Writing Topic Y2K
Webheads Welcome in the New Millenium

January 1, 2000, his time

As usual, Michael starts us off, since he's in Australia ...

It's 2 hours after midnight here in Australia so we're into the year 2000. The world didn't end, the electricity and water still works, and there seems to be absolutely no problem. Except a lot of people are still letting off fireworks and our dog is freaked out!

The Y2K bug has been beaten! Enjoy your celebrations everyone. I'm off to bed.

Happy New Year once again!

Michael Coghlan

December 31, 1999, her time

Maggi checks in next ...

Figures Michael would go to bed!! The fireworks have started here and we still have 6 hours to go. I am going to eat a turkey I made...mmm...everyone else...enjoy and don't worry...the sun will rise tomorrow on you!

January 2, 2000

Vance writes from San Francisco:

Y2K has come in the USA. The country was incredibly peaceful, with millions of people cramming into city centers to see fireworks and drink champagne in the streets. In California we drank cheap Californian sparkling wine, not the expensive champagne from France, of course.

We were concerned about going into central San Francisco that night because a few New Years Eve's ago at Union Square we had witnessed people fighting and throwing bottles (one actually hit one of my kids). This year, in the middle of over a million people at the Embarcadero, the crowd was well behaved. Buses and trains were crowded but free. Not many people were drunk. I didn't see anyone get out of order. Everyone went nuts at midnight, but I was happiest to be enjoying it with my wife and both my boys, since it's not often we can all come together.

There have been no Y2K effects here as far as we can see. There is some concern that some will surface when offices re-open tomorrow (Monday) but I don't think it's likely that anything will happen since the problem was always in the microprocessors in appliances (like in water pumps and ATM machines) that would have gone off by now if there was any problem.

I'm happy to now confess that I had done absolutely nothing to prepare myself for Y2K. I bought not one bottle of water, nor did I stock up on cash, nor fill the gas tank in my rented car, nor download a single computer file to fix any anticipated problem with Y2K.

I take that back. I did upgrade my virus checker just before New Year's, but I do that periodically anyway.

I'm curious what everyone else did for Y2K or if anyone has had any problem. I know that Eileen was eagerly awaiting the millenium in anticipation of any problems with the computers she is responsible for.

Also, I'm curious if anyone but Michael received a happy.exe file on their computer. We do send a lot of attachments in Webheads, but I've had no problem so far. But I haven't run ANY exe attachments that anyone has sent. I just delete those.

I advise everyone to never run an attached exe file that you receive unsolicited (un-requested), and also treat doc files with suspicion. I've enjoyed everyone's cards though, and you shouldn't have any trouble visiting a website or reading email.

So Webheads, how did you spend your New Years in your country?

January 4, 2000

Choi checks in from Korea:

Hi everyone,

This is Choi. Vance seemed to be never concerned about Y2K bugs at all.

As for me, I was bit worried about those terrible things such as no supply of water, electricity and gas. However my husband was very confident that nothing I had imagined would ever happen. Therefore, I had to buy a few bottles of water, gas, and instant noodles without my husband's knowing. I got caught when I was trying to hide them on the balcony. Ha! Ha! He nagged me about what I'd done.

Nothing serious has happened so far in Korea. But we can't tell for sure right now and have to wait and see.

I was on duty on Jan 02 for my company's Y2K final test. My company, Bridge (previously Telerate), delivers all its financial information using computer systems and networks. Therefore, everybody was tense during the end of 1999 and the new year.

A few problems have been spotted today and yesterday (the 3rd & 4th).

How about you other guys?

January 4, 2000

Denilson writes from Colorado:

Here at the Broadmoor http://www.broadmoor.com on Saturday we had some small problems, but the manager and the programmer came to fix them. On Sunday we still had some problems and the manager and the programmer came back again.

But these problems didn't stop the work, the jobs... nothing!!!

I knew that nothing was going to happen, and I was on call on 31st of December, but I went to a party and I drank a lot. On Saturday I called to say than I would arrive late on my job. I was supposed to start 08:00 am but I started instead at 12:00, but that's ok...

I read in newspapers that the US congress now wants an explanation about the 100 million dollars expended with Y2K history.

My only problem with Y2k was the Mexican food in the Taco Bell fast food... just kidding :)

Well people have good one!!!

Welcome to Y2K

Denilson

January 5, 2000

Choi responds:

Many people are expressing the same opinion on the money spent on Y2K. I do not know much about Y2K and still do not know if the time and money we have spent on Y2K was too much.

My husband keeps saying that Y2K was too exaggerated.

Choi

January 5, 2000

Michael, responding to Choi and Denilson

Well I have to admit that I did a few things just in case! I made sure that we had some candles and a working torch. I filled up the car with petrol and took a bit of extra money out of the bank. That's it. I was pretty sure everything would be OK.

Australia spent $12 billion dollars to make sure everything was OK. The only problem here was the ticketing machines on some buses stopped working. The most interesting story I heard (not Australian) was about the British Airways plane that had to switch to manual control after midnight. The automatic pilot stopped working. Sounds a little bit scary but I guess the passengers didn't even know about it!

But was the Y2K bug just a big hoax? As Denilson suggested, now all the governments want to know if it was the right thing to spend all that money! What do you think?

January 5, 2000

Maggi again

I also did a few things like get enough food, water and candles in the house. I was going to do more but never got around to it. I did manage to take a shower before midnight, cook a delicious meal and do the dishes.

I guess the reason was mostly how relaxed everyone was here. There was no one buying more than they needed...in fact the stores were full and very quiet. No panic buying.

I had some interesting discussions in my classes about what COULD happen but everyone seemed very certain that nothing would happen.

I doubt it was a hoax because I know what my computer geeks went through testing everything. It is very likely that spending all that money was a major reason why nothing happened. I did go to the bank today and their machines are not working. No big deal because I know my bank card does so I can still shop.

Better safe than sorry as the saying goes. No doubt more was spent than perhaps was necessary but that is now water under the bridge. Main thing is that there were no major catastrophes...like a nuclear power plant or missile going off.

I did nothing with my laptop and it just went to January 4 1980. Changed the date and it still works. My son's does and I haven't checked the others yet.

At least you are all safe and sound and healthy.

Maggi

January 6, 2000

Felix takes a break from partying long enough to send this message ...

My New Year's celebration was awesome. I've told you before I was going to Cumuruxatiba ( a beach ), and that is where I was. We had decided to have a party and share the expenses with friends.. So we did that... We hired sound equipment, ordered food and we passed all the 31st preparing for the party.

At about 11 p.m. of the 31st I went to my friend's house where there were about 40 other people, all friends of mine too. We drank and danced at lot. At 12:00 sharp, we stopped the music, some of the people there made short speeches (under the influence of alcohol) and then we started all over again. It was cool..

At about 2:00 a.m. we went to the beach where there are bars and we stayed around a fire talking, getting to know each other, and of course drinking and dancing. I went to bed at about 6:00 in the morning, exhausted but happy because no catastrophe had happened.

On the 1st of 2000, I woke up at about 11:00 a.m. and went to the beach to have an ICE COLD beerrrrrrrrr hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm delicious...unforgettable.. So if anyone wants to get a taste of this "tiring" life, feel free to come to Brazil and stay at my place at the beach..

Felix

January 8, 2000

Eileen sends greetings ...

How about your new millennium? I'm curious whether you feel anything differently?

In the new beginning of the millennium, the snow covered Beijing. It was a very beautiful view.

I hope you all have a good beginning.

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Writing Topic Y2K Webheads Welcome in the New Millenium

Last updated: April 18, 2000

Writing Topic Y2K
Webheads Welcome in the New Millenium