<WOB> The original Y2K problem, MUST READ!

["Michael J. Greto" <mjgreto@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Translated from a Latin scroll dated 2BC

Dear Cassius:

Are you still working on the Y zero K problem? This change from
BC to AD is giving us a lot of headaches and we haven=EDt
much time left. I don=EDt know how people will cope with working
the wrong way around. Having been working happily
downwards forever, now we have to start thinking upwards.

You would think that someone would have thought of it earlier and
not left it to us to sort out at this last minute.

I spoke to Caesar the other evening. He was livid that Julius
hadn=EDt done something about it when he was sorting out the
calendar. He said he could see why Brutus turned nasty. We
called in Consultus, but he simply said that continuing
downwards using minus BC won=EDt work and as usual charged a
fortune for doing nothing useful. Surely we will not have to
throw out all our hardware and start again?

Macrohard will make yet another fortune out of this I suppose.
The money lenders are paranoid of course! They have been
told that all usury rates will invert and they will have to pay
their clients to take out loans. It's an ill wind blowing.

As for myself, I just can=EDt see the sand in an hourglass flowing
upwards. We have heard that there are three wise men in the
east who have been working on the problem, but unfortunately they
won=EDt arrive until it=EDs all over.

I have heard that there are plans to stable all horses at
midnight at the turn of the year as there are fears that they will
stop and try to run backwards, causing immense damage to chariots and
possible loss of life. Some say the world will cease to
exist at the moment of transition.

Anyway, we are still continuing to work on this blasted Y zero K
problem. I will send a parchment to you if anything further
develops.

If you have any ideas please let me know,

Plutonius

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