Y2K: Harmless, or a disaster?
Solution
Continued from page 3
by requests for Y2K information he
has been receiving from the county
small business community. The
multi-agency presentation has alrea
dy been made once at Sampson
Community College, where it was
met with enthusiastic response.
“This is a very collaborative effort
to serve the small business commu
nity." Horton said. “I think it will
meet the full array of needs."
Betty L. Gardner, manager of
North Carolina State University's
Computer Training Unit, w ill speak
of training initialises available
through the university and the com
munity college system. She will dis
cuss needs and course offerings in
response.
Jeff Eglen. of the Year 2000
Project, will speak of North
Carolina's role as one of the states
leading the nation in response to
Y2K. He will speak of the special
challenges local governments and
institutions face in the millennium
and state efforts to address them.
Small Business Technology Deve
lopment ('enter director Warren
Gulko will tel! attendees how the
Y2K will impact their businesses.
Tom Jenkins, of Concurrent Tech
nologies Corporation, will focus, on
a variety of issues, including the
scope of the problem, its implica
tions for business, how to prepare
and where to go for assistance.
Attorney Theodore R. Harper will
speak to the legal issues surround
ing Y2K and explain why organiza
tions should be concerned and how
they should prepare.
Financial specialists David J. and
Sandy Burger, of Computer Living
Corp. in Pinehurst. will address con
cerns related to electronic transfer
of money and hanking transactions.
Horton said the full range of ser
vices 'provided small businesses in
Brunswick County stand to be
affected by the millennium bug. if
action is not taken.
"One thing the small business
community is very concerned about
is utilities." Horton said. "They
touch virtually every aspect of our
lives."
While Horton believes awareness
of the Year 2000 bug is still very
low among county small business
operators, he hopes programs such
as the one Thursday will stimulate
more involvement. There are steps
small business operators should be
taking already to make sure they are
prepared for the millennium.
“First, be sure your machines are
Y2K compliant," Horton advises.
"If you order inventory by comput
er. make sure your suppliers are
compliant so you can continue to
interact."
Even appliances -- microwave
ovens, freezers. VCRs -- may refuse
to work when the clock strikes mid
night December 31. 2000.
"Embedded chips in cash registers
should be checked." Horton said.
Attendance at the seminar will be
limited to 80 persons. More infor
mation may be obtained by calling
the Brunswick Community College
Small Business Center at 253-3088.
Problem
Continued from page 3
"98."
The problem becomes ugly when
the date rolls over from "99" to
Jbe Basics of Investing^ ag*
From A to Z
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AG Edwards
IIW'ESTMENTS SINCEI8S7
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"00" on Saturday, January 1, 2000.
Many older computers and embed
ded electronics will recognize the
date not as January 1, 2000, but
instead as January 1, 1900.
The confusion may result in any
number of scenarios. If the proces
sors fail to recognize the "00" as an
actual value, they may get stuck in
an endless loop, looking for a
viable value and causing machin
ery and electronic systems to stop
functioning. Or. systems may rec
ognize the value as 1900 or some
other previous date (many default
to 1980) and wreak havoc on elec
tronic billing systems and time
management systems which run
continuously and rely on accurate
dates and times to function proper
ly- . .
Although the specifics of the
problem are isolated in the technol
ogy, the effects of the problem will
spread to all facets of our society:
■ The government has already
issued statements that specific divi
sions of the executive branch of the
government will not be compliant
by January, 2000
■ Leading economists such as
Dr. Edward Yardeni are predicting
a -60-percent chance of economic
recession as a result of business
failures after the year 2000.
■ Electric power utilities that
rely on the nuclear power industry
and embedded technology may col
lapse under the strain of computer
failure and federal shutdowns.
■ Transportation and communi
cation systems may fail due to the
prominence of embedded micro
chips in satellites and scheduling
systems.
Obviously, the year 2000 prob
lem has the potential to critically
affect our worldwide society in a
number of concrete ways. Analysts
have predicted varied results of the
problem, ranging from a non-event
to total economic collapse of the
planet.
Although the outcome of the
problem is uncertain, the problem
itself is very real. It is up to each of
us to remain informed and educat
ed about the problem, and to be
prepared for the possibilities that
may become realities. -
Source: Y2K News Magazine
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