Y2K and Cities
All Things Considered - December 29, 1999
The nation's biggest cities say all systems are "go," heading into the year 2000. NPR's Margot Adler reports that New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles have spent millions of dollars upgrading computers. They've also stockpiled food, generators, and other supplies just in case. (7:00)

Y2K and Prisons
Morning Edition - December 21, 1999
North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann reports on the precautions prisons and jails are taking to prevent Y2K problems. Over the past two years, prison officials across the country have been working to ensure that computerized security systems don't crash because of the "millennium bug." (3:06)

Schools' Y2K Readiness
Morning Edition - December 16, 1999
NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports that schools are preparing for the possibility of Y2K computer problems. Even though schools will be closed several days before and after January first, the U.S Education Department is not taking any chances, because not all schools are Y2K compliant. (5:04)

Separating Bugs From Quirks
All Things Considered - December 13, 1999
The changeover to the year 2000 will only augment the mechanical failures that are already a fact of life. That's essentially what John Koskinen, head of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, is saying. Koskinen oversees the U.S. government's preparations for malfunctions due to the Y2K computer bug. It is certain, he says, that some things will fail on New Year's Eve. But exactly which problems are due to computer confusion from the date change and which are just the normal run of things could be difficult to determine. Hear more as NPR's David Kestenbaum reports. (4:00)

Y2K Ready?
All Things Considered - November 10, 1999
NPR's Larry Abramson reports on the last 1999 quarterly report from the White House Y2K office. Some 911 systems aren't ready, and several cities still haven't concluded all the testing they need to get "Y2K-ready" status. Schools are also still trying to certify their readiness. But the bottom line seems to be: Don't expect big disruptions. (4:00)

Y2K Hyperbole
All Things Considered - October 28, 1999
Emergency planners around the country are getting set for the Y2K rollover on December 31, and most say they're not expecting trouble. But NPR's Larry Abramson reports that some have decided to run elaborate simulations to test their readiness. NPR sits in during one such drill, in Delaware, that includes simulated computer crashes, anthrax attacks and mass suicides. (6:30)

San Francisco Y2K
All Things Considered - September 27, 1999
NPR's Elaine Korry reports that a surprising number of small business owners in San Francisco have done nothing to prevent possible Y2K headaches, even though the Bay Area is one of the most wired, tech-savvy places in the world. The city of San Francisco has started a program intended to help small business owners prepare. (4:44)

Y2K Report
All Things Considered - September 22, 1999
With 100 days to go until the new year, the Senate's committee on the year 2000 computer bug released its final report today. The Senate panel identified rural hospitals, small businesses and some local government functions as vulnerable to Y2K computer glitches, but the committee foresees no widespread crisis. NPR's Larry Abramson reports. (1:30)

Y2K Town Meetings
All Things Considered - September 10, 1999
NPR's Margot Adler reports the chairman of the President's Council on Year 2000 conversion has been holding town meetings across the country, and this week arrived in New York City. Town officials often attend the meetings, and ordinary citizens can pose questions to experts. But there has been little publicity for them, because of a desire to avoid undue Y2K panic. (5:30)

Internet -- Y2K
All Things Considered - August 17, 1999
NPR's Larry Abramson looks at how the operation of the Internet might be affected by the Y2K software problem. The president's council on Y2K readiness says, overall, the new year should not make much difference. But isolated problems with individual systems could make some destinations on the Internet unreachable. (3:30)

Cities Y2K
All Things Considered - August 12, 1999
Some of the largest American cities won't be Y2K-ready until after October. But in Prescott, Arizona, the city government says it's well ahead of the millennium bug. From member station KNAU, Mike Lamp has a report. (6:00)

Y2K Update
All Things Considered - August 5, 1999
The president's council on Y2K planning says many local governments may not be ready for possible crises related to computer programs that don't recognize the year 2000. The report says that while major gas, electric, telecommunications and other systems are ready, many counties and local school systems have done no planning at all. NPR's Larry Abramson reports that the federal government is trying to raise Y2K awareness and get state and local governments to head off problems. (4:00)

Y2K Assessment
All Things Considered - July 23, 1999
NPR's David Kestenbaum reports on the latest assessment of national preparedness for the millennium bug. The White House's Y2K czar says the nation is about 90 percent ready. The biggest job now seems to be quelling rumors. (3:00)

Hospital Y2K
All Things Considered - April 27, 1999
NPR's Patricia Neighmond examines whether hospitals and makers of medical devices are prepared for possible year 2000 computer problems. Surveys have suggested that there could be significant disruptions in the health system when the clock passes midnight on December 31 this year. (12:30)

Pentagon's Y2K Readiness
Morning Edition - March 31, 1999
NPR's Madeleine Brand reports on the Pentagon's efforts to meet today's Y2K compliance deadline. Officials at the Pentagon say that nearly all of their computer systems are compliant and that national security will not be compromised by the computer glitch. Systems not meeting the deadline today are expected to be ready before the end of the year. (2:28)

Y2K Deadline
Morning Edition - March 31, 1999
NPR's Larry Abramson reports on the progress government agencies are making as they prepare their computer systems for the year 2000 computer glitch. President Clinton set today as the deadline for all federal agencies to be Y2K compliant. While most federal government computer systems will meet today's deadline, some will not. (4:52)

Y2Kommentary
All Things Considered - March 30, 1999
Y2K Commentator Gary Beach says more effort is needed to get the word out to small-town America about the potential Y2K computer bug crisis. (3:00)

Millennium Terrorism
Weekend Edition Sunday - January 10, 1999
NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says the coming millennium could mean an increase in terrorism at home and abroad. (3:15)

Y2K Problem
All Things Considered - August 5, 1998
One year and 148 days until the calendar rolls over to the year 2000. That's a fact that worries many computer specialists. We take an in-depth look at how public and private enterprises are coping with the so-called "year 2000" computer bug. Robert Siegel visits the Johns Hopkins Health System to find out how the hospital is grappling with the problem. He also talks with IBM programmer Bill Cook about the nature of the problem and with a lawyer, Reid Kathrein, about the potential litigation that might follow computer malfunctions. Reporter Dan Charles explains how the embedded chip problem is affecting the utility industry. And reporter Steve Inskeep profiles the labor intensive software testing that the Federal Aviation Administration has taken on to make sure all its systems will run on January 1, 2000. (12:30)

Computers and the Millennium
All Things Considered - March 18, 1998
NPR's Dan Charles reports that federal agencies have fallen farther behind schedule in efforts to get their computers ready for the year 2000. The congressional General Accounting Office says it's inevitable that some crucial government computers will fail when 1999 rolls into 2000. (2:30)

Listening to audio requires the RealAudio player