KiwiKid72
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I hunkered down with a box of beer and a bag of peanuts.
Remember the Y2K scare?
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It's a product of many large organizations. I was unfortunate to experience the same foolishness with my corporate employer, coincidentally in 1999, when I was general counsel. I saw the storm coming, bailed with a golden parachute, and went back to driving a truck. Company survived, but lost over $100 million in value after I left. Glad it was no longer my problem.
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A buddy of mine bought 30 2-fours. Couple months ago. He likes beer.
Unkle Krusty
Member
I remember it well. My computer at the time, had a dead battery. So when I turned it on for the day, a variety of different dates would appear. I corrected the date and carried on. Often the date shown was well beyond YTK. so I knew my computer would work. Why the tech folks said it would be a problem I have no idea.
But, to avoid the confusion of midnight our time, we will do British New Years at our local pub. That will be at 1600 Pacific. That will be Midnight GMT, wot is now UT.
But, to avoid the confusion of midnight our time, we will do British New Years at our local pub. That will be at 1600 Pacific. That will be Midnight GMT, wot is now UT.
Rishi
Well-Known Member
There is a myth that if you wash your car, it will rain. It's kind of a reverse murphy's law. If you build it, will they come? Maybe not. My tweak is, if you prepare for a disaster, it will never come.
From my Y2K preparations 25 years ago, I still got the diesel generator, the 55-gallon drum of fuel, and a bunch of freeze dried foods I never used. We DID eat up the MRE's, but most of it is still out there in the rafters.
You can thank ME for staving off any Y2K disaster. I did MY part.
From my Y2K preparations 25 years ago, I still got the diesel generator, the 55-gallon drum of fuel, and a bunch of freeze dried foods I never used. We DID eat up the MRE's, but most of it is still out there in the rafters.
You can thank ME for staving off any Y2K disaster. I did MY part.
Runcharger
Well-Known Member
I was railroading and everything was tied to computer from inventory to operating authorities. I remember we prepped for it but no one really believed there would be an issue and there wasn't. The news media loves to get everyone frothing, if you haven't heard a rumour by 7AM it's best to start one I guess.
maxwedgechar
Well-Known Member
After Katrina, my parents, who lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, put an axe, some food and drinking water in their attic.
I had my furnace replaced on Christmas by a nice old man, 5 days later he went up north to his cabin and killed himself because he was so sure Y2K was real and he was scared of what was coming!
I was working in the automated car-parking industry back then for the biggest player here in NZ. They were in panic mode, so we had lots of work doing tests and checking all equipment. There were a few old machines that couldn't handle the change in dates....so we got to sell plenty of new equipment back then.
Turned into a sort-of non-event when you look back. But the predictions were all for doom and gloom at the time.
Turned into a sort-of non-event when you look back. But the predictions were all for doom and gloom at the time.
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RT68440
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I was in high school (16). I was at a pretty decent sized family party and I remember hunkering down as the ball dropped. The house next door was full of drunken college kids and they went crazy with excitement when all was good after midnight...to the point of shooting a pump action shotgun into the woods behind the houses. We all ran inside to stay safe and saw on the news the next day that a house was hit on the other side of the woods...
YY1
Well-Known Member
Even though it was "true" that older BIOS systems (and programs) only had a 2 digit date capacity....
When I first heard of the Y2K "problem", I did a simple test.
I set my computer to Dec 31, 99 and went to bed.
The next day it showed 1/1/"00" and all my programs still worked.
When I first heard of the Y2K "problem", I did a simple test.
I set my computer to Dec 31, 99 and went to bed.
The next day it showed 1/1/"00" and all my programs still worked.
j-c-c-62
Well-Known Member
moparmarks said:
I was an electrical contractor then I spent a lot of time installing and wiring backup generators. You know, because the world was going to go dark.
I know many were concerned about clocks, etc. handling "00" in the New Year.
I told them don't worry, the real problem will be Y10K, but they wouldn't listen, so we shared their concerns and doubled our rates.
We supplied a backup Genset for a Julio Iglesias Y2K Concert at the Miccosukee Indian Casino in West Miami. It was a high end event. I stopped by after the show during load out to see how everything went, and to pick up a check. I was driving a 26' Straight Box truck. I parked by the loading dock and went inside, did my business as the band. sound and lighting guys were packing up. Went outside and started driving away when a security team rushed up in a golf cart, blocked the truck to a stop and insisted on searching it. I said i wasn't not having any part of that. They stated they "have to search my truck" and would not state why. I said I am not stopping you. They shortly realized it was locked and complained, I responded that is not my problem. They said they would call the Police. Well, call them, you ain't searching my truck without a warrant. Few minutes later cops show, I tell them what I know about the situation, they seemed confused also, and I hear them ask on the radio, what is missing, call comes back "2000 Dinner Plate" Cop asks how many? "One" is the response. Cops and I both laugh. Cop says he ain't searching my truck for one stinking dinner plate. Security team thought it was 2000 plates.
Evidently one of the crew inside was seen "lifting" (totally unprofessional) a special custom 2K dinner plate and I was the first person/truck to leave, and security wrongly assumed I was the culprit,
BTW, my truck was empty.
Happy Y2.025K
I was an electrical contractor then I spent a lot of time installing and wiring backup generators. You know, because the world was going to go dark.
I supplied generators among other items/services for Y2K celebrations and backup in So Fla.
I know many were concerned about clocks, etc. handling "00" in the New Year.
I told them don't worry, the real problem will be Y10K, but they wouldn't listen, so we shared their concerns and doubled our rates.
We supplied a backup Genset for a Julio Iglesias Y2K Concert at the Miccosukee Indian Casino in West Miami. It was a high end event. I stopped by after the show during load out to see how everything went, and to pick up a check. I was driving a 26' Straight Box truck. I parked by the loading dock and went inside, did my business as the band. sound and lighting guys were packing up. Went outside and started driving away when a security team rushed up in a golf cart, blocked the truck to a stop and insisted on searching it. I said i wasn't not having any part of that. They stated they "have to search my truck" and would not state why. I said I am not stopping you. They shortly realized it was locked and complained, I responded that is not my problem. They said they would call the Police. Well, call them, you ain't searching my truck without a warrant. Few minutes later cops show, I tell them what I know about the situation, they seemed confused also, and I hear them ask on the radio, what is missing, call comes back "2000 Dinner Plate" Cop asks how many? "One" is the response. Cops and I both laugh. Cop says he ain't searching my truck for one stinking dinner plate. Security team thought it was 2000 plates.
Evidently one of the crew inside was seen "lifting" (totally unprofessional) a special custom 2K dinner plate and I was the first person/truck to leave, and security wrongly assumed I was the culprit,
BTW, my truck was empty.
Happy Y2.025K
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I was getting 
ESOXER
Well-Known Member
I graduated in 2K, we had a party like no other, like the world would end, but we all knew better, acted like we didn't.
I'm actually in bed right now after a mock countdown with our daughter, excited to do some hunting tomorrow, with a slight headache.
I'm actually in bed right now after a mock countdown with our daughter, excited to do some hunting tomorrow, with a slight headache.
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Detective D
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Living in super rural farm country WI, all Y2K was for me and my friends as a young man was a source of jokes. Before memes were a thing, we had all the jokes about idiotic things the news said, and the people in the newspapers that were prepping.
Of particular amusement was the local guy that bought (20) 55 gallon drums of lamp oil. Yes, like Little House on the Prairie oil lamp lamp oil.
He was quoted about it with his picture in the paper, stating it was much more economical then kerosene(kerosene was hard to get for a couple months there!) and had lots of uses, lights, heat, could burn it to cook over(uh... this is WI, walk 20 feet there is a tree for firewood) so according to the paper, this guy was a prepping genius.
We had just as many laughs in the months after wondering what all the preppers were going to do with all their crap they bought, especially lamp oil guy.
On a more serious note, the spike in price in kerosene completely destroyed the market for Ready Heater portable kerosene heaters. (salamander type?) where before you could run them for pennies, suddenly it was cheaper to use almost anything else. The things were everywhere in rural WI, and then over the next 2 years vanished out of stores and became worthless relics at garage sales. So Y2K did have an economical impact on a few industries, despite being a laughably overhyped nothing burger.
Of particular amusement was the local guy that bought (20) 55 gallon drums of lamp oil. Yes, like Little House on the Prairie oil lamp lamp oil.
He was quoted about it with his picture in the paper, stating it was much more economical then kerosene(kerosene was hard to get for a couple months there!) and had lots of uses, lights, heat, could burn it to cook over(uh... this is WI, walk 20 feet there is a tree for firewood) so according to the paper, this guy was a prepping genius.
We had just as many laughs in the months after wondering what all the preppers were going to do with all their crap they bought, especially lamp oil guy.
On a more serious note, the spike in price in kerosene completely destroyed the market for Ready Heater portable kerosene heaters. (salamander type?) where before you could run them for pennies, suddenly it was cheaper to use almost anything else. The things were everywhere in rural WI, and then over the next 2 years vanished out of stores and became worthless relics at garage sales. So Y2K did have an economical impact on a few industries, despite being a laughably overhyped nothing burger.
j-c-c-62
Well-Known Member
Well, my takeaway on Y2K centers on 2 things:
1. Why was the public so irrational and what part was it intentionally dramatized for profit?
2. Why weren't the "experts" better at communicating it was all a "nothing burger" in the first place?
I suspect profit played a big part and the experts were not certain themselves and the public has learned little.
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