I have it on good authority that the HSBC (UK) bank did no y2k preparation its just a matter of time before it fails. How do I know ( a bloke down the pub told me! with inside information, remember you heard it here first.

-- dick of the dale (richard.dale@unum.co.uk), February 21, 2000

Answers

hi Sir Richard! long time, no see! do you have any new poems for us?

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), February 21, 2000.

Hi Jocelyn, yes I've just had an idea, I'll have to make up some "feeling stupid because we were wrong about y2k" type limericks or "I never really believed it would happen" "egg on my face" type of thing, lets get on with our lives now its over etc etc

-- dick of the dale (richard.dale@unum.co.uk), February 21, 2000.

Did he explain why HSBC have already made it a full month and more past rollover without falling over? And more, how they've managed to survive (or avoid) using post-2000 dates for the last, oh, 30 years or so? Mortgages?

Based on a rumour of an unverified anecdote about an unrelated project in a different pub, I'll confidently predict that HSBC will not "fail" in any statistically significant way, not even after the 0th of March 2000. Remember, you heard it here first. ;p

-- _ (_@_._), February 21, 2000.

only kidding, yes i told you I only heard it from a very reliable source, a bloke down the pub........ anyhow who was that

-- dick of the dale (richard.dale@unum.co.uk), February 21, 2000.