...just finished this for another cork, but thought i'd post it here as well... smiles...

...ok... some of what you've all heard is true, but most of it is bs... mostly misinformation...

REAL Problems:

1. social security: yes, there is a problem. but they are working on it. unless the system is completely fixed by 2000, there will be people who won't get their checks, AND there will be others who WILL get checks who aren't eligible yet...

     example:
          a. let's say you were born in 1920. in y2k, you'll be 80. been receiving your ss checks for a while now. y2k comes around, date switches back to 1900. so how old are you? -20 in all technicalities, but these systems are OLD. they can't handle negative numbers, so it registers you as 20, which means, you're too young for the social security to click in.
          b. let's say you were born in 1980. in y2k you'll be 20. but same as example a, the date reverts back to 1900, and the system can't handle negative numbers. guess what? you've ages 60 years. now the computers say you're 80, and issues you a check. (if this happens DON'T CASH OR SPEND IT! the government will get things straightened out, and come back for their money.)

2. life insurance: big problems here, but mostly within the company. only real concerns would be delays in payments from them.

3. banking / money: this in itself is a tricky subject. only problems i see are credit / debit cards. don't rely on them for money, use checks or cash. the only other thing i'd be worried about is this. y2k is coming, now, all in all, i'd be happy leaving my money with the computers because a. the amount of money in your accounts isn't really effected by todays date. b. the banks are also in a big rush to be y2k compliant, and c. the computers aren't going to just stop working, so no data will be lost. but the problem i am seeing, is there are so many people out there who think the y2k thing is a real threat to their survival, and not to mention the year 2000 is also a key date in the religion aspect, i think there will be alot of people pulling their money out of the banks, and if there is enough of them who do that, y2k problem or not, the bank is just gonna go belly up, no money, no bank. my suggestion, is choose a large chain of banks, so it's unlikely the bank will suffer too much when and if people draw out all their money. and also do pull out some money. most everyone i've heard (who knows what their talking about) says to keep enough cash out of the bank to live off of for 2 months. that way if the banks do have some minor problems (which is to be expected) that may cause delays, you're not gonna be up a creek without a paddle.

3. power plants, elevators and street lights: some of these use date & time stamps. certain times of day/week/month/year are busier than others. computers control some of these things now. they keep track of the busy times... power spikes, which floors are busiest at what hours, what streets are going to have more traffic ect. some of this could be effected, most will not. but it's nothing major. leave a bit early for work. expect a little bit of delay. and as far as the power goes, even though their timing may be off for when they’ll get power spikes, as far as i know, most also have a system that monitors the power usage, and increases the output when necessary.

HYPED Problems: (fake)

1. No, your computer isn't going to explode, start on fire, or stop working in any way at exactly midnight on Jan. 1st of 2000. you may experience a few glitches, but nothing major.

2. the power plants will not 'just stop' there will be no worldwide black out.

3. food shortage isn't a big issue. the only fluctuations will be the people who panic and go out an stock up on food for 6 months or more.

4. yes, you will still have to pay your bills.

5. no, the world will not end.

...i know there is some things i prolly left out, but i think this is a pretty good chunk of info... smiles...

Psssssst... buy a MAC LMAO