The Jo Anne Effect and The Washington Post

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Accounting problems?

http://www.amcity.com/washington/stories/1999/05/31/newscolumn8.html?h=y2k

Post gets bitten by the Y2K bug

The Washington Post doesn't want your money. At least not for another few weeks anyway.

Despite spending millions of dollars and four years preparing for the Y2K bug, the city's largest newspaper is unable to accept 52-week subscription renewals because its accounting department is not Y2K compliant yet.

"We are getting all new software and a brand new computer to handle this problem over the next three weeks," said Post spokesperson Linda Erdos.

She said the paper predicts it will solve the problem in time to resume offering 52-week subscriptions in July.

But some readers are frustrated by this bookkeeping dilemma.

"Now I have to call them back in two weeks just to pay my bill," a Post reader said.

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), June 02, 1999

Answers

...sure does look like another example of the End Of The World...

-- Y2K Pro (2@641.com), June 02, 1999.

I bet Richard Nixon is rolling over in his grave.

-- Black Sheep (Wondering@about.com), June 02, 1999.

Interesting how it shows the validity of the Jo Anne Effect.

For every problem that "they" uncover, how many don't make it into the headlines because the impact wasn't high-profile enough? For every Y2K problem identified, how many more are not?

Just curious.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 02, 1999.


Y2K Pro and Black Sheep are "just folloving ze ordahs." Der Fuhrer cpr at Der Boonkah has been exhorting his followers to fresh incursions every day, per the campaign outline. Today's exhortation:

Wednesday, 02-Jun-1999 01:44:03

* Remember: sustained, confrontive style, using short, "self-contained" posts is a major component of our campaign. Put your Net access to good use, today and every day!

Found at

http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi?acct=mb237006&MyNum=9 28302243&P=Yes&TL=928289839

-- Boonkah Watcher (Blitzen@achtung.com), June 02, 1999.


<< * Remember: sustained, confrontive style, using short, "self- contained" posts is a major component of our campaign. Put your Net access to good use, today and every day! >>

This sounds exactly like a fundamentalist exhorting his flock to their daily evangelism. I know 'cause I was one. And they accuse GIs of religious fervour! "Our Campaign"....ROTFLMAO!!!!!

-- David Palm (djpalm64@yahoo.com), June 02, 1999.



Either Gartner or Cap Gemini has predicted a sudden surge in Y2K-related problems starting in July, and an even greater surge starting in October, based on the far greater prevalence of 6-month and then last quarter look aheads. (There was a thread about this in the last couple of days.) I figure JAE problems are pretty easily covered up, but a far greater incidence should make them far more noticeable soon. It could be a sympton of things in general not working very well when they start overwhelming a company's resources and distracting from scheduled Y2K fixes. That, in turn, cuts down on our personal productivity as disgruntled consumers. I am so not looking forward to the incessant whining that I think will be a trademark of the next year!

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), June 02, 1999.

"The incessant whining that I think will be a trademark of the next year!" -- Brooks

LOL... that's priceless!!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 02, 1999.


See, Y2K won't be all bad. If the Post (and various government offices) have problems, then hurrah!

-- A (A@AisA.com), June 02, 1999.

Note that this story "broke" in THE WASHINGTON TIMES, the rival newspaper to the POST in D.C. This verifies what many have been saying all along: that these early Y2K related problems are minor enough, and are occuring when there are still enough resources and workarounds available, so that they can be essentially made invisible to Joe Sixpack.

But the day will come when the problems will be major, the resources swamped, and Y2K will be all encompassing and pervasive.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), June 02, 1999.

But the day will come when the problems will be major, the resources swamped, and Y2K will be all encompassing and pervasive.

Yup. Expect lots of little problems like this. The lights may even flicker on and off from time to time. There will be some delays in getting money from ATM machines from time to time. There may be a few shortages of luxury items in the stores from time to time.

In fact, all of 2000 will be an endless series of all encompassing, pervasive annoyances, glitches and niggles like this one.

It'll be absolutely awful, because even the CABLE may go out from time to time, and I'll have to abide that WITHOUT my Kenyan AA Estate Select coffee. :(

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), June 02, 1999.



My goodness, Poole, it seems that the only point that we disagree on is SEVERITY. You acknowledge that Y2K problems might be many and quite pervasive, affecting many diverse areas at once. But your "faith" that:

1) In all instances, the problems will be minor.
2) In all instances, the problems will be speedily fixed.

is what sustains you.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), June 02, 1999.

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