Tongue in cheek but...

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

Have you started to wonder exactly who is going to be out there celebrating New Year's Eve? After reading yet another post where (in this case - San Diego police) everyone would be working or at least on stand-by for the "the EVENT", got to thinking. The police, National Guard units, sounds like anyone who has anything to do with a computer, pipeline monitors, power company people, firemen, emergency personnell, all manner of government people, hospital employees, you name it, they are all on duty for the rollover. Sounds to me that all that leaves is a few of us Mom's with the kids and a few sales clerks out here to celebrate with the 4% or so unemployed!! Whether anything happens or not, it will indeed be an unusual New Year's for a lot of people.

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), July 12, 1999

Answers

V-

Strange you should mention this. For the first time last night (maybe the cool temps)I had a clear imagery of New years eve and what it may be like. Normally it is a night of excitement and celebration with EVERYONE waitng-even counting down the seconds.

I thought about how unnerving it is going to be as we all hold our breath---5-4-3-2-1- will the lights go out-check the dial tone. And then hopefully a sense of relief or the other--- PANIC!!! It will definately be an emotional 10 seconds with Dick Clark.

-- David Butts (dciinc@aol.com), July 12, 1999.


I don't see many people in the party mood buy the time New Years Eve rolls around...

-- BiGG (supersite@acronet.net), July 12, 1999.

Well....in actuality you will no doubt be watching the tube and looking at what is going on in the South Pacific and Australia, etc long before it gets to us. I for one wouldn't be anywhere but home glued to the tube and the scanner. I think people who are dumb enuff to book flights to Italy and elsewhere, deserve to get caught. I just can't imagine being in Times Square. Further more, won't it come down GMT rather than standard time? Like 7pm on the east coast? The lights may be out long before the crowd even gets to Times Square.

Taz....who ain't sticking her foot out the door during roll over.

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), July 12, 1999.


Taz -

Yes - there is that 17 hour window people have talked about - 4:00pm in the afternoon here on the west coast. I know for a fact that the Emergency people around here are going to be glued to CNN for their coverage from the South Pacific to see what happens there first. Anyone know when that coverage is likely to start?

I also think that that will really catch people unprepared in the US because so much is run on ZULU time (forget what the latest vernacular is - Universal time?). People who are unaware, unprepared etc. are going to be thinking local time when it reality it may be much earlier than that.

By the way, there is a big private party scheduled for the Space Needle in Seattle. Wonder if they have a generator to run the elevators to get everyone down (if the elevators are compliant). Only other way I know of to get down from there is the outside ladders from 600+ feet up in the air in the dark and the rain - no thank you!!! Of course, if it goes out a 4:00 pm they probably won't be up there yet.

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), July 12, 1999.


Can you imagine . . .CAN YOU IMAGINE what this country would be like if the first reports of the South Pacific are disasters. Talk about a rude awakening for the non-preparers.

Marsha : John when you go down to Albertsons to get the relish tray for the New Year's eve party, would you pick up 3 months worth of bottled water, and an assortment of canned food? The TV said it could get nasty.

John : Oh, don't worry dear, it will probable play itself out by the time it gets around to our side of the planet. Afterall, we have many people worknig on it and it should be fixed!

-- Same as b4 (NWphotog@Foxcomm.net), July 12, 1999.



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