How Will Y2K Affect You?

how will Y2K affect you? You might not notice it, but little things may happen. Think about all of the things around you that use computers. You wake up in the morning to an electric clock, watch a videotape in your VCR on your TV, play video games, and heat up your dinner in a microwave oven. All of these machines and many other household appliances use a computer chip. Also, most businesses use computers every day. Your bank, your grocery store, and your schools use computers. Police stations, fire stations, and hospitals use computers to help people. If all of those computers make small mistakes, there could be a lot of little problems.

These little problems could affect you in many different ways. You may not have electricity for a day or two. Your computer might add numbers wrong if dates are involved. Some stores might not be able to get in your favorite books and games for you and your friends to buy. All in all, though, the Y2K computer problem should not be a disaster. It will not blow up your computer, and it is not likely to cause serious damage in your community. With everyone helping, it might not even cause any little problems.

, how can you help? You can help by asking the people around you about the computers they use. Ask your parents if your home computer has been tested for the Y2K problem. Ask your teachers if the computers at school have been tested. If you have a favorite store, have your parents ask the store manager about their computers. By asking people, you make them aware that there might be a problem so that they can fix it in time.

You can also help by preparing for some of the problems you might have. Imagine that you are going to be living in your home without electricity for a few days. Ask your parents to get the things you would need if a storm knocked out your electricity for a day - flashlights, batteries, a battery powered radio, food, water, and maybe some board and card games. Even if the electricity does not go off, it is always useful to have such things around the house. If all of us work together, the Y2K computer problem can be fixed.