Article in the Seattle PI this morning - headline "State 80% of the way to having 00 problem" (At least the subtitle was "Agencies get handle on millennium bug"!)

But the real kicker in the article was this statement and it was my morning visual for a smile...

"The state Department of Transportation "plans to stock a 60-day back-up supply of fuel for sanding trucks, snow plows and other vehicles, as well as sand and anti-icing materials."

Then we get to the chuckle for the day:

"Washington State Ferries "will be reinforcing training and preparedness for manual propulsion (of ferry vessels)" and "terminal operations may be affected by either long- or short-term power disruptions."

"MANUAL PROPULSION"?? Just gave me a wonderful vision of majestic ferry with the mountains in the background looking something like a Viking ship with oars sticking out both sides.

Do kinda wonder what actual kind of manual propulsion there really is.

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), April 13, 1999

Answers

Valkyrie Thanks for the heads up! do you have a URL?

-- Brian (imager@ampsc.com), April 13, 1999.

 State 80% of the way to having 00 problem
http://www.seattle-pi.com/local/bugs13.shtml

Link

-- Brian (imager@ampsc.com), April 13, 1999.

  Washington State Year 2000 Readiness Report, Volume One
http://www.wa.gov/dis/2000/aw/report/9904.htm

-- Brian (imager@ampsc.com), April 13, 1999.

Contradictory advice in this report:

The State Department of Transportation "plans to stock a 60-day back-up supply of fuel for sanding trucks, snow plows and other vehicles, as well as sand and anti-icing materials.

versus...

So what should private citizens do to prepare for problems that might arise with the new year?

Nothing more, according to the report, than they would do to prepare for "an ice storm or flood that unexpectedly knocks out a power supply."

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), April 13, 1999.

Soooo.....first we heard that many of the electric Co's are planning to "HOARD" 3 months of coal, now Washington State admits they will "HOARD" 2 months of fuel and sand, but we are still exhorted not to hoard!

Can someone tell me exactly when the inmates took over the asylum? I must have been busy "panicing", cause I didn't notice...

-- Sheila (sross@bconnex.net), April 13, 1999.

Valkyrie,

Yes, I read this article this morning while my wife and I were driving to work. She almost drove off the road from laughing so hard when I read her the "manual propulsion" sentence. It's a good thing the University of Washington has good crew teams--we may be needing them soon!

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), April 13, 1999.

Okay - pretend you're a passenger on the "manual" ferry - do you row, or waterski?

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (Cook.R@csaatl.com), April 13, 1999.

Mr. Cook I live up here and sometimes take the ferry across to visit my folks. Do you suppose that I should add "oar" to my prep list? Or, will state ferry contigency planning include supplying oars to riders?

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), April 13, 1999.

kayak

-- h (h@h.h), April 13, 1999.

Being a former western Washatonian, I too had a good belly laff. The ferrys can get so screwed up now and are always bouncing off the docks and smashing ferry/dock. What will they be like with oars in the water? I think you have to have lived there to REALLY appreciate this post of Vals. Best laff of the week.

Gotta pair of water wings?

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), April 13, 1999.

Oars aren't needed. 500 swimmers in wetsuits, each with a tow line, should do it. The schedule will go to hell on windy days, though.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), April 13, 1999.

Remember, folks: "I have supplies. You are stockpiling. That guy down the street is HOARDING!"

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), April 13, 1999.

Can they dog paddle?

Took the Blackball ferry many a time over to Victoria. Can just picture the "oars." What a tourist attraction!

Personally, I'd get access to a sailboat, and travel with a mountain bike for land use. (Gotta learn to dock without using the motor -- no fuel).

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 13, 1999.

The image of Ben Hur rowing just came to mind. Ramming speed. I can see Bill Gates up there beating out the rhythm and whipping the slaves.

-- Slave (on@romanship.org), April 13, 1999.

Well, Ballard is the Norske region of Seattle. Maybe oars and a dragon's head should be included in Ballard's Y2K Prep to help out the DOT. OR . . . we could import all those retirees from the opennig of Hawaii 50 to help row . .

-- Same as B4 (NWphotog@Foxcomm.net), April 13, 1999.

oh, if there was only a cartoonist who would pick up on this one!

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), April 14, 1999.

Arlin,

A cartoonist? Why, just yesterday the Seattle Times' editorial cartoonist won the Pulitzer for his work (for which he profusely thanked Bill and Monica). Now, where's that e-mail address for the Seattle Times...

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), April 14, 1999.

Don -

David Horsey would indeed be a good one having just won the Pulitzer - but, um, you picked the wrong paper - he's in the PI, not the Times.

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), April 14, 1999.