Everyone is talking about it -- will a computers inability to do
anything with 00 cause society to crumble and cease to exist?  I doubt
it (although for a few things we do as a society, a little crumbling
would be refreshing!).

I remember a few years ago that an "expert" predicted that a massive
earthquake would occur on the New Madrid fault in Missouri.  This had
the whole local area in an uproar.  Our insurance carrier became
frightened, and canceled the insurance on our farm.  I went to their
office to find out why, but I had to wait over an hour before seeing
everyone for all the people buying "earthquake insurance".  There was
more money moving around in that tiny office than a casino!

The earthquake didn't occur, and lots of people had bought extra
insurance for nothing.  Many of us farmers had our insurance canceled
for no valid reason, other than the insurance people had become
frightened.  After the scare was over, the head office sent out their
insurance salesmen in an attempt to regain the lost farm accounts.

There wasn't any way I was going reconsider a insurance company that
would bail out on a 40-year-old account.  After all, if they did
something like that because of a flimsy prediction, I certainly could
not depend on them if a disaster happened on the farm.  When the
salesman showed up, I chased him off the property with a front pilaster
from a Baldwin Hamilton!

I may be wrong, but I suspect that the Y2K hype is of the same
mentality.  I would say that most of it is a P. T. Barnum scare tactic.
There is no telling how much money has been spent by consumers for
nothing.  Every time the century rolls around, lots of people predict
something bad is going to happen.  My great Granddad told us the story
that 1900 was supposed to be "the end of the world," according to many
people at the time.

There may be problems with some things, but I doubt that everything is
going to grind to a halt like many have predicted.

But if the worst came I am ready.  We could survive out here in the
country for a very long time without external utilities or help.  There
is a well for water, also a 600 gallon fuel tank full of gasoline.
I also have a 1953 Farmall Super C tractor with a 10,000 watt PTO
generator that generates electricity that I use when the power goes
off.  The freezers are full of food, there is a wood heater as well
as several kerosene heaters and lamps.

The irony of it is that I did not buy all these things for Y2K.  This
is how I live my life every year.  In this rural area, you learn to
totally depend on yourself if the situation calls for it, or else go
hungry.  You have to learn how to survive -- it's as simple as that.
It has made us strong people.  While most folks go to the grocery
store, we are busy in the garden.  The everyday work is hard, but the
food is really good. :-)  Our cars, tractors and trucks will start on
January 1, 2000 -- they are too old for an onboard computer.

Isn't it ironic that the people who created this computer glitch in
the first place now offer to fix it for a nominal fee?  That is like me
sneaking in your house, cutting up your tracker bar tubing on your
piano, then charging you to fix it!

Sometimes being a old hillbilly has its advantages.  Visit us
sometime and we will show you how the "po' folks" live :-)

Happy Y2K

Andy Taylor
Tempola Music Rolls