Y2K Challenge: No nukes and lots of gas

It’s two weeks to the big day, and as Y2K gets closer, the news gets cheerier for anyone who’s still worrying about major meltdowns. Russia has reassured the world that its nuclear arsenal, which contrary to some popular misconceptions still does exist, is fully Y2K compliant.

Colonel-General Vladimir Yakovlev, head of the Strategic Rocket Forces, said last week that Russia’s arsenal of atomic is ready for the millennium, and promised there would be no accidental “Dr. Strangelove” scenarios next month. Russia has 2,000 nuclear weapons.

Asked whether he could “guarantee” that there would no problems, the Colonel-General said that he couldn’t (naturally) “speak for Washington,” but that Russia’s ICBMs have a command system that is “impossible to copy and impregnable for any kind of intrusion into its algorithm.”

We trust this is good news, along with the more mundane announcement that the world’s oil supply won’t be affected by any Y2K problems. The International Energy Agency says that it is confident that preparations for computer date rollovers on January 1, 2000 will minimize risks to the energy sector. That’s great news, but if they could just do sometng about those gasoline prices to honor the new era…

Colonel-General Vladimir Yakovlev, head of the Strategic Rocket Forces, said last week that Russia’s arsenal of atomic is ready for the millennium, and promised there would be no accidental “Dr. Strangelove” scenarios next month. Russia has 2,000 nuclear weapons.

Asked whether he could “guarantee” that there would no problems, the Colonel-General said that he couldn’t (naturally) “speak for Washington,” but that Russia’s ICBMs have a command system that is “impossible to copy and impregnable for any kind of intrusion into its algorithm.”

We trust this is good news, along with the more mundane announcement that the world’s oil supply won’t be affected by any Y2K problems. The International Energy Agency says that it is confident that preparations for computer date rollovers on January 1, 2000 will minimize risks to the energy sector. That’s great news, but if they could just do something about those gasoline prices to honor the new era…