I'm really curious as to what the purpose of this forum is? The posting guidlines state that posts should be about Y2K glitches but I've seen many post recently that have nothing to do with Y2K...

For example:

'Naked Wife' virus wreaks havoc on Internet

Russian Space Agency to Take Out Insurance on Disposing Mir

Mexico's Trucks on Horizon

Is Organic Farming Answer to Europe's Food Crisis?

Hoof and Mouth Disease...this is bizarre!

On-line prescription services??

Japan Scientists to Closely Monitor Mount Fuji

Washington monitors foot and mouth

On The impending decline of worldwide oil production

In what way do the above posts have ANYTHING to do with supposed Y2K glitches?

This forum appears to be a place for frightend little children to post their "End of the World" stories.

You people really need to get lives - or some serious therapy.

-- Enquiring Minds (want@to.know), March 06, 2001

Answers

As a long time reader of this website, the content now seems to consist of anything related to national infrastructure (utilities, oil and gas, water, electricity), computer-related problems, and urgent health issues (e.g., West nile virus). It's gone beyond Y2K, but certainly makes interesting reading and keeps you up on current events that have the potential to affect your lifestyle.

Thanks to the owners and contributors to this website. slza

-- slza (slzattas@erols.com), March 06, 2001.

EM,

What Are you looking for and why are you here.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 06, 2001.

Actually a day doesn't go by that I don't spend a few minutes here to see WHATS UP! 1 thing for sure you get NEWS thats BURRIED DEEP or NOT REPORTED @ ALL. Yes Y2K has come & gone(well maybe ~Bought Gas, Electricity or Food Lately?) but there is allways some late breaking junk here. Good JUNK like you can't get anywhere else. SO sit back & enjoy> You'll learn something.

-- Geno-Calif (headturbo@hotmail.com), March 07, 2001.

You people really need to get lives - or some serious therapy.

Using your logic, one could also say the same things about the good folks who work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That wouldn't be a fair characterization, though, of either FEMA or this message group. Some people like to stay informed about potential long- term risks. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to stay informed in this way.

On the other hand, something doesn't sound right when a person like you keeps reading a forum that doesn't interest you and where you believe the posters might need therapy. Do you like judging and hanging around with people you feel might be unbalanced?

Or are you worried the posters here are going to sell their homes, close their bank accounts and move to Montana? Why did you start reading this forum in the first place, and what is your purpose?

-- I like (to@stay.informed), March 07, 2001.

"This forum appears to be a place for frightend little children to post their "End of the World" stories. You people really need to get lives - or some serious therapy."

Be honest, you are not really curious, you just want to vent your frustrations on someone. Could it be that those frustrations are a result of the fear you are feeling?

-- Phil Maley (maley@cnw.com), March 07, 2001.

Hey Enquiring Minds,

This forum is for NEWS that you don't find anywhere else.

Many thanks to the people posting news reports etc. here. I work for one of the industries affected by high electric prices and am amazed that I find out more info from this forum than from the trade journals.

MANY THANKS to you posters. PLEASE keep up the good work.

wally

-- wally wallman (wally_yllaw@hotmail.com), March 07, 2001.

Folks, we've been trolled, time to move on. I suggest no more replies to this troll who hides behind a fake address while demonstrating the old saying, "Better to keep your mouth shut and be suspected of being a fool, than to open your mouth and prove the point."

but good answers, and as one of the people who tries to contribute occasional postings when time permits, thanks for the appreciative comments. This is the second "recent" query as to what purpose this forum is intended to serve (the other thread was started by THE major poster here, asking whether he should continue, and the answer was a resounding YES.)

One good issue is raised, however: the posting guidelines are a bit dated. Is it possible to change them? Perhaps by amending the description by saying "The forum began as place for... [existing Y2K description] ... Now the forum serves as a more general source of information about various threats to the global infrastructure, with an emphasis on news items (with limited speculation and discussion)"?

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), March 07, 2001.

Andre,

I have to agree about the dated intro. I will try to get that changed.

As they say, don't feed the trolls.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 07, 2001.

I for one appreciate the infrastructure news. Thanks Wm

-- Wm McBride (mcbri29@attglobal.net), March 07, 2001.

This is what happens when a major snowstorm hits the Northeast and millions of middle-schoolers are home alone with the computer. Most schools canceled classes 3/6 and 3/7, so our friend EM will likely be back in history class tomorrow.

-- Cash (cash@andcarry.com), March 07, 2001.

Any news that may add to or synergize with the effects of Y2K related problems is indirectly Y2K related, especially when the news item increases the chance of the dreaded "cascading effects" or even "devolutionary spiral" that was feared so greatly in 1999. Other news stories, such as the stock market and/or economic decline, are appropriate, as these news items may be second-order "cascading" effects, at least partially triggered by the effects of Y2K failures. Still others, such as snowstorm or earthquake news, share common themes with Y2K: Emergency preparedness, panic buying after it's too late, and disruption. Still other news items deal with threats that could have effects similar to a bad case Y2K outcome, such as Information Technology related threats to infrastructure, and the threat of cyberterrorism disrupting infrastructure. Finally, Y2K is a subset of the general subject of "Technological threats." This category includes such news items as genetic modification, new diseases, Chemtrails, new I.T. related privacy threats, and the effects of the Information Age on the structure of society. These subjects and themes all fall within the broad scope of "Y2K". This is especially true, since the actual outcome of "Y2K" is a very slowly unfolding "Flood", with the "crest" still ahead, of unknown timing and peak intensity. The effect of Y2K is almost AIDS- like, subtly but definitely stressing the infrastructure and Charlotte's Web. Will this "AIDS" effect give rise to "opportunistic infections", such as war, malicious infrastructure sabatoge, or other iatrogenic (man made foolishness) effects? Only time will tell.

-- Robert Riggs (rxr.999@worldnet.att.net), March 07, 2001.

Martin -- It would be a great thing to revamp the intro...but just a bit.

Almost everyone who was concerned about y2k was really concerned about "infrastructure" issues...the issues we were much less aware of before y2k "popped up" on our radar screens.

IMO -- y2k was about these issues FAR more than about the computer "stuff". The newsgroups csy-2k was the place for those.

This BB, to my knowledge, is the only site that is -- whether intended or not -- devoted to those news articles that deals with the broad topic of US and world infrastructure.

IMO (again), with so many more people now aware of the threats from oil, electricity, natural gas, computer, corporate and government "problems", economic, transportation, potentials for war, etc., etc., etc. -- the reasons for this forum to exist have broadened since the roll over, not narrowed.

If, along with many (I'm sure), are very grateful to have this "one stop" that collects so many news articles in one place. JB

-- Jackson Brown (Jackson_Brown@deja.com), March 07, 2001.

California is a big state, and look at the energy crisis we are facing. I live here, and if it wasn't for my Y2K oil lamps, candles, and kerosene heaters, we would have been up sh*ts creek without a paddle. BTW, with all the rain we have had lately, it has damaged crops and trees which means higher prices at the check stand.

Why are you stirring the pot? I know why, you like to smell your own crap brewing.

-- had to say it (hadtosayit@2222.mjk), March 07, 2001.

Check the "fires and explosions" archives. Then check out the handbook at http://204.177.120 .20/wetp/clear/y2k/index.htm, designed to "target workers in a variety of sectors including the industrial trades, the construction trades, the health care industry, hazardous materials related fields, and emergency response activities." Maybe there's no connection. Then again, maybe there is.

I suspect that's why many of us are here. We're wondering if a "slow unfolding" is occurring and, because some of us follow news avidly anyway, why not share what we're coming across with others who also seem to be interested? If nothing else, we're getting to know more about our world. Why would you have a problem with that?

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), March 09, 2001.