Year 2000 - The Movie!
Under development and scheduled for release in November 1999, the Y2K movie, as yet untitled is rumored to be starring Hollywood heartthrob from "Batman and Robin" Chris O'Donnell. The film will not be exclusively about the Year 2000 problem but will use Y2K as a major plot feature.
You will see it. It will be a blockbuster. And depending on how it's done it may be a bank buster too. And it might contribute to a crash in the stock market.
How it portrays the Year 2000 problem scenarios may indeed affect the American public and the world. By November 1999 we may have already seen some of the Y2K problem effect in real life. The real danger with the Y2K problem is not the technical issue, it's a psychological one: panic.
Let's get real and climb out of denial.
The Y2K problem is real. OK? Let's be done with denial. Time to deal with it. Actually, time for denial was two or three years ago, when those of us pointing out the pending challenges of the Year 2000 Problem were politely listened to, then ignored. DENIAL minus NI (Negativity and Ignorance) = DEAL. Let's DEAL with Y2K. Time is running out and the deadline cannot be moved.
Forget the blame - or blame me.
The Y2K problem is so ubiquitous, so widespread it should be obvious there is no one to blame. There is a tendency to attack people who point out the problem. Don't - they are trying to help.
If you have to blame someone, the usual targets are the computer programmers of the 1970's and 1980's who used two digits for the year instead of four. I'm one of them. Blame me, then let's get past it and fix this.
What about Egypt, is Y2K a problem even here?
Of course it is.
Measures are starting to be taken, but they seem too little too late. Indeed, a national committee has been established and international donor organizations are beginning to get projects started to help Egypt address Y2K. But it is too late to move things along at the usual pace. There is not enough time to examine, fix and test all the software programs and embedded systems in all the power plants, telephone switches, hospitals, banks, and manufacturing plants, to name a few of the critical sectors.
We need a coordinated effort from the best of Egypt's managers, businessmen, technicians and, importantly, politicians to quickly get to action, in the biggest way. The effort required on Y2K may make building the Great Pyramids look as if it were an easier job.
Call to ACTION - change required
I call for Egypt's engineers and technicians who may understand this problem to be brave and step forward and explain this problem to your managers. Do everything you can to get them to listen. Search the Internet (http://www.year2000.com is a good place to start), show them this article.
I call for managers to take time to listen to the staff who understand this problem and can help generate action plans to tackle it. I call on the directors and executives to make clear a policy of "don't shoot the messenger." Encourage, make it easy, make rewards for employees to find and implement Year 2000 solutions.
I call on the politicians and government leaders to be more forthright than ever with all of the people. It is almost unavoidable that there will be confusion and panic over the Year 2000 problem. A public awareness campaign is called for, one that has no room for denial, one that includes contingency plans, and full, open communications on what is being done. Independent audit of results and progress is essential for public confidence.
What are the worst case scenarios?
A few scattered optimists continue argue that the Y2K problem has been grossly exaggerated, and while it's true that many worst-case scenarios are overly hysterical, most experts insist that it is now too late to avoid serious disruptions. Worst case scenarios include long power blackouts, the stock market crash, breakdown of the division of labor and global recession or even depression. We do not have to accept or expect the worst case scenarios to take the steps towards sensible precautions and planning NOW.
The power grid is the key resource, followed closely by the telephone systems, which must be protected from failure from Y2K problems. So far, implementation of Y2K fixes in these areas is not progressing fast enough and is not well known to the public. Everyone get ready to help. No more denial, Y2K is coming and it demands attention.
