Interesting Links for 12-01-2020

[andrewducker]

Here's how ridiculous it is if you're in Pakistan and want to visit your family in the UK

(tags:immigration UK OhForFucksSake )

A lazy fix 20 years ago means the Y2K bug is taking down computers now

(tags:computers date fail OhForFucksSake )

Scientists Use Recycled Sewage Water to Grow 500-Acre Forest in the Desert

(tags:Egypt desert environment waste forests )

UK public wants to remain in EU, 40% want another referendum in the next decade

(tags:UK Europe polls )

The Witcher's Netflix success: How three timelines somehow became cohesive

(tags:TV time )

In What May be the Largest Strike in World History, 750 Million in India Protest PM Modi's Policies

(tags:India strike )

Report: Trump Cited Impeachment Pressure to Kill Soleimani

(tags:USA politics death Iran OhForFucksSake )

Comments

Re: Indian strike

[channelpenguin]

1. should definitely be bigger worldwide news
2. wonder why, if so many clearly hate (the loathsome-sounding) BJP party policies, that they got elected so resoundingly? (ok 1/4 Billion is about 20% of the total popluation - maybe not enough to swing an election given a usual gerrymandering factor)

A lazy fix 20 years ago means the Y2K bug is taking down computers now

[jducoeur]

> An estimated 80 per cent of computers fixed in 1999 used the quicker, cheaper option.

That seems like a suspiciously large number -- I wonder if they are excluding companies that trashed their COBOL codebases and replaced them...

Re: A lazy fix 20 years ago means the Y2K bug is taking down computers now

[andrewducker]

Some places managed to leave their COBOL behind? I didn't realise many had ever managed that!

Re: A lazy fix 20 years ago means the Y2K bug is taking down computers now

[jducoeur]

Far as I know, yeah -- it resulted in a fair number of programmers (including a few friends of mine) losing their jobs and finding themselves unemployable, because the platform they knew contracted suddenly. (Of course, the ones who stuck it out are now worth their weight in gold...)