IFX Group 1999 Web Log

1999 Blog Entries

1. Can You Y2K? (January)
2. Dear General Smiley: (February)
3. The Escape. (March)
4. Waiting For Y2K. (April)
5. On Online. (May)
6. Can we survive Y2K? (June)
7. Is That The Word? (July)
8. Time Values. (August)
9. Relativity. (September)
10. Learning. (October)
11. Factual Opinions? (November)
12. What have you done for me lately? (December)

January, 1999 - Can You Y2K?

This is the last year of the last century of this millennium for the people that follow the Gregorian calendar. It may seem like a big deal for those with digital watches to see the year go from 99 to 00, but what about those cultures that use a different calendar? Think about it a while. There is really nothing special about next year. There are many different calendars used around the world, some going back many thousands of years. How do you tell which calendar is right?

 

February, 1999 - Dear General Smiley:

I hope I haven't misunderstood your instructions. Because, to be honest, none of this Y-to-K problem makes any sense to me. At any rate, I have finished converting all the DOD calendars so that the year 2000 is now ready to go with the following new months and days:

Januark, Februark, Mak

Mondak, Tuesdak, Wednesdak, Thursdak, Fridak, Saturdak, Sundak

Please advise me soonest if there are any additional corrections you wish me to make in this Y-to-K software program area.

Respectfully submitted,
Captain Vernon Julian

 

March, 1999 - The Escape.

Everybody has their own way to escape the pressures of everyday life for a while. Some turn to visual escapes like books, movies or television. Others turn to chemical escapes like food, drink or drugs. But the most effective appears to be doing something together with friends and family. Try it for yourself. When you start feeling burned out by your job, try spending some time with your friends doing something fun and active. Pay attention to the changes it makes in your attitude. What happens to those burned-out feelings?

 

April, 1999 - Waiting For Y2K.

As the calendar slowly counts down to the magic Y2K date, there is a lot of fear being created and freely distributed. Some small portion of the fear may be founded in actual fact, but most of it is likely to be based in pure imagination. Some people are very adept at seeing the worst in things and dreaming up all of the potential bad things just waiting to stop the world from spinning.

In reality, the year 2000 may be just another year with a hand full of small bugs to fix here and there as people discover problems with math performed on dates. Think about it. Would you really be that upset if your credit card company said you owed a century of interest next January? Just call them and say that they can't charge you interest on something you won't buy for another 99 years. :-)

 

May, 1999 - On Online.

The Internet is a great way to get on the Net. - Former Republican presidential candidate and Senator, Bob Dole

 

June, 1999 - Can we survive Y2K?

People greatly underestimate the seriousness of the Y2K bug. After all, to fix the problem, a computer programmer needs to find a date. And we all know the likelihood of that happening!

 

July, 1999 - Is That The Word?

Why do engineers and scientists call it research when looking for something new?

 

August, 1999 - Time Values.

To realize the value of one year: ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of one month: ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week: ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour: ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute: ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second: ask a person who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond: ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

 

September, 1999 - Relativity.

Do married people live longer than single people, or does it just seem longer?

 

October, 1999 - Learning.

Learning is not the capacity to store knowledge. It is the ability to compare old information with new information, and create new knowledge. What have you learned today?

 

November, 1999 - Factual Opinions?

How do you tell the difference between opinion and fact? Strongly held opinions can have the same initial impact as fact, but over time they can change and that is the difference. Truth does not change.

 

December, 1999 - What have you done for me lately?

There is an attitude that can grow under the surface of any relationship almost like a cancer that eats away all of the value that bonds people together. It is nearly impossible to see at first glance. Sometimes it is still hard to notice until the late stages of the infection. By then it is too late.

The attitude is selfishness. This grows directly from the mistaken idea that you can get more for yourself by taking, stealing and cheating others. In reality the opposite is true. The more you give to others, the more you will get back. This is a universal truth expressed in different ways around the world. Eastern cultures call it karma while western cultures call it the golden rule. It all comes down to the same thing - it pays to give.

All it takes is one small push from you. If you invest what you have into others, they are encouraged to do the same. And they cause others to do likewise and it becomes a big movement causing many people to be in this chain of giving. When it returns to you, the force behind it is much more than what you put in way back at the start.

The good news is that there is no limit to how much you can give. The more you put in the more you get back.