I have been flipping the TV all day (we watch TV at work !) and had CNN on most of the time and have heard the word "Y2K" at least 500 times today. Every 2 or 3 minutes there is another story.

A few minutes ago they said later today they would have a report about how many shops are seeing a run on bottled water. They show a person pushing a cart with about a dozen bottles of water. Our local TV station is telling us that they will report Y2k bugs as they come in and will be giving prep tips tonight.

Thats a perfect way to get a panic started, wait until the last minute and then start banging it into peoples heads.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), December 29, 1999

Answers

Yeah, but people like that panicked feeling. That's why half of them wait until Christmas Eve to shop for Christmas, isn't it?

-- Simpleminded (nope@wont.never), December 29, 1999.

You do have to wonder why the 11th hour media blitz? I thought the Military/Industrial/Media complex was trying to avoid a panic? Did someone loosen the leash on the Media Lapdog?

-- Ludi (ludi@rollin.com), December 29, 1999.

Why the 11th hour media blitz? R-A-T-I-N-G-S.

-- Simpleminded (nope@wont.never), December 29, 1999.

Good point Hammy. Yep, the main reason I decided to prepare is because I knew that the stupid media would handle it this way, and the sheeple would obediently play along. The media is always trying to create sensationalism, looking for disasters, and not reporting any news unless it has the potential for death and destruction. So it doesn't make sense for them to tell anyone to prepare in advance, that's boring. Now that we are close they are happy to drill us with rumors of terrorism, people hoarding (which of course is going to be the "cause" of any problems that happen), and the potential for lots of people to die. This method of reporting is actually going to escalate panic and violence by putting people into an unnecessary state of fear, and that is the kind of sensationalism they hope to create in order to get good ratings. Then they will say they are just "giving the people what they want." The lack of responsibilty is sickening.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 29, 1999.

The difference between hoarding and stockpiling will become very clear in the next couple of days. Stockpiling is buying large quantities at a time of low prices and low demand. Hoarding is buying scarce goods at high prices.

The Pollies will be the hoarders. Don't be shocked to see some hoarding laws in the near future. And feel free to rat out your local Polly!

;-)

-- cgbgjr (cgbg jr@webtv.net), December 29, 1999.

Forget all the Y2K crap. I wanna know how you get paid to watch TV at work? :-)

-- (rcarver@inacom.com), December 29, 1999.

Receptionists get paid to sit all day. A quiet office means surfing, as well. A friend of my brother's gets 15 dollars an hour to "monitor" the Internet. T.V.? I assume someone with a night job gets to watch T.V. all day, if they desire.

-- Simpleminded (nope@wont.never), December 29, 1999.

I work with computers and monitor our network. Very quiet all day and night. The cable tv is on 18 hours a day.

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), December 29, 1999.

Imagine the media feeding frenzy next month, when the get the body counts in full swing.

-- Earl (eshuholm@tstar.net), December 29, 1999.