like this, what you'd have had to do is shut down the plant until you found where the failures were," Ozorio said. "Automatically you'd be taking off the energy board 30 percent of northeast Brazil."

39. Source: Mardon Direct Reporting Project

http://www.mardon-y2k.com/Public_Sector_Industry.htm

(Four excerpts from the Public Sector section)

A. Type of failure: Software calculating 99+1 = 00 and making it 1900.

A bookkeeper in California received the monthly form from the State Workers Compensation Board to complete, pay and return. This one had all the rates for employees wrong. Upon contacting the agent, the bookkeeper was told "you've been bitten!"...their computer is reading the insurance programs 1999-2000 only it read it 1999-1900. He said thousands went out and they are being bombarded with calls. Simple enough to fix, just put in the figures the form recipients know are right. But State Comp still has to figure it out when the checks come in.

B. Type of failure: Software: a date validation check stating "If year is less than 88 or equal to or greater than 99 then year is invalid".

A Canadian city government suffered a "99" failure on Jan 4, 1999. In the Inventory System, when an item is returned to stock, a date of return must be entered. It would not accept '99'. The problem was found, reported and corrected in less than 1 hour.

C. Type of failure: Software: The problem is with a date range of next business date plus or minus 1 year.

Every record on the tape created by Budget and input into Accounting is rejecting beginning with the tape created on 1/5/99, the first run of 1999. This problem was overcome by inserting the segments online rather than using the batch job as a short-term solution. The volume of rejected records is low.

D. Type of failure: Improper testing diligence. No contingency plan.

Fort Wayne radio station WOWO 1190 AM has reported today that Allen County Child Support system has failed and is inoperable since January 1, 1999. Recipients have not received any payments since January 1, 1999. Officials attribute the failure to inability of their Y2K compliant system (installed in December 1998) to communicate with the state system.

40. Source: Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/march99/dcgeneral24.htm

Computers May Be a Risk at D.C. General By David A. Vise - Washington Post Staff Writer - Wednesday, March 24, 1999; Page B1

(Excerpts - Thanks to poster "gotitlongago" for this one.)

The health of patients at D.C. General Hospital is being endangered by massive problems with old computer systems - some caused by the approaching year 2000 - and a financial squeeze that could force new cuts in health care services, according to city officials, consultants and internal memos. In recent months, computer malfunctions have purged information from some patients' electronic files at the hospital and introduced errors into other patients' records, said Kent Gale, executive director of Legacy Systems Inc., a consulting firm hired by the hospital to keep its antiquated computer systems running. New doctors at the hospital, meanwhile, were unable to electronically retrieve patient information earlier this year because the computer system would not issue passwords - which are supposed to be good for one year - that would expire after Dec. 31.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), March 24, 1999

Answers

Excellent work, Rob!

NORM - is this all part of your hunky-dory scenario?

-- @ (@@@.@), March 24, 1999.


I guess that will teach me to learn how to read, gosh, I'm a a-hole aren't I?

-- @@@ (@@@@.@@@@), March 24, 1999.

rob,

since a dropped in (inadvertantly), you wanna re-post this? also, i'd take out the new jersey food stamp example, because of their claim that it's not y2k. regardless of the accuracy of that, it's better to keep the examples "pure," so to speak.

-- Drew Parkhill/CBN News (y2k@cbn.org), March 24, 1999.


Hi Drew: OK. We will try again - uh, give me a few minutes.

-- Rob (sonofdust@net.com), March 24, 1999.

That second answer is obviously not mine, but I am wondering what the reason is that we should not respond. Is there something wrong with rewarding Rob for his hard work?

-- @ (@@@.@), March 24, 1999.


There I go again, unable to read. Well, unable to read titles of threads anyway. And then to see how that title might apply to me. But then on the other hand, I'm special. I can do what I wish.

Again and again.

-- @@@@ (@@@.@@@@), March 25, 1999.


a,

these are "read only" threads because they are being posted to the cbn website, and rob & i are trying to keep them as such- ie, lists of examples for people who are new to y2k. hopefully by the end of this week, but no later than next week, i'll have the cbn y2k home page redesigned, & these lists, & future additions, will have a permanent place there, much as the rick cowles interview has had for the last few months.

guess we can always start another thread to congratulate rob for his good work! he deserves it.

-- Drew Parkhill/CBN News (y2k@cbn.org), March 25, 1999.


Drew: It's re-posted. Fingers crossed. :)

@@@: Drew will be linking to it on his site - perhaps others will also. It is intended to be printed for folks that ask for "proof" that Y2K is a real problem - in other words it is a list, not a conversation. p.s. Thanks anyway.

Ed: If you think it makes sense, maybe you can delete the first thread.

I see it is already tomorrow! offline, Rob.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), March 25, 1999.


Good stuff, rob.

What category is this in? so that I can find lists 1 and 2? maybe on the other post you can add links to the first two versions?

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), March 25, 1999.


Well Rob, since your "e" doesn't work, tried to send it to you, I'll just post this.

Diane

Stan.Comment - eBay Hell
03/24/1999 - New Media News

http:// www.newmedianews.com/stan/1999/s010898.html

January 08, 1999

Upfront admission: I've never bought anything through eBay, the online auction service. I did try to sell a bike once, and got not a single bid. I was told later that if I'd been trying to sell Beanie Babies, I'd have been swamped with offers.

All that aside, I, like practically everyone else who follows technology, have been astounded at how Wall Street has treated eBay. The company's shares first traded on the Street last year, and went through the proverbial roof. Last time I looked, the stock was worth more than 300 dollars a share.

So exactly how does eBay make its money? Well, if you list an item for auction, they charge you a little. If a lot of people buy and sell stuff, those little fees add up.

Why am I telling you all this? Because somehow, I've gotten into an e- mail loop full of threatening messages and angry responses. It apparently all started when eBay's computers goofed and sent out invoices for December 1999 rather than December 1998 (an early Y2K glitch?), indicating people owed big finance charges because they were a year behind on their payments.

Some eBay customers are very cranky. Others can't figure out how or why they're getting the nasty messages (me included). If nothing else, the episode shows that little glitches can quickly turn into big PR problems.

And it all leads me to this point: when your whole business is based on computers and the Internet, and all of your customers have the ability to say mean things about you to an audience of millions, you'd better not fumble the ball.

Stan

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), March 25, 1999.



Hi pshannon. The threads are in the MISC category, along with most of my others. It is probably easier to find them just by looking under the "Unanswered Questions". All three are there and clearly labeled.

BTW, Congrats on your work over at the other site :)

Diane: The following line of three words is coming directly from a word file I saved:

Thank you Diane!!!

Don't think this makes sense after all. I did it to save having to keep typing it, but it takes me longer to go get it than just type it so I think I'm back where I started :)

p.s. I thought you knew the 'e' was bogus! Maybe I will change it so that this is readily apparent.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), March 25, 1999.


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