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	Vol.7, No 19, September 30, 1999
	Fate of computers uncertain in Y2K  The year 2000 is almost upon us. Many people are gearing up for great end-of-the-year celebrations.  Some people are planning on going to other countries to celebrate, while others are staying in the United States. It may be the biggest party of the year. Patrick Fujiike But there is also something on some people's minds besides the partying and the good times.   It is that dreaded Y2K problem.  What will happen? Will there be total chaos like some people think?  It seems that there are two sides to this story.  Optimists say nothing will happen. They say the only thing that will happen on New Year's Day is that the date will change on their computers.  Pessimists say total chaos will ensue. They think all the computers will crash and this will be the end of the human race  I decided to ask some Cal State Long Beach faculty and students their opinions on the subject.  I wanted to know if they knew or even cared about Y2K.  First, I went to a computer lab in the Liberal Arts 5 Building and talked to someone who worked there. He seemed pretty assured that everything was going to be OK.  "There will be no computer failures," said Paul Pham, who works in the computer lab. "The ACS computers are Y2K compliant."  Next I talked to some people who had set up a small display outside the building.   "I am not too worried about it," said Krista Barrett, who works at the Career Development Center.  Her friend, on the other hand, seemed worried.  "People might do some crazy things," said Jennifer Arthur who also works at the Career Development Center.  "I will watch it on television the next day to see what they did." So far, it seemed the responses were mixed. I then asked a student what the year 2000 meant to him.  "I don't see any significance in it," said Arturo Cerda, a computer engineering major.  I also wanted to see what the computer science department had to say about this, so I decided to talk to the computer science department chairwoman.  She explained to me that there are small computers everywhere: in cars, cameras, appliances and other items.  She let me know what she thought about the so-called Y2K problem.  "The people in the US have the capability to handle this problem," said Sandra Cynar, chairwomen for the computer engineering and computer science department at CSULB.    I think there is no definite answer. We will just have to wait four months to find out.   Unfortunately, computers are everywhere in our lives. If all the computers crash, we are going to be in aworld of hurt. One can only hope that if Y2K causes any problems, they wonít be major and everything will be fine. Until then, just make your New Year's plans and hold your breath.  Patrick Fujiike is a journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.		Proposal plans budget increase Nonresident student fee increase considered Cults target stressed, lonely students Japanese-American woes in WWII camps depicted Vehicles collide off campus Stop abusive relations Fate of computers uncertain in Y2K Long Beach Dub All Stars to play at CSULB University art lecture intrigues audience Classic video picks for the weekend The beach trys to extend streak 49ers run into big-time meet Games begin in conference Freshman Thomas adds depth to 49er bench Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.