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	Taking Y2K Seriously By Solveig Singleton March 23, 1999 Y2K -- It's Not Too Late takes its mission seriously. One guide we reviewed recommended Y2K prep for two or three weeks of disruption. Another merely said it's time to get your paperwork in order. This book predicts a far more grim scenario -- perhaps more than a month -- with interrupted power, a breakdown of the financial system, and food and water shortages: "Some will store a litle water and some extra canned goods. Others, like ourselves, don't feel preparing for a minimal period of disruptions is enough. We don't believe that life will quickly return to normal." Authors Scott Marks, Karl Kauffman, and Patrice Kaufman lay out the evidence in detail, describing which systems that Y2K will impact and why it's so hard to fix. The parade of quotations and anecdotes they cite is alarming but inconclusive. To be sure, they sometimes offer good news when it's available -- they presented relatively reassuring accounts from automobile engineers, for example. But they describe potential nuclear calamities without sorting the least likely from the more probable. Anyone with the Y2K jitters will enjoy -- or at least benefit from -- their preparation advice. They give detailed descriptions of various heating devices (although I could have used some clarity on which ones must be vented to the outdoors), generators, lamps and lanterns, water storage and treatment, sanitation, fire safety, stored food and self-defense. Though some of the recommendations are just plain silly: Is learning a martial art truly practical with just 283 days left? Even if you're in a hurry to prepare before panic sets in, you should consider these details to prevent mistakes. They offer particularly excellent advice on water storage -- not everyone will know that chlorine doesn't kill all disease- causing critters. On the other hand, the book offers little advice on purifying water that may have been contaminated by chemicals. The chapter on finances rejects "buy and hold" in favor of shifting investments into more Y2K-safe areas. These chapters seem to underestimate the wild unpredictability of stock markets and investments; it's always hard to time the market, and Y2K will be no exception. On the other hand, the book straightforwardly recommends having some extra cash on hand -- there's no fretting about the risk of bank runs, which we found refreshing. The chapter on medicine, like others we have read, did not emphasize the need to prepare for childbirth -- or the advisability of avoiding it (if it's not too late). If you're really worried about Y2K and planning on spending serious cash on generators, lamps, or other big-ticket items, Y2K -- It's Not Too Late is worth the money. If you're hoping for investment advice, look elsewhere. But if you're going to do anything, do it quickly. It is, indeed, almost too late.		FEATURES Book Reviews Y2K already has spawned its own genre. We tell you what books are worth buying. Chip 'n Little Cartoons Chip 'n Little goes on TV Chip 'n Little visits John Koskinen Chip 'n Little saves the world Warning: This cartoon has been called "foolish and tasteless." Y2K from A to Z Y2K Haiku Traditionalists may be shocked. Mad Cow Culture What does Y2K have in common with today's Mad Cow Culture? Answer: Everything. Declan McCullagh's Y2K articles Psychology of Y2K LATEST NEWS As of December 31, 1999 Get Your T-Shirt Quick Bill Gates Does Y2K Reader Feedback A Sarcastic Calendar Cooking After the Apocalypse A Real Y2K Disaster Hitchhiker's Guide Meets Y2K