X-Message-Number: 10111 Date: Fri, 24 Jul 98 13:53:05 From: linda <> Subject: #10100: Peter Merel on Y2K Below is a draft of an article I was preparing for publication in the Aug-Sept issue of the Alcor Phoenix. I am pre-printing it here, in advance (rather than waiting until after it was published in our own newsletter), since Peter Merel has brought the subject up. Any thoughts that Cryonet readers have on this issue will be of great interest. Preprint of Draft Article for the Alcor Phoenix newsletter: Alcor Y2K Committee Formed A Y2K (Year 2000) Committee has been formed within the Alcor Board of Directors to look into potential problems Alcor could encountered due to the Millenium Bug (real or imagined). The Committee is made up of Linda Chamberlain, Chair, Ralph Merkle, Carlos Mondragon, Mark Voelker. The Millenium Bug is the name for the problems which could result from computer software which routinely (over the past several decades) used only two digits to represent the year in dates. In the year 2000, some experts say, many computers will interpret the year 00 as 1900 rather than 2000. This could cause malfunctioning, errors, or even shutdowns of computer systems that could result in a wide spectrum of problems, globally. Some experts make assurances that this problem is greatly overrated and represents no real threat. Others feel the threat is only too real, and could have major consequences varying from nuclear power plant failures (in countries like Russia) to worldwide financial market collapse. The more publicity this problems receives, the more likely the computer programmers, governments, and businesses will find the resources to fix the problem in time to make any consequences smaller rather than larger. The Alcor Board, however, feels that our members deserve to have this taken seriously, studied, and necessary steps taken to insure the safety of our suspended patients. The Committee made its first report to the Board of Directors on July 26, 1988. Below are the Committee s initial suggestions as to areas to be studied for possible preventive measures. 1. Trade off ideas and proposals for liquid nitrogen safeguards (additional quantities in Big Foot dewars, cold finger mechanisms, our own LN2 plant, etc.). See below for initial efforts in this regard. 2. Study electric power supply (generators, diesel tanker trucks, underground or above ground fuel tanks). 3. Create liquidity (three month s cash on hand, advance payments on monthly bills, traveler s checks). 4. Test current Alcor computers for year 2000 failures. 5. Acqyire additional backup cryo-transport and perfusion supplies. 6. Study affect on the Patient Care Fund investments. As a first step toward addressing the first item above, several members of the Alcor Staff (Linda and Fred Chamberlain, Mathew Sullivan, and Hugh Hixon) visited Air Products, Alcor s supplier of liquid nitrogen (LN2), to learn more about their system, their efforts to be Y2K compliant, and potential problems we might have to address regarding our supply of LN2. It was their distribution plant, and not their separation plant (which is in Chandler), but it was a very interesting visit none the less. Here is a summary of what we learned: 1. At Corporate Headquarters (Allentown, PA) they have a team of 200 people working on the Y2K problem. They are dedicated to being compliant far in advance. 2. They are the supplier for Motorola, Intel, and most of the major computer companies here in the Phoenix area. Y2K Motorola has given them an ultimatum that they will have a complete and satisfactory plan (for giving Motorola uninterrupted service) by January 1999 (yes, Motorola! We feel safer, already!). 3. Their weakest link is that they need massive amounts of electric power. (They are one of the largest users in the state; their bill is in the area of half a million dollars per month.) If the utility company can t deliver, they will be down. They assured us that they are working with the utilities to be sure that they are not shut down. 4. As part of a list of questions we have asked the local contact to ask the Y2K team (by email), Even though you don t think you will experience any downtime, can you estimate, worst case scenario, what your maximum length of downtime might be? If we can get any kind of an answer for this, it will help us estimate how much bulk LN2 we should have on hand before the big day. 5. Part of what their local offices are being required to do for this Y2K team is to make a complete list of all office equipment which has chips inside so they can determine whether or not it will need to be replaced. We are also making such a list here at Alcor. Alcor members with suggestions or questions regarding the Y2K issue as it relates to Alcor are invited to communicate their concerns, ideas, or questions to Linda Chamberlain at Linda Chamberlain () CryoTransport Manager Alcor Life Extension Foundation Non-profit cryonic suspension services since 1972. 7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale AZ 85260-6916 Phone (602) 922-9013 (800) 367-2228 FAX (602) 922-9027 for general requests http://www.alcor.org Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=10111