[All The News That's Fit To Print - NYT readers get the message, but which one?]

THE NEW YORK TIMES
December 27, 1999

Y2K PULSE
For Worriers, Winding Down on Year 2000

By BARNABY J. FEDER

They have devoted months and sometimes years to raising consciousness about potential year 2000 computer disruptions. Now, many of the most prominent worriers are folding their tents.

Jay Golter and his fellow advocates at the Northern Virginia Year 2000 Community Action Group wrapped up their group efforts with a "New Year's Eve" party on Dec. 18.

Peter de Jager, the Canadian programmer who became a year 2000 Paul Revere in 1993, said he would be on the interview circuit through next weekend. But Year2000.com, the popular Internet site he set up with the Tenagra Corp., is already on the auction block at eBay.com.

"The crusade part of this is just about over," said Edward Yardeni, a Wall Street economist who still believes there is a 70 percent chance that year 2000 breakdowns will usher in a worldwide recession. "Now it's just a matter of what happens. There's no point in being alarmist anymore."

Apparently, though, it is time to send in the clowns. As the rollover approaches, enough people are paying attention for comedians to shift into full gear. De Jager can hope the rising urge to laugh at year 2000 may help sales of one of his sideline ventures, a year 2000 cartoon book called "The Bug Stops Here."

But the field is getting crowded, mostly with survival tips that run the gamut from wry to lewd.

The Onion, a Madison, Wis., satirical newspaper, suggested, among other things, in its Dec. 15 issue: "Develop the ability to convert sunlight into energy using the chlorophyll in your body." The paper, viewable at www.onion.com, also advises: "If disaster strikes, it's God's wrath -- quote the Old Testament. But if nothing happens, God is merciful -- quote the New Testament."

Euro RSCG/DSW Partners, a Salt Lake City-based advertising firm that is a unit of Havas Advertising, has been distributing "31 Ways to Prepare for Y2K," a December calendar pamphlet with one suggestion a day. For Dec. 11, the suggestion was "Have plenty of clean towels. It's not specific to any millennial disaster but when have you ever not needed clean towels?"

A week later, DSW suggested collecting spoons because, "Right now spoons are everywhere but after January 1, who knows?"

[ENDS}

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 27, 1999

Answers

"De Jager can hope the rising urge to laugh at year 2000 may help sales of one of his sideline ventures, a year 2000 cartoon book called "The Bug Stops Here."

Oh my.

Can this greedy behemoth stoop any lower?

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), December 28, 1999.

I heard Leno brought him on the write some one-liners for their new year episode. Didn't say how much the contract was for.

j/k

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 28, 1999.