24/08/98

 

Clueless, fix-its, alarmists and survivalists

by Amara D. Angelica

 

The Y2K problem (bug, crisis, whatever) is polarizing people into one of four camps. Which one are you in?

 

1. Clueless. You’re either out of touch or in massive denial. Duh-2000 (www.duh-2000.com) is awarding a Duh-2000 each month for the dumbest thing reported in press. An example (quoting Marshal Igor Sergeyev, former commander of Strategic Missile Forces): "In Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, there is no risk because special computer technology is used." Special technology? That’s a relief.

 

2. Fix-its. You believe the Y2K problem can somehow be fixed. Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes. If it can’t be fixed, well, you can improvise manual workarounds. Peter de Jager has written the rallying cry: "You’re sick of the game! Well, now, that’s a shame" (www.year2000.com/y2kgame.html). "Train switches don’t work automatically? Put men with lanterns along the tracks," he advises.

 

3. Alarmists. You believe it’s too late to avoid a global recession and lots of other nasty things, so we should prepare for the worst. Ed Yardeni (www.yardeni.com) is the leading advocate of this position. Yardeni’s Internet-based 500 Day Conference on Aug. 19 (500 days before Jan. 1, 2000) is available on RealAudio at (www.yardini.com/y2kconf1.html).

 

Alarmists believe the federal government is offering zero leadership and we’re on our own, so let’s take responsibility and work with our local communities. Paloma O’Riley’s Cassandra Project site (http://millennia-bcs.com) lists things you can do now in your community to promote awareness and prepare for a worst-case scenario.

 

The idea is catching on. The City of San Jose declared Aug. 19 "Year 2000 Awareness Day" (www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/y2kw.shtml) and its year 2000 project manager Deborah Barker set up information booths in City Hall and the main library. She’s also coordinating a task force to assess the Y2K readiness of San Jose water, police, traffic, airport and other city services. Barker is looking for volunteers to help set up a Web site. You can contact her at deborah.barker@ci.sj.ca.us.

 

An unlikely alarmist is the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, which recently announced that it’s increasing its cash reserve from $150 billion to $200 billion during its 1999 fiscal year to "cover anticipated demand caused by cash withdrawals made from banks due to year 2000." Apparently they read the Gartner Group’s unsettling report that half of 6,000 IT specialists surveyed plan to withdraw one to three month’s worth of cash before Jan. 1, 2000. Another is Robert Bennett (R-Utah), chairman of the Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, who says Americans should document financial information and stock up on food and essentials just before Y2K day.

 

4. Survivalists. You don’t plan to hang around for the apocalypse, period. There are two types of survivalists: communitarians and individualists. The communitarians are forming self-sufficient communities in remote places. The most hyped of these, Heritage Farms 2000 (see "Doomsday Fears About Y2K," May 4 issue) has been blocked by South Dakota’s Sully County Planning Commission. They’re now looking for a new location. And the just-announced New Eden Project (www.conquestinc.com) hopes to turn 160 acres in Kansas into a self-sufficient community.

 

The big question for both kinds of survivalists is where to go. In his self-published Strategic Relocation: North American Guide to Safe Places (1998, $45, 264 pp.), Joel M. Skousen (jskousen@enol.com) offers some good answers. The book presents maps of North America based on such critical factors as population density, weather/climate patterns, taxes, natural disasters, health threats, disease, crime, economic disaster and nuclear war targets, including an analysis of threats from Russia and intrusion from the U.S. government. The author, a designer of high-security residences and retreats, also offers tips on survival preparedness. This book is a must-have for survivalists planning to relocate.

 

So which camp is right? Join our new Countdown 2000 online forum (www.techweek.com/count) and tell us what you think.