Y2K Reconsidered

Y2K Reconsidered
(Or "Tell Me How Awful It Is Again ..."

By: David J. Wardell

With just five days before January 1, 2000 there is considerably less agitation from the people who a year ago were routinely predicting anything from financial chaos to the end of civilization (I'm not exaggerating). Did we just lose sight of these soothsayers or does it appear that civilization might muddle through after all?

We can draw final conclusions next week, but the morals here (if there be any) are:

Pundits aren't all they're made out to be.
Folks earning a living out of telling us how awful things are can usually be relied upon to do so with great vigor and enthusiasm.
Cultivate a discerning sniffer so you can spot an "overstated case" when you see it. Once you spot one, divide the implications of what is said by 3 and you'll usually approximate the truth.
Don't overstate your case and you'll be fine.

Remember, you heard it here first.