Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ZealYouthGuy
Alright, I know eventually, somewhere, somehow we will get hit with a CHTF scenario, but aren't you glad it doesn't happen as often as the hype says?
How many of us really bought into the Y2K hype?
If so, did it change the way you are preparing now?
It's been six years, terror and pandemics seem to be the talk of the day... hype or likely?
|
I did not buy into the hype. I was rather embarrassed when Ed Yourdan (well known software designer) went nuts over it. My manager was reading one of his books which I had recommended and I went to the bookstore to see this big display of Yourdan's surving Y2K book. Way over the top.
Being a programmer, I knew there would be problems, and there were, mostly behind the scenes. We are so used to computer glitches in our daily lives that most of us did not see anything different. Right up to Semptember or so of that year I was finding Y2K errors in software that was "certified compliant". Little known fact: many of these did not have to do with 1 January 2000, but with 1 March 2000. The leap year calculations were wrong in many systems. Often, the only visible effect was extra interest calculated on accounts. Some people were billed for 24 hours on calls that spanned midnight of 28 February 2000.
Anyway, as far as prep goes, I always have at least a month's worth of food in the cupboard--- habit of growing up in the snow belt. I took out extra cash and took extra care checking bills and balancing my checkbook. That's all. I went to an "End of the World" party, which was fun. I won an MRE as a door prize.
I would have welcomed a crash of civilization at that point. I did not know it yet, but the next few years could not have been worse (really).
Even though, many people predict false disasters all the time. real ones also occur. Rather than panicing about any particular threat, it is sensible to have a bit of preparation all of the time.
