CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: INTERNET IS LOADED WITH SOUND INFORMATION ON Y2K (COLUMN 143)

By now, we're sure you've heard plenty about the Year 2000 computer bug and the imminent disasters predicted to accompany the change in years this January.

Today we will attempt to give you some sound information about how this Y2K might impact your computer.

Todd Nolen, systems technician at the Southeast Missourian, joins me today as we check out what the Internet has to say about the impending Y2K.

Todd: Let's start at one of many official government sites with information about Y2K.

www.y2k.gov

Peggy: This is the President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion site and includes information about the federal government's efforts to prepare for Y2K and links to other information.

Todd: Well, they are taking this seriously. Here's a quote from President Clinton from his State of the Union address. The site has lots of choices. Let's look at consumer education first.

Peggy: It's information like that contained in the Pueblo, Colo., publication, "How do I prepare?"

Todd: These are commonsense suggestions. Consult sources for information, they say, like the government's information line 1-888-USA-4Y2K.

Peggy: The government says local, small outages are possible, but sees no indication Y2K will cause major outages in things like power or emergency services.

Todd: Another U.S. Federal Guide to Y2K is sponsored by the General Services Administration. A bunch of federal employees are being paid to design Y2K Web sites.

www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mks/yr2000/community/community.htm

Peggy: This branch of the government says the potential impact of Y2K to our daily lives is unknown, and we should all be prepared.

Todd: I think what they are suggesting is going a little too far. They suggest sending a letter to your grocery store, your power company, your water company, the telephone company, the fire department and request information on Y2K preparedness. They have sample letters you can print and send.

Peggy: It does seem a little extreme. Here we go. A link to Y2K sites by states. Let's check Missouri.

Todd: You can go directly to Missouri's statewide efforts at

www.oit.state.mo.us/efforts/y2k/

This seems much more interesting. They have a Y2K handbook for businesses. It's in Adobe pdf format.

Peggy: Here's the advice from Mel Carnahan. "Don't panic. Do be prepared."

Todd: If you haven't done your research, and you work or own a business in Missouri, this is a good place to get information.

Peggy: You might want to be aware of criminals trying to cash in on people's fears about Y2K. The banking industry, including the FDIC, takes those threats and scams seriously. It offers advice at

www.fdic.gov

Todd: Some people might have been misinformed that come Jan. 1, older computers will stop working completely. Not true.

Peggy: It's true some programs might not work or some other computer-related functions might not work as expected. Our advice, do some checking for yourself before you abandon a pre-2000 computer for a new model. For more information, try

www.year2000.com

Todd: You can read about hardware and software compliance here. It has a list of links to Y2K compliance sites for software and hardware. However, this list is no where near complete. Almost every company that has anything to do with computers has a Web site. My advice is to go to the manufacturer's site for your hardware. You cna find them just by keying them into a search engine. Same for software. The only software guaranteed Y2K compliant is IBM PC-DOS 2000 and Microsoft's Windows 98 Release 2, which is not available on store shelves yet.

Peggy: When Windows 98 was first released, Microsoft said it was Y2K compliant, but the company has since discovered minor errors that could cause Y2K problems. You can download a "patch" to fix the problems in the program.

Todd: I also recommend you do your research now. As Y2K gets closer, the sites will be very busy. Here is a database site with lots of the companies with which we are familiar.

www.y2kbase.com

Peggy: Basically it's a huge database of Y2K compliance statements posted by companies. Home electronics, cars, computers and lots of other stuff are listed.

Todd: Let's check my VCR at home. The database site was a very good one. It was a little slow, but good. I have a Hitachi. Apparently it isn't ready just yet, but I could have sent an e-mail and asked if I was worried.

Peggy: Many people are worried, so many that a "worry ring" has been developed on the Internet. A Web ring is a group of related sites that link to each other. You can reach the Y2K worry ring at

members.tripod.com/giigo/ring.htm

Todd: There are 105 sites in the ring ranging from totally bizarre to totally useful.

Peggy: Although Y2K is a real issue, a sense of humor might help us all through to the end of the year. The state of Connecticut has their own humor page.

www.doit.state.ct.us/y2k/humor.htm

Todd: You can read bad poems and a re-written version of the "Beverly Hillbillies" song. It's pretty funny.

Peggy: Or you can read ZDNet's top 15 unforeseen consequences of the Millennium bug.

www.zdnet.com/resources/topfive/t5111797.html

Todd: Or, if you're fed up with a lack of information about Y2K, you can check out the Y2K Doghouse for its list of the worst Y2K slackers. Microsoft tops the list.

www.y2ktimebomb.com/Special/OTLS/Doghouse/

Peggy: What's your favorite Y2K site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

Peggy Scott and Todd Nolen are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.