From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

There are several recent articles (but I can't link them right now) apparently aiming to keep people calm in case of disruptions. Some articles warn of the "Biggest Mother's Day Phone Jam Up of All Time." Others worry about the "does this thing work?" phone pick-up. Some folks may turn off their lights just before midnight to "help out," causing one or more electric grids to go down. Are there other similar potential problems? I've been wondering if blaming these phenomena would be used as a way to keep people in the dark about the bad code situation a few more days in hopes of actually performing a miracle fix on failure. Can anything be done to keep people from doing this? Does talking about it hurt more than help, giving people the idea to do something they wouldn't otherwise think to do? Warning people to "just act naturally" doesn't seem to be a workable strategy.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 25, 1999

Answers

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

"Hey... does the toilet still work? FLUSH

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 25, 1999.

Phone... and ask someone... who thinks they know.

;-D

23 August 1999

Text: Y2K Readiness in Telecommunications Industry

(Telecom information carried on toll-free hotline) (470)

Reports on Y2K readiness within the telecommunications industry are now available on the free information telephone line maintained by the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion.

According to a council press release issued August 23 in Washington, the telephone hotline provides the public with ready access to all the latest information on the Y2K situation, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With the addition of reports from then telecommunications industry, the hotline will provide Y2K updates on emergency services; telephone service; cellular, paging and wireless services; AM-FM radio; and broadcast, cable and satellite television.

The telephone number is 1-888-USA-4-Y2K.

Following is the text of the statement:

(begin text)

http://www.usia.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/ latest&f=99082302.glt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

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