This is from a reply I made to csy2k today, someone had some theory about why people did what they did, so I responded:

here's my theory that applies to ME:

When I walk onto a job site and I ask about progress (all non-computer-related), and I hear the words: "NO PROBLEM!"

little alarms start going off in my head because 90% of the time AFTER I hear this phrase, I start hearing excuses, excuses, blame, etc and the buck gets passed to me somehow.

So I make contingency plans to cover my ass when someone else screws up and the mess gets dumped in my lap.

The screwups don't ALWAYS fall in my lap and they don't ALWAYS play out like I think they might.
In fact, I'm usually surprised to find out how they play out.

I'll bring 10 times the amount of stuff to a job site, just to cover my ass, in CASE there's a problem.
Most of the time, I don't use this extra gear, but every once in a while...I need ALL of it and then some.

I just cover my ass. That's part of my job.

Y2K data "NO PROBLEMS" are no different to me.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), January 04, 2000

Answers

Right on the button. I've been doing this for 35 years, and "NO PROBLEM" means get out the fire extinguisher. When they say real cute things like "NO PROBLEMO" then I really get worried.

"Denial is not a river in Egypt".

bill d

P.S. Fidel Castro is a poly, but a programmer he's not.

-- billy d (bdangelo1@home.com), January 04, 2000.

GOOD CALL! I've got some scuttlebutt on how the banks in one state fared. An unnamed source (whom I'm married to) gave me some rollover news passed to her from the Securities & Exchange Commision representative dealing with her bank on Y2K.

Her bank is working some minor issues with on-deposit accounts which were not expected. They are also working some expected issues with loan generation functions. The SEC rep said her bank "Was doing pretty good".

But, he mentioned that "The rest of the banks in Pennsylvania did not fare well." That includes the majors as well as the locals like hers.

How long before this starts showing up in the economic system as real impacts on business operations? And can it be fixed before it goes too far to be fixed?

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), January 04, 2000.

I once told my staff I never, ever wanted to hear them tell me "No problem" because.....

1. "Problems" come from working - both usual and unusual circumstances, routinely. Under the best conditions, there *are* problems - learn this and deal with them. If there were NO Problems, I had to consider they were not working. : )

2. If there were NO Problems and they were, indeed working, it was quite likely they weren't paying enough attention to what they were doing, and were overlooking something, that was, indeed, A Problem. And, Problems often have this funny way of turning into PROBLEMS if one isn't paying close attention.

One other 'rule' I had when I was a manager was to not confuse the words "Problem" and "Opportunity". One of my biggest pet peeves.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), January 04, 2000.

Was hot tar roofing in Florida in '96. The fellow running the kettle was kneeling down behind it while a large puddle of tar was forming on the ground behind the kettle. He kept saying 'No Problem! No problem!" Later he had to be treated for 3rd degree burns from screwing a bolt; that had popped out, with his bare hands.

"No problem, the gun isn't loaded"

"No problem....I'll pull out."

"(No problem)I did NOT have sex with that woman!"

"No problem, Chernobyl is safe."

-- Satanta (EventHoriz@n.com), January 04, 2000.

NO PROBLEM, this space shuttle will fly.

-- billy d (bdangelo1@home.com), January 04, 2000.

NO PROBLEM, this ship is unsinkable.

-- billy d (bdangelo1@home.com), January 04, 2000.

>Most of the time, I don't use this extra gear, but every once in a while...I need ALL of it and then some.<

I knew that I wasn't the only one who ran across those times.

Ever have everything you can think of EXCEPT the thing that you really, really needed?

I did NOT inhale (with) that woman!

S.O.B.

-- sweetolebob (buffgun@hotmail.com), January 04, 2000.

Satanta... you describe a man with courage and devotion to duty. There may have been a better way for him to do that, I don't know but somehow I suspect his repeating "No Problem, No Problem" was his way of easing the pain.

-- Michael Erskine (Osiris@urbanna.net), January 04, 2000.

Micheal...you are reffering to the head of the Chernobyl power plant right?

-- Satanta (EventHoriz@n.com), January 04, 2000.