I do understand that rollover was never the primary concern. However, what risks now remain for electrical power, grids, etc.? I live in the central Midwest; the majority of my preparations were made to cover two bases: power outage(s) and supply/demand of household maintenance (food, water, dry goods).

I believe we'll know more in a few days, and a few weeks. I'm only wondering if we are really over the hump in terms of power loss? Thank you now for any replies...

-- Jim Young (jyoung@famvid.com), January 01, 2000

Answers

Billing and accounting... for one.

-- Michael Erskine (Osiris@urbanna.net), January 01, 2000.

That's a good question. If what others have been saying about clocks being set back to avoid the rollover is true, what would happen if computers have to interact with other computers with a different date? I read somewhere recently that Merrill Lynch has built a firewall around its system that prevents interaction with other computer systems using a date that was different than theirs. Any thoughts on this? Honest replies only. Thank you.

-- Mello1 (Mello1@ix.netcom.com), January 01, 2000.

My Dear Mr. Young

Sir

I am responding as per your request concerning other's opinions about the near time future of power production and / or distribution..After diligent rsearch (sigh..means I called some buddies up who are holding the generation systems and their attendant distribution togeather); and asked them "what's sup"!

LOL....They lied to the PRCs, computers, etc! It was not, is not a solution! But it sure bought time..

Sir my hat and heart goes out to these men and women who run our power systems. They have bought time! Time to possibly salvage enough of the system (before it might crumble) To have a core around which can be re-built the whole. Will we have further trouble? The amswear is yes! We will! But if the center will hold (oil, financial, JIT parts supply, and most pertenent of all! Some one doesn't start WW III). We will have days of dirty power, some locations/regions of no power. And because of lost profits among the 500 and 1000 (or in other words), our large companies...We very likely WILL suffer a depression! But we won't hit the extintion wall, as did the Dodo bird or the Passenger Pigeon.

Unless...some fool decides that now is a good time to launch!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), January 01, 2000.

Gosh Shakey. Thanks. I was afraid of that answer.... I guess I will continue to unplug my appliances fron the outlet...

-- Mello1 (Mello1@ix.netcom.com), January 01, 2000.

No surprises here.

First concern will be the supply chain. You can't just use any widget in a nuke plant. Many parts have to be nuclear class. Also, some consumables are ESSENTIAL. The regulator will shut you down if you don't have them.

Second concern: likely most of these plants now in "quiet mode", which means steady state (no power up or down, no major moves)at 80% power if I read the reported request right last week. It is very easy to run a plant in this mode. But when you start increasing power, and the rate monitors are called into action, then that could be another story. This is when you could get an "unrequested fission surplus" in the immortal words of Monty Burns. Will the computers be able to detect and deal with it? Hope so.

I'm still concerned. I think the Second Law of Thermodynamics (entropy) took a stat holiday and will be back on the job tomorrow.

-- Jed Clampet (jed@bugtussle.com), January 01, 2000.

Rick Cowles gave an interview to guy from CBN over a year ago, his prediction then was - rollover no big deal, two weeks from them problems could grow exponentially and zowie!

-- rumdoodles (rumdoodles@yahoo.com), January 01, 2000.