I've listened to both sides of the argument for over 18 months, and one thing is abundantly clear; no one knows...and anyone who says they do is full of shit.

That said, this thread is not meant to debate one side or the other, but to discuss the end game, and how little time we've really got before the biggest (non)event of the century.

A couple of things have hit home with me this week:

1) My garden has been steadily coming in...winding down, really. That means that this years harvest is drawing to a close. I've found out that it may have been a mistake planting non-hybrid seeds - the yield is nowhere conventional seeds.

2) I've only got 10 paydays between now and the end of the year. Is there possibly enough time for me to get everything done that we wanted to?

What have you all experienced lately that has made you realize how little time there is left?

-- dan (dbuchner@logistics.calibersys.com), August 13, 1999

Answers

Well put, though working for a trucking company you WOULD be a bit closer to this...

Chuck, who knows Roadway by any other name.....

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), August 13, 1999.

And speaking of Roadway, in 1995 they were still using AT&T UNIX computers, a collection of 3B2s, and even some 3B1 and 7300!! I don't know of any Y2K issues with those relics, but did they test them? Who supports those antiques? I think I'll fire up my 7300 and roll the date forward to see what happens.

At least their drivers still have their act together.

Keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), August 13, 1999.

Dan...I need to slightly disagree on your point that no one really knows. I submit to you the judicial process. When you go to court and you are charged with a crime, by law you have to submit to the evidence. Submit the crime of Y2K....Prosecute the evidence (Doomers) try and defend that it cant happen ( Polys ) and have the judge maintaine order. Let every one who has studied Y2K be the jury.. I for one have on one side of the scale 4000 plus documents from the Prosecution (doomers) and have under 20 weak documents for the defence (poly).. If the judicial process that we use today is good anuff to send a man to his death on the evidence, then what does the jury say about the mount Everest of evidence on Y2K...Call it

-- Les (yoyo@tolate.com), August 13, 1999.

Yes all the evidence is there, but what does it mean?

-- Jim (x@x.x), August 13, 1999.

Sorry, but hearsay is not evidence. 90% of the doomer drivel is hearsay or conjecture. At the very best it is evidence that some things did go wrong but were fixed or some will go bad but wont destroy society.

-- Judge Wopper (JudgeWopper@boigerking.com), August 13, 1999.

I guess this is my point; we're spending so much time sittiing here talking about what may or may not happen that we're not seeing every dayy slip by.

Take a deep breath; make your plans happen!

-- dan (dbuchner@logistics.calibersys.com), August 13, 1999.

I'm letting my magazine supscriptions expire.

What's the point now, mid-August, of renewing for a year? Will anyone still be cranking out magazines 7 months from now? Even if they do, will the post office still be delivering them? And who's going to advertize in them? Will anyone still be hawking skin care products & vacation packages? Will Hollywood still be cranking out crappy movies? etc. etc.

-- no (more@vanity.fair), August 13, 1999.

You weren't the roadway driver who was blocking the docks at Mc Graw hill dist. in Dallas thursday morning were you? If so I got a bone to pick with u. Nikoli, USA Truck 2136.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), August 13, 1999.

So there's all this evidence from the doomers and not much from the pollies, eh?

Well, upon whom does the burden of proof fall in this court case of yours? Usually, the burden of proof falls on the prosecution - is this a civil or criminal case? As we learned from O.J., the standard of proof is much higher in a criminal case...

Even assuming that your "jury" of unbiased peers finds in favor of the doomers today, given their preponderance of evidence, does that oblige Y2K to be bad? If it ends up as a bump in the road, despite your evidence, will you find the Year 2000 in contempt of court?

Point is, this is not an issue you can cram into a judicial procedure. No one knows what the future will bring, which makes 01/01/00 rather like any other day.

JZ

-- Jeff Zurschmeide (zursch@cyberhighway.net), August 13, 1999.

Oh, come on guys!

Listen to the man. Dan is not asking for more doomer/polly argument. He doesn't care what the evidence is or what your particular slant on it. What he's asking is what are YOU gonna do about it? And how soon?

I've been self-employed, so I haven't gotten a paycheck since about 1956, but his remark that he has only 10 paydays to the year end kinda puts it in perspective.

Dan, I was fortunate enough to hear about Y2K early in 1998. I sold my urban property, and liquidated my assets, as much as possible. But it has not been easy, and I would have little hope of duplicating my success this late. It's awfully hard to envision all scenarios,and even harder to prepare for them. Keep flexible (to both good news and bad), and keep your expectations low, and your hopes high.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), August 13, 1999.

Dan,

Actually, I try not to focus on that, too much. I've always worked better, if I focus on keeping up a steady pace, rather than focusing on a looming deadline (Something my employers have had mixed reactions to).

Still, it's good to get a jolt like that, every once in a while, just so I check myself, and make sure that pace is staying steady.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), August 14, 1999.

Don't worry about how much you have, but worry about how you will manage what you have. I don't have non-hybrid seeds for the very reason you mentioned. I have tomato volunteers that came up this year and were just as good as the ones I planted from the nursery, maybe I just got lucky. What's made me realize that time is getting short are the neighbors going about their business without even a clue about what could possibly happen soon. The contributors on this sight are posting important and damaging information that points to real problems. The eye-opening posts have far out numbered the good news bears. I am not worried about my preparations or my surivial skills, I'm concerned about the roving gangs breaking into homes in the area, killing people and helping themselves to property. I'm concerned about where to bury the thugs because our property grows rocks and digging a hole is almost impossible. I guess I can pile rocks on top of them and let the bugs eat them. But for the time being, I'm just sitting back, taking it easy and roll with the flow.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), August 14, 1999.

dan.....

you asked if it's possible to "get everything done"

if you ever "get everything done" then you've stopped thinking.....cause you know there's bound be something you forgot

with only ten paydays to go, you've got to just keep trucking...and get the most important stuff (water, food, shelter, heat) done first......

most seed (except for onions and lettuce) will remain viable for quite a few years...like 5 years or so.....so stock up on hybrids (specially since they're about to go on sale everywhere as the growing season ends and the stores want to get rid of their stock....and keep the non-hybrids for backup (they'll keep for the same length of time as hybrids) just in case things go crash and don't come back up for quite some time

bardou.....

get lime : )

-- andrea (mebsmebs@hotmail.com), August 14, 1999.

Had a jolt yesterday. Elderly neighbor, formerly a little concerned about Y2K, now says, when asked what her church (large one) is doing about Y2K, "Nothing. You know our church teaches that God will provide." I was stunned. This lady is very active in her church, sure, but is also (I thought) extremely practical. She and her husband are the neighbors to whom we took hot water for coffee, gave Sterno for heating food, and loaned a battery-op TV after Fran went through. I said, "But doesn't God help those who help themselves?" "Yes," she said, "but you can worry yourself to death, thinking about this stuff" which I took to mean, shut up, considering the tone of voice. "Besides," she said, "I may not be here by then." So I just laughed and said, "Yeah, I might get hit by a bus myself," and changed the subject.

I feel sick. I haven't talked about Y2K very much with this neighbor, last time I mentioned it was about two months ago. I was planning to help this couple and her husband but can't COMPLETELY provide for their needs, was counting on her stashing SOME stuff.

Because I know the size of the church and her influence in it and also know her husband is head of the local VFW and she's the head of the women's auxiliary, plus they're active in other groups, I know that a large number of people are not going to be preparing at all. The only preparing group of any size I know about is a black church about five miles away.

Damn.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), August 14, 1999.

With people like Hewitt preaching ostrichism it's no wonder Churches are falling down on the job left, right and centre!

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 14, 1999.