The Millennium Bug: How to Survive the Coming Chaos

I was a bit leary of a doom and gloom book. What could 2 digits do really? Well Mr. Hyatt went into detail and back up what he wrote with many quotes and data from people in the computer industry and government. It isn't just what he thinks might happen; he is relating information he has gathered from many different sources. Buy it, read it, and then pass it to a friend. Also remember that people must have laughed at Noah, until it started raining.

This book was not a fun book to read. However, I found the documentation of the year 2000 problem compelling evidence of the potential risks of y2k problems and the risks we all may be facing. The advice he gives makes commmon sense and I believe him when he said he was a skeptic at first and didn't want to believe this could be true. IMO, he sounds like he was trying not to be an alarmist but after seeing the evidence wanted to encourage people to become aware and make plans to protect themselves and their families. I didn't enjoy the book but his words ring true -- which is why I am recommending it to my friends.

I heard about this y2k problem over a year ago through various cyber-geek websites and avant-garde newsletters. I wasn't really convinced that this was problem until I read Hyatt's book. The book was well-organized and thought out---not to mention that it was a fairly quick read.Chapter 3 on how the non-compliant computers will affect the compliant ones was a real wake-up call. But the Epilogue, "The Myth of Continuity," was probably the best part. We post WW2 baby-boomers have been spoiled and have never faced a true crisis (ala The Depression, WW2, etc.); thus we have been lulled into this false sense of security thinking that our dear old Uncle (Sam) will always be there to lend a helping hand---or worse, bail us out!/endAnyone skeptical about this millennium bug problem better take another look.

I was a skeptic when I started THE MILLENNIUM BUG, but I became thoroughly convinced by the time I had finished. The book provides a thorough overview of what the year 2000 computer problem is and why it will likely not be fixed in time. Mr. Hyatt's arguments are compelling and well documented. Amazingly, he also writes in plain English -- rather than "geekeeze" -- using a mixture of facts, logic, metaphor, and anecdote. It is highly readable. I read it through in two sittings.One of the most helpful -- and frightening -- sections in the book is Hyatt's discussion of three possible scenarios resulting from the fallout of Y2K. Although the author does not claim to be a prophet, he does provide valuable insight into exactly how the world as know it what might be affected January 1, 2000. This is scary and sobering stuff -- a real "wake-up call" to me personally.Fortunately, the book doesn't just paint a dark picture and leave you hanging. While consumers have very little influence over whether or not the federal government or private industry gets its computers repaired in time, that does not mean we have to become victims. We can be proactive and begin putting together a personal contingency plan now, while there is still time. To that end, Hyatt discusses thirteen things we can do to prepare for the crisis and mitigate the impact to us as individuals and to our families and loved ones.This is an extremely helpful and important book, one that you will definitely want to pass along to your friends.

"Now, for the first time in non-computer nerd language, author Michael S. Hyatt tells the rest of us the story of the impending catastrophe. He explains the magnitude and scope of the Year 2000 crisis and its impact on federal, state and local governments; the banking and finance industries; public utilities; and the personal computer. Hyatt gives practical advice to prepare for the Year 2000 crisis. He lists 13 specific actions that you should take to protect yourself and your family prior to the crisis."