1999It seems we were having a string of non-creative years, either that or lack of time (probably both). Everyone was touting this year as the turn of the millennium even though it truly was not. But all the real worry was the possibility of the Y2K Bug causing massive problems. This Bug was caused by a laziness of programmers in the 60s and 70s who used a two-digit representation of the year instead of four. This was due partially to laziness but mostly to the fact that in those days, storage space was very expensive, and every character saved was important. (It was also caused by the fact that these programs from the 60s were still running because no one had replaced them.) The problem was that when one looked at a year and it was 05, were we talking about 2005 or 1905? There was major fear that all the computer systems would crash. Well, here is our take on it. The other thing we found amazing was that all too many of the people that read this poem didn't know who Arthur C. Clarke is. Well for those unenlightened few, he is a science fiction author who had been writing since the 1950's or before. One of his biggest claims to fame is that he is the author of '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
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T’was an hour before New Years, and all through the night Preparations were made, in hopes we’d have light. The candles were placed, on the tables with fear In hopes that a melt down, wouldn’t strike here. With Y2K looming, “The Millenium Bug” We might all just have to curl up in the rug. Would electricity stop, and the lights all go out Would we have to sit in the darkness and pout. Would the utilities stop pumping, their heat making gas Would the ATMs stop giving out cash. If we needed help, could we use the phone Or would we be stuck, all lost and alone. We’ve stocked up on water, and groceries to eat And wood for the fire, and much needed heat. Dog food and cat food, we all could survive Enough to last days, to keep us alive. All thanks to programmers, no longer around A bug in their systems, left us panic bound. They never thought that their programs would last But working code never gets changed very fast. Computers were costly, and storage quite rare. They said “We’ll save money, two digits per year.” Whoever thought. that their programming code. Would last till 2000, now things well don’t bode. Many things awful have been said to come Predictions of disaster, and not for just some Horrible happenings and all kinds of stuff Compared to Y2K, they are just fluff. This Y2K bug could cause something dire, And most of the programmers are gone (they’ve retired). It could make power go out, and airplanes fall, The stock market will drop, and stockholders bawl. Water won’t pump, and gas will not burn, How many lessons are we soon to learn? Society could come to a fast grinding halt And where do go to find who’s at fault? Folks like Murray, and Benny, and John, and Jim Herbert, and Gladys, and Virginia, and Tim. They’re older than dirt, and we can’t be saved, They’ve left us beholdin’ to them, we are slaves. Who knows what will happen, will these things come true There’s no way to know, we haven’t a clue. And what of the pain and the problems they’ll cause This makes us want step back, and to pause. What of the government, what do they say They’re hoping the Russians don’t make their day. How they can sit there, and be so aloof What would they do if the world just went poof? And what of the other disasters predicted, With Y2K, they all are conflicted But these disasters were predicted for millennium Including the one that Intel calls the Pentium. Now people are confused and in quite a tizzy When starts the Millennium? has them all dizzy. This odyssey of disasters won’t be much fun Trust Arthur C. Clarke, Millennium starts 2001. |
Copyright
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1999 by Brian and Shirley Dean
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