Received an e-mail from The Nelson@aol.com. According to the e-mail there was an article in the London Times on the inventor of the Rubiks'c Cube who has set up two computers that runs a program simultaneously and is capable of reading millions of lines of code that can identify dates and repair them. Anyone out there know anything about this? I can forward the e-mail to anyone who is interested.

-- Barb Douglas-Williams (bardou@yahoo.com), June 22, 1998

Answers

Actually, this fix has to do with embedded systems. This new device is supposed to find embedded systems, test them, and then output the findings quickly. If it really works it would be worth finding the exchange symbol.

-- Pastor Chris (chrisbr@ptinet.net), June 22, 1998.

what a kick!! When I put a Y2K information document on my web page I used an animated Rubic's Cube Graphic in a couple places....I had no idea the Rubic's cube inventor was computer person.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), June 22, 1998.

I've read about quick fixes on other web sites but nothing seems to get into the main stream media. I wonder why the article didn't reach the Wall Street Journal (maybe it did???)? According to Gary North, it's too late to fix it in time.

-- Barb-Douglas (bardou@yahoo.com), June 23, 1998.

The process involves 'piggy-backing' a computer to an embedded processor and reading the minuscle amounts of energy that are picked up from the processor.

This allows the observer to put together an artificial 'listing' of the program that is being used in order determine if the embedded processor will have a date problem.

First, it doesn't make any code changes. Some processors can have their code overwritten, others can't. This doesn't attempt to do so. It lets the user see if the embedded system is going to be a problem

Second, it requires that the computer be in physical contact with the embedded system. Nice......especially when at a depth of a few hundred feet under an oil rig. (There are many other processors that aren't physically accessible, as well.)

It helps. It is not a 'silver bullet.' It does not address the problems of replacing or recoding the embedded system, nor does it address the problem of what will happen if a replacement can't be found, nor the one that is expected to occur when every user orders the same replacement at the same time from the same (overloaded) manufacturer.

-- Rocky Knolls (rknolls@hotmail.com), June 23, 1998.

(Q) What's a gold mine? (A) A hole in the ground with a liar on top

(Q) What's a Y2K Silver Bullet? (A) A black box, a good story, and a liar on top

Question to ask: What company has used your silver bullet and can you give me three contacts at that company as references?

PS: Most embedded systems can not be reprogrammed and most chips over three years old are out of production. Estimated time to engineer a Y2K-compliant replacement chip, begin production and send out an army of technicians to retrofit the new chips is one to two years. Not to worry -- I heard Bill Gates has a silver bullet -- he's just waiting for the right time to introduce it so he can become the first trillionaire on Earth!

-- Richard Greene (rgreene2@ford.com), June 23, 1998.