Ytwok Is Three Events

1. A global run on the banks and y2k-fear led market crash beginning some time in 1999 and ending no-one knows when.
2. progressive manufacturing/distribution/utility infrastructure failures beginning 8/26/99 leading up to near-total shutdown at 1/1/2000, with further date-based hiccups and ripples of unknown frequency and magnitude throughout the next year.
3. An energy crisis due to the above hitting oil availability and possibly electricity availability too. Severity and duration unknown, probably worst at mid July 2000 (peak demand).

What are the effects of these events? Opinions differ widely. Roll up, roll up, place yer bets on YtwokUpdate. Every one's a winner!

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It occurs to me that there would be a "near-total" shutdown on 1/1/2000 even if programmers never used two-digit years. I personally expect to be shut down for the better part of the day; the new millennium is certainly adequate cause for celebration. (As for anyone who maintains that the millennium actually begins 1/1/2001, I strongly disagree. But I reserve the right to change my mind before 12/31/2000! ;-)

Good point, phantom stranger; so long as the utilities don't go down it'll be at least 1/3 before anyone notices. Panic buying should empty all the shops and ATMs around that period anyway, so, utilities surviving, it'll be a good week before there's any material effect of real live y2k bugs. Whether 1/1/00 has any particularly dire significance mostly seems to hinge on whether there are prolonged power outages in the cities. -- PeterMerel

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