The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Y2K, Y Me? Web Can Help Untangle Millennium Queries
Nearly everyone is talking about the possibility that scillions of embedded computer chips will malfunction or shutdown due to their inability to distinguish between the years 1900 and 2000. Heck I heard two women discussing and sweating over the situation on their side by side Stairmasters at the gym (you know it's potential crisis time when it gets to this level). Those who have opinions about the Millennium Bug fall into two camps: Paranoids and Deniers. The Paranoidals sincerely believe that we are facing, in less than one year, TEOTWAWKI (correction made to leslie) TEOFTAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It). They are the run-for-the-hills, organic-bulk-food-hoarding types, who, if the stuff really hits the fan, will suddenly become the (very loud) I-told-you-so group. Deniers (also known as Ostriches) find that it's too difficult for them to face the possibility of a society-wide Ctrl-Alt-Delete so they insist there's nothing wrong (think Titanic's string ensemble and you'll start to get the picture). Then there's the rest of us Tweeners, falling somewhere in the middle-we know all's not right with the world but we've yet to purchase that Do-It-Yourself Bomb Shelter Kit. In the unfortunate (and hopefully unlikely) event that the Virtual Woman blinks out of existence (along with the rest of our technological empire), here's hoping that the links below help you, my loyal readers, overcome paranoia and denial to meet the showdown with calm preparation. And, of course, a sense of humor.
Dear Virtual Woman:
Thee are fewer than 365
days until the Year 2000 and I don't know whether I should be planning to dance in the
streets, come December 31st, or abandon them to the looters. How serious is the problem?
Is anyone reputable doing something? What can I do?
- Becky in Bunker 44
Dear Becky:
At the risk of sounding paranoid I will say Y2K is for real. Edward Yardeni, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities told Congress last November that the Y2K problem "is a very serious threat to the U.S. economy." Checkout http://www.gao.gov/y2kr.htm to see the Federal Government's General Accounting Office Y2K Reports. According to Dr. Yardeni, we could be in for a mild recession or the kind of financial blowout that our grandparents used to talk about. Add to that the possibility of civil unrest when the lights go out and there is an outside chance we could be looking at TEOTWAWKI.
The very best resource on the web is the " Y2K Citizen's Action Guide." You can go to http://www.utne.com/y2k/index.html for a downloadable version put out by the people at Utne Reader magazine. With sections on household and neighborhood preparedness, the Guide moves from the philosophy that with good preparation and level-headed action by individuals and communities, Y2K can be an opportunity for positive change, not a disaster.
The website for the Cassandra Project (http://cassandraproject.org) was started way back in June of 1997 and attracts over 500,000 visitors per month (you're not the only one who's concerned!). Cassandra was the Greek prophet cursed by Zeus never to be believed even though she was always accurate with her predictions of the future. Let's hope someone listens to these people! Founded by the grandmother of Y2K awareness, Paloma O'Riley, the Cassandra Project website includes information on community and individual preparation, technical data, stuff for seniors, links, and governmental legislative action. You wanna know what you can do to prepare yourself? Click on the "Individual Preparedness for Y2K" hyperlink to find the best Y2K step-by-step checklist I've seen anywhere.
Dear Virtual Woman:
All those Y2K websites
seem to be targeted toward men who like to commando around in military fatigues. Where
are some online resources directed specifically to women?
- Stockpiling in Spokane
Dear Stockpiling:
I have had the same question so I'm glad you asked it. In addition to Paloma O'Riley's site mentioned above, there are two excellent Y2K websites addressing women. The first is the MrsSurvival Website at http://www.mrssurvival.com . More than just an up-to-the-date information source, this website is, "...dedicated to practical women who are preparing for an uncertain future. Visitors can ask questions or pass information along to other concerned women within numerous different discussion threads like "The Barter Forum," "The Homeschool Corner," and "Where There Is No Doctor or Dentist Forum."
Another great website for women is the Y2K Women spot at http://www.y2kwomen.com. This site is "...designed to explain the Year 2000 Problem (Y2K) to women who have no, or very limited, computer knowledge, how it impacts women personally and what women can do..." If you're interested in a strong argument for preparation and calm I recommend you check out the essay titled "How Does the Y2K Problem Affect You?" (it's listed on the left side of the home page). In addition to an information packed website, Karen Anderson, the site's webmeister, provides a "List of Resources" which mentions important offline informational materials as well as highlighting and summarizing some excellent online links.
Good luck everyone - I'll see you on the other side!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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