OK, so now we are at the end of January. Anything going on? Yesterday we had a startling, 3 sec. glitch on the computer we use for business records. It's a 12 year old PC and didn't like 1999, let alone 2000. For several months it told us the year was 2044. Then it changed to year 2053 and stayed there. So last year each time we brought it up for something other than Tetris, we would enter the correct date. Yesterday, doing the end of year paperwork, my husband Jerry put in 1/31/00. OOOOPS! Reject. Invalid date. Not good. After a moment's thought he entered 1/31/2000. The old AT digested this, gulped and started cranking out all the forms. After 12 years the old computer is like a part of the family. When we bought this new one last Sept. we also got a zip drive so we could transfer our files. But we found we just didn't want to do it. Now they sit companionably side by side. We tell ourselves that it is better not to have our business records online--but really we just don't want to part with the old AT. Our problem was trivial but is anyone experiencing real problems with the end of the year?

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 01, 2000

Answers

Pam,

Your contribution is a wonderful example of why small businesses WILL fail. The fact that you still judge you little problem as "trivial" shows that: either you can do without ANY computer, or that you will go broke.

Good luck!

-- W (me@home.now), February 01, 2000.

Dear W-- We have been in business 15 years. Don't plan to fail now. We have serious computers at our business that my husband designed and built and are used for programming the PROMS for our machines. We have just watched with interest what this old AT has been doing this past year. I'm only lighthearted about this because we are primarily a manufacturing company and we have a very knowledgable programmer on the premisis.

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 01, 2000.

Thanks Pam for my laff of the day....LMAO!!!!! Priceless!

-- Kyle (fordtbonly@aol.com), February 01, 2000.

Pam:

You might want to take a look at the "glitch graph" from http://www.ciaosys tems.com/glitchcentral.htm. It is at the bottom of the page. Note the curve of the lines since 1/25/2000

-- Steve Baxter (chicoqh@home.com), February 01, 2000.

Hello Steve-- I hadn't checked the graph in weeks. I do check the top stories daily. Yes, the little glitches certainly have taken off, haven't they?

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 01, 2000.

Also take a look at a posting by Don McAlvany. It's 35 pages long but after reading it you might want to buy some more toilet paper and water filters. It's not over by a long shot! http://www.mcalvany.com/janspecialreport.htm

-- John Thomas (cjseed@webtv.net), February 01, 2000.

Pam,

Whatever you do, DO NOT FLY for the rest of the year!!!

I don't want to "fish" for your incredible body off Point Magu, or where ever!

-- K. Stevens (kstevens@ It DIDN"T ALL go away last month .com), February 01, 2000.

Citibank interest check for $12.40--1099 statement for 21.04. Hmmm, some of the same numbers, eh?????

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), February 01, 2000.