From: mea culpa (jerichoDIMENSIONAL.COM)
Date: Fri Sep 03 1999 - 13:09:10 CDT

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http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctg006.htm

Sept. 9 next potential Y2K problem
By The Associated Press

Some potential problem dates for computers:

  * Sept. 9, 1999 - or 9-9-99, also a potential stop-program command.
  * Oct. 1, 1999 - the start of fiscal 2000 for the U.S. government.
  * Jan. 1, 2000 - the day computers might first read ''00'' as the year 1900.
  * Feb. 29, 2000 - the extra day in the calendar because of leap year. Some computers might not
    recognize it.
  * Dec. 31, 2000 - the 366th day of the year. Some computers might not realize it is a leap year.

Government agencies, banks, electric utilities and other companies around
the United States will be watching closely for Y2K-like computer trouble
next week when the date 9-9-99 arrives.

The fear is that some computers may translate Sept. 9, 1999, as a ''9999''
stop-program command. Few Y2K planners expect major disruptions such as
widespread electrical outages next Thursday. But no one is ruling out the
possibility of glitches.

Y2K planners and some industries are taking advantage of the situation to
test their readiness and backup systems for New Year's Day, when the real
Year 2000 bug may hit.

''It's good to run through any complicated exercise like that so people
aren't seeing this kind of deployment for the first time in December,''
said Gerry Cauley, Year 2000 program manager for the North American
Electric Reliability Council.

Up to now, most of the attention has been on Jan. 1, when computer
programs recognizing only the last two digits of a year might read ''00''
as 1900. But several other problems could occur before then, Sept. 9 among
them.

The electric industry will conduct a major drill, beginning Wednesday
night, to make sure its thousands of workers understand procedures for
Dec. 31. Some banks will spend Thursday testing techniques to spot and
report Y2K trouble, while President

[snip..]

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