Article 3, The Shopper's Weekly
I have stated in past articles that history is often the best way to view the future. As we face the dreaded date of Jan 1, 2000 and the coming computer problems we need to put on historical eyeglasses to understand what to expect for the future.
When the colonists were planning to break away from England there were those who announced it was the end of life as they would know it. This land would not survive and people would never be able to overcome the difficulties. We proved that prediction wrong.
When the country faced the darkest days of the Civil War, where we literally lost more lives than all our wars put together, it was predicted that America would never recover. Life would never get better. We proved that wrong.
On Dec. 7th 1941, my father stood on the deck of the USS Argonne in quiet little Pearl Harbor. The Japanese planes came over the mountains that morning and began to drop every bomb they had on our ships. I am sure that those who were facing the first day of World War II for America had no idea about what the future held. Again we had those who said that life would change and humankind would not be the same. We would not recover. The same happened during the Korean War and also the Vietnam conflict.
Life does change when we face major events. The Y2K event is not even close to those stated earlier. We have the capabilities to plan, work and see this new millennium come with little or no problems. And in reality, the changes will be positive, progressive and good for us all.
Computers are instruments made by humans to be used for the betterment of humankind. Sometimes tools we create can be misused or not work according to the original objectives. I have used computers since 1982 on a personal level and I enjoy the many applications. To tell the truth, I am a dyslexic, a person who writes letter backwards and can't spell correctly. Computers have given me a priceless gift, the gift of writing, sharing ideas, expressing myself, communicating and correcting my spelling!
I have a prediction to make! On Jan. 1, 2000, if there is one computer that does not work, if there is one ATM that fails to give cash or if there is one electrical plant that has a power outage all of this will be blamed on Y2K. Chances are these scenarios could be caused by a number of glitches and these are happening right now on a daily basis, even as you read this article.
The future is ours and Y2K is but a small bump in the road. We can and are using this as an opportunity to make computers work better so that life will be the best for all of us.
Computers are amazing tools. I have already written about how a computer helps me. But imagine all the other ways they serve. They run cars, keep our homes heated and cooled, operate microwaves, keep medical equipment operating, help keep our cities safe and touch our lives on a daily basis.
I am made of sturdy stock, the best of the world. We have faced true catastrophe in the past and now we are facing a box on my desk.. My Dad faced the falling of bombs and watching his friends die on Dec. 7th. We are facing a "chip". Somehow when I put my historical glasses on it all seems so small.
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