In the preparatory stage, before being awakened as Daniel, the author
had spent a few thousand hours thinking, studying and writing about
the potential disaster resulting from the computer bug called Y2K,
and how it threatened the economy and other infrastructure issues.
This was the case for 18 solid months on the newfound medium called
the Internet. I was doing so without the expectation I was soon to
become an angel and the return of Daniel. This awakening occurred
a little more than two months prior to the Y2K rollover, and was Daniel's
first unconscious mission. This Section begins with this short history
of Y2K coverage prior to Y2K, as includes much economic and strategic
analysis which followed, based on divine dreams Daniel has received.
The following is an article written a few days after, in January 2000,
and explains the reason the situation turned out the way it did. I've
decided to leave it relatively untouched, so here it is for the record:
"Confidence comes from not always being right but from not fearing
to be wrong" Peter McIntire
"We credit scarcely any person with good sense except those
who are of our opinion" la Rouchefoucald
"The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook" William
James
"It's a rash man who reaches a conclusion before he gets to
it" Jacob Levin
"We owe a debt of thanks to the people who sounded the early
alarms on Y2K. Had there been no alarmists, the Y2K disaster would
have been huge, because just 24 months ago there was widespread ignorance
and denial of the problem." John Koskinen, Y2K Czar (1/2/2000)
It was an absolutely pleasant surprise to arrive on the other side
of the millennium not only unscathed, but to experience the utter
joy and satisfaction of the worldwide celebrations that seemed to
pull all of humanity into a unified sense of collective euphoria!
Even the weather was perfect! To witness this once-in-a-lifetime event
come to pass in such a positive manner is quite inspirational, to
say the least.
Through such collective will to rise to the occasion and demolish
the Y2K computer bug, as was the case over the past months and years
prior to the rollover, we as a human race demonstrated once again
that through working together toward a unified goal, essentially,
for the most part, we eradicated a serious, universal, technological
threat -- a threat that, had it not been identified and tackled in
a timely manner and with full vigor, would surely have meant disaster.
Clearly the alarm bells -- rung loud, hard and persistently by Y2K
alarmists and activists -- were definitely heeded by those in authority,
business, management, and government. Sufficient action and attention
was taken on all sides, around the world, to avert what was a very
real threat to our modern, technologically advanced civilization.
It bring the author intense joy -- not disappointment -- that the
worst of the dire assessments and expectations about Y2K made on the
site and by other prominent Y2K experts since 1997 were wrong in the
proverbial end -- defeated and disabled. In fact, the rollover was
such a non-event even the ultra-optimists were confounded and surprised;
it seems illogical this was the outcome, given the consensus among
those "in the know", but I share in their hubris.
The reader may think the author to be licking my wounds, feeling ashamed,
stupid and silly ... because Daniel was "wrong"? Absolutely
not! ... for reasons shown below. This issue is exactly something
I fully expected, and hoped for; some e-mails I received shortly after
January 1 (the type one would expect): personal attacks based on misunderstood
perceptions. A general response follows. These were received the day
of the rollover:
"Glad you were wrong and I know you are too!" Robert
"I'm thinking you've got to feel pretty silly about now ..."
Anon
"Well Dan, I suppose that you and the other Y2K doomsday gurus
are feeling a little silly right about now, so I won't rub your nose
in it too much, but I can't resist just a little. Jan 1 has come and
gone, and far from a collapse of the global computer network, riots
and mayhem in U.S. cities, and nuclear plant meltdowns, as you and
your friends predicted [Author's note: I have never predicted these
things. Just raised these possibilities and issued warnings], there
has not been even 1, count 'em ONE significant failure! One question,
what are you going to do with all those dry goods, generators, and
cabins in the wilderness?. Hard things to sell right now, as there
is sure to be a market glut of them! HAH HAH!!"
"Totally overreacted and jumped the gun about this issue. Media
hype has fooled us all, we are still here and the world HAS NOT ended.
I admit that I thought something bad was going to happen, but guess
what? WE ARE ALL OK! The world has not ended! [Again, never said it
would be the end of the world.] The Y2K hoax was created by capitalist
corporations to fool people into buying water, extra food, generators
and by extremist Christians who actually wanted something bad to happen,
such as the fool Gary North. Next time we should stop being so gullible"
... Natasha
"I'll bet you feel like an absolute idiot today! You sure did
waste your time by making this website! It's just another day here
in the world! Have a Happy New Year!!!" ... MATTY
Surely it was far less damaging than previously anticipated, and
this was cause for relief. As mentioned in a September newsletter,
the majority of bugs were to pile up and turn up in strange and wonderful
ways well into 2000. I also downplayed the significance of the rollover.
[I said in December, 1999] "Will it be enough to significantly
and severely disrupt the economy? I no longer believe so; at least
not to the degree thought in days gone by. Does this mean the current
boom will continue forever and ever? NO!" Before we get too giddy:
the general, long-range thesis of the site and book remains certain,
intact and trustworthy and has been so since first written, and Y2K
was merely one variable of concern -- humanly alterable and with many
unknowns. What is this long-range thesis? As mentioned in the September
28, 1999 newsletter (notice this has nothing to do with Y2K):
"...I wish the party could go on forever, but history tells
us it must not, and the hangover is upon us. The evidence is overwhelmingly
in favor of a catastrophic bust in the months/years ahead. A bust
that, like the unprecedented nature of the current boom, will be equally
unprecedented in its devastation ..."
"... It may surprise some of you to know that I am substantially
more optimistic (on the Y2K portion) than was the case one year ago.
Believe it or not, I tend to (partly) agree with Peter De Jager that
we (at least in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia) have accomplished
enough Y2K repairs and are now making contingency plans across the
board to avert a total collapse--i.e. The End Of The World As We Know
It ..."
"... Many seem to think that merely because I bring up the possibility
of a societal/civilizational collapse that I'm also predicting such
an event. Well, I'm not! Nor am I predicting a permanent or long-term
power-grid shut-down or full-scale nuclear launch on January 1, 2000
..."
"I AM predicting we will have to experience a (several-year)
period of severe economic tribulation that will fundamentally alter
the world's economic structure from which a new strategic paradigm
will emerge: a full, total global war in the next twenty years that
will be fought with maximum effort, nuclear weapons will be used,
and the America/China/India/Russian "problem" will be resolved
... but only after a culmination of unforeseeable events climax into
World War Three in which either a new global power for the next long
cycle is determined, or re-appointed (that is, the U.S.A.) ... "
[I do not wish this to occur, but know it must.]
Also said in the December 6, 1999 update was:
"Furthermore, we need to get away from the concept that whatever
Y2K effects that are to happen will happen "on Jan, 1, 2000."
Actually, only a small percentage will take place then, and they won't
all be of catastrophic nature either. This is not an all-or-nothing,
either/or situation. Most of the failures, in terms of volume, will
be throughout 2000, showing up in strange and wonderful ways."
"Again, January 1, 2000 is NOT going to be the end of the world,
and nor has the author ever implied such a scenario ..."
I also said at the time, "It appears that the market will remain
adrift until early January 2000 -- save for a final-week panic from
Y2K preparation -- when it is guaranteed to begin the long road into
the abyss. Bear markets rarely start in this time frame (January)
but when they do happen they're of very large consequence, as was
the case in 1974." Well, mid-January 2000 was the ultimate peak
in the market.
Since the above people seem so intent on pointing out how "wrong"
I was about Y2K here comes a rebuttal:
I do have a decent track record of successes in predicting the economy,
even prior to Y2K and the angelic awakening, where ALL visions of
a short-term fashion have come true by 100% as shown since 1999. Obviously
there is no way for you to verify any thing prior to a year and a
half or two ago, where everything was written in stone on the Listbot
archives, so you will have to take my word for it previous to 1999
(then again you don't) ... but yes. In the late 1980's as a teen-ager,
I predicted the long drawn-out recession we experienced in the early
1990's (but I was slightly off in its intensity -- remember, this
was a "prediction," not "word from God"). I then
"predicted" in early 1995 that the economy would boom with
a climbing stock market. Late 1997 was when I changed my tune and
became extremely bearish about the long term. Long-time readers since
early 1998 will have noticed that I successfully predicted the September/October
crash we had in the fall of 1998 and that we would hit Dow 10,000.
I correctly called the correction of last September/October 1999 (but
off in intensity -- expected a crash). [Then immediately after the
awakening as Daniel, everything based on divine visions HAS been coming
true -- everything, 100%.]
Predicting good news makes you popular -- especially when it comes
true! Predicting bad news is a thankless job; one is criticized and
written off while sounding the alarm, then blamed for it and resented
when it comes true OR false, as was the case about Y2K.
So then why were we all "wrong about Y2K?" Why was Y2K a
virtual non-event? Why was there no pre-Y2K crash?
Continue reading. First and foremost let it be known that the great
majority of this site was written in a time period when Y2K was still
not being taken seriously, awareness was low and insufficient remediation
efforts were almost universal. That is, early 1998 to early 1999.
Save for a few updates in the archive section, the site was essentially
not modified at all, including the main homepage; the wording and
assessments were nearly the same as first written in spring/summer
of 1998 and simply added to. My assessment had changed dramatically
since then, but I failed to modify the writings to reflect this until
after 2000, after the awakening, as the time required to do so was
unavailable.
Hard data on true Y2K status and progress was seemingly nonexistent
at the time, and therefore in attempting to form an assessment on
the magnitude and outcome of Y2K, we had to assume the worst -- not
the best. Or, in other words, organizations and entities in question
were guilty until proven innocent. We had to use whatever information
and evidence came our way and err on the side of caution. This was
done not as "prophecy" but for valid risk assessment as
Y2K was a humanly alterable event.
The Macro-economic Thesis on the site, first written in April 1998,
remains fundamentally sound, logical in its methodology and the conclusions
reached therein would surely have come to pass ... had Y2K come in
1998. However, the variables and inputs to the grand equation had
since changed dramatically.
The first portion significantly altered over time was the greatly
increased efforts, attention and resources made over the two years
prior to 2000. Y2K budgets rose substantially in the right places
reflecting increased concern in corporate and government agencies.
The $500 billion thus far spent worldwide was not misspent or wasted
on a "hoax." Corporations do not naively, frantically spend
hundreds of millions of dollars each of precious money with great
urgency on a trivial, non-threatening problem. There was a good reason
why governments around the world built $60 million command centers
(bunkers) and mobilized for martial law. "Martial law?"
Yes, don't you remember? Here is a quote from a Canadian newspaper,
"Prime Minister Jean Chretien's government will be on full Y2K
alert New Year's Eve and ready to invoke an updated War Measures Act
if needed, sources have told the Sun."
"The Emergencies Act, which was passed in 1988, gives cabinet
sweeping powers to issue whatever orders or regulations it believes
are necessary to deal with emergencies such as major power outages
caused by computer glitches or civil insurrections, major riots and
prison revolts."
And the title of this report from World Net Daily entitled: "Clinton
set to declare national emergency. More than 50 simultaneous Y2K crises
expected, stretching resources to limit." That says it all.
"... It was not a hoax, and tens of thousands have given everything
to fix the problem, many sacrificing their careers, to remediate the
antiques, instead of mastering the new technologies. All the thousands
of Y2K websites will disappear, and the public will forget those who
worked into the night, warning and cajoling businesses and governments
to get off their asses and do something...." Alan Simpson
The second factor I erred in not modifying was the relative importance
or triviality of the millennium bug in respect to compliance or non-compliance.
Surely the work completed thus far has been successful in the vast
majority of mission-critical systems. Moreover, a non-compliant apparatus
or system was not nearly as serious as previously thought. In fact,
most glitches are benign, as many computers and chips will function
as normal in non-compliant state; it is the systems that operate heavily
with date calculations that require near 100% compliancy in software
such as government payroll systems (eg.: Social Security Administration),
banking and financial institutions. They correctly perceived it as
a threat to survival, thence took the proper steps and were generally
successful.
The third variable was the severity of faulty embedded systems (chips).
We never really knew the real percentage at risk or how they would
react systemically to the rollover period, and opinions and estimates
varied widely. In making this assessment I had to again err on the
side of caution and presume failures would be significant and /or
widespread and assume the worst. It came to pass, obviously, being
that power and telecommunications--even water and gas--were scarcely
disrupted, that most embedded system problems were either trivial
in nature, or repaired and replaced in time, or on a fix-on-failure
basis.
Keep in mind: we were still in a bad-news-blackout where any technological
failures will be blamed on anything other than Y2K, or not publicized,
even when blatantly related. You can be certain major failures in
mainframes or other networks occurred throughout the rollover period.
The propaganda was still operating in full force.
Through late 1998 to late 1999, I and most other Y2K gurus had failed
to recognize and acknowledge these altered, positive developments;
our minds had still been stuck in the old pessimistic battle of awareness
-- a battle that had already been won, at least in the technological
sense. Instead, we continued to fight a losing battle for public perception
with the (idealistic) hope of shaking up the unaware public or anyone
else who would listen into personal or community preparation. This
was a battle bound to be lost in the big picture, was not part of
The Plan and became futile after February 1999; and most failed to
recognize it, though these warnings still did serve a useful purpose
in keeping people on their toes. The intentions of the skeptics and
alarmists were well placed and productive; our struggle against what
we perceived as an overly optimistic PR campaign failed because, it
turned out, this optimism was well placed, though often for the wrong
reasons. Actually, the general public/ Joe Six-Pack never really did
"get it" and still doesn't. This was the first major issue
to be discussed, argued, assessed, and debated almost entirely on
the newly emerged medium called the Internet.
I believe there are few coincidences in life and worldly affairs.
The Internet, brimming with knowledge, opinions and information (or
misinformation) arrived at precisely the same time knowledge of the
severity and threat of Y2K became robust. This emergence first came
in 1997 when awareness of Y2K spread and grew quite rapidly. Previously
very few comprehended the extent and potential societal implications
and whatever Y2K information was available could easy be assimilated
by one person.
At that time there were only a few precursor Y2K consultants and alarmists
pounding the pavement such as Peter de Jager, Russ Kelly, John Westergaard,
Jim Lord, Ed Yourdon, Ed Yardeni, Senator Bennett -- even John Koskinen
(I've wrongly been harsh on him – sorry, John ...) among others
that accomplished a great deal of awareness (and many made some ca$h
for this as well, but that's not the point). This first stage of warning
and awareness effectively shocked a multitude into much-needed action
in the right places and therefore was beneficial:
"... I am not saying that we would have been better off if the
existence of the Y2K problem had never been publicized. In that event,
the remedial actions that have been expended over the past two years
would surely have fallen short ... the desirability of publicizing
the existence of a pending significant technical breakdown was never
in question -- and never should have been ..." Alan Greenspan
September, 1999.
There was also an emergence of one who has probably had the greatest
influence of all on the entire Y2K: Gary North. Gary is a newsletter
author with a doctorate in history and since late 1996 has built a
massive 7000 page/link Y2K site, updated almost daily with a multitude
of information, making it the foremost encyclopedia and database on
general Y2K information, admittedly pessimistically biased and with
a somewhat theological agenda.
Gary fought many battles in dealing with adversaries in his rise to
prominence dealing with this highly controversial, complex subject
using much wisdom and debate. It is significantly through the writings
of his site and sites of similar nature (as this one), persistence
and presence that we passed the threshold of the millennium without
a hitch. Had these precursor gurus not been present, ignored or not
taken seriously (and many have wrongly wished they would have been
silenced -- or put to death) the world would have experienced, come
late 1999 and 2000, major breakdowns; a total panic; possibly societal
collapse. This is contrary to the critics' claims that they would
cause a panic or self-fulfilling prophecy. How so?
Reality of prophecy
The most rewarding and satisfactory prophecy, prediction or future
assessment one can make is NOT one that comes true, but one that is
heeded, taken seriously by the right people in the right places so
as to alter the final outcome; one where the prophet is ultimately
wrong, through a self-defeating mechanism. With the whole Y2K situation
this has definitely occurred, though most do not see this as quite
obvious, and therefore have been constantly attacking the messenger,
even after Y2K, for being "wrong."
Historically unprecedented, Y2K was a serious, reality-based, impending
technological problem with a known date which also involved potentially
severe, negative social consequences had insufficient warning been
applied. There are several ways the future can be altered. In respect
to Y2K, the future time-line of events and social behavior was indeed
significantly modified to the positive through active intervention,
as the final outcome showed.
When, for example, Y2K awareness and perception of magnitude was dismally
low and still considered a nonsense, fringe subject in early 1998,
Daniel took it upon himself to repeatedly contact Gary North, Ed Yourdon
and Art Bell -- popular night-time radio host with 10 to 20 million
open-minded listeners. (No; there were no ulterior motives for doing
this -- they have never met me.) Gary finally made it on for a frightening
4-hour show in May, 1998. The result of this show and other shows
following (Ed Yourdon finally made it on as well) was profound as
millions, including thousands of influential politicians, corporate
managers, authorities, government agencies and the mainstream media,
were shocked into realizing just how big, complex and serious the
Y2K problem really was.
Through this cause-and-effect relationship, mass awareness and thenceforth
preventive action spread, cascaded and snowballed throughout the English-speaking
world; the part of the world most computer-dense and therefore in
need of it.
While the author's site has "only" received 150,000 hits
since its inception before 2000, a disproportionate percentage of
readers were of authoritative and influential identity, including
a multitude of senators, among them Robert Bennett & Chris Dodd,
congressmen, business leaders, and other Y2K gurus and IT managers.
So, therefore, my role in creating and accomplishing a self-defeating
prophecy has been significant. Most of this was done behind the scenes:
witness the Art Bell/Gary North set-up; word spread rapidly. This
is not said to be prideful or boastful as it was simply, I know now
(since November 1999), part of my Job and Mission. Nor do I expect
any official credit of recognition; it is a thankless Job.
One aspect of Y2K taken seriously was social reaction to it, in particular,
the consequence of mass preparation (referred to as "panic"
since only a few would ever have been able to prepare as such simultaneously)
as well as loss of confidence in the financial markets such as the
stock market and (most importantly, the fragility of) the banking
system. No one has beat on the drum of the banking issue more than
Gary North. What we were not privy to was that such pre0.7_B93">ordained,
widespread discussion and awareness of bank runs/panic had the opposite
effect he had wished for; officials intervened in response through
the media with all sorts of bump-in-road proclamations (even that
turned out to be a pessimistic scenario!) and mind control and effectively
psychologically subdued the public from taking such action. In fact,
to further keep the public in greed mode (as opposed to fear mode)
the central banks flooded the system with money; currency and fiat,
expanding an already overinflated bubble, thereby ensuring a pre-2000
non-crash.
Lesson: The message of the alarmists and activists was heard loud
and clear, taken seriously enough, early enough so as to alter the
final outcome and actual flow of time and course of history and therefore
all of you deserve a great big pat on the back (regardless of motives).
No, you won't get credit where credit is due, but you will be rewarded.
We have done most of this subconsciously and unconsciously; we didn't
realize it, but you were part of a grand conspiracy called God's Plan.
While it was true many had financial or religious motives behind such
"fear-mongering," the end result was positive, the way it
was supposed to occur. There are other Agents working behind the scenes
as well.
The author's motives were never material. Sure, there have been ads
on this site in the past, but very, very little was actually made;
the ultimate motive, I knew now (since November, 1999, time of awakening),
was divinely inspired. I have made perhaps $360 from Y2K and my site
-- total (that's it!), yet have spent thousands of hours on it, and
with deep contemplation and devotion. In other words, this site has
been charity: to aid in understanding; to motivate; to speculate into
the future; to inform of what is to come.
Almost from Day One anyone courageous enough to even suggest Y2K may
have negative consequences -- especially in the midst of a record
economic boom where optimism and overconfidence prevailed, was continually
attacked, assaulted and blamed. A public bad-news blackout was in
full force. Greed, not fear, has been the overriding emotion of the
masses and investors. It is that which contains the ultimate seeds
of the upcoming economic catastrophe. As such, the longer and stronger
the recent and current boom and bubble continues, the greater the
final reckoning.
A Prophet's Error? ... Or Victory?
Both, as shall be explained. Any Y2K assessments or "predictions"
were not "from God," but of mortal origin. They were essentially
a compilation and conglomeration of the minds of other Y2K gurus,
and humans make mistakes. The major mistake Daniel had made was to
disregard the intuition I obviously felt and discerned since early
1999. I truly sensed things had changed for the positive and there
really was reason for genuine optimism. Unfortunately the mental portion
of the mind remained in this stubborn, old awareness battle of 1998,
therefore staying the same path of pessimism and negativity. This
was due to the overwhelming evidence that still seemed to suggest
a disaster. My instincts, however, were screaming otherwise.
This was shown in a dream in full color in July 1999 that I briefly
mentioned to my subscribers. To confirm this one may go to the July
27 1999 update of the newsletter archives (#68 at http://www.listbot.com/archive/collapse).
I had said:
"... I had a weird dream last night. Let's hope it's prophetic:
I dreamt of the Jan 1 Y2K rollover. Nothing happened! The lights stayed
on and there were no noticeable ill effects. I felt like a moron for
storing food and supplies! Too bad it was just a dream."
It was a dream where I was up in a skyscraper overlooking a major
city shortly before the Y2K rollover. In this dream -- seen in full
clarity -- I was full of anxiety in anticipation, looking down at
the brightly lit metropolis, waiting for the power to shut down and
chaos to break loose. To my shock, in this dream, virtually nothing
happened across the country in the following hours! When I awoke I
figured it must have been a nightmare; considering the consensus among
most Y2K gurus that there would almost surely have been major outages
and other problems, this seemed impossible. Become a Pollyanna based
on a dream? Obviously since, I have been more keen in having faith
in these dreams. It was prophetic, and it was correct!
Shortly after, the author felt in the heart that following and covering
it (negative portion of Y2K) was no longer viable; it seemed senseless
to continue such Y2K doomsaying; hence very few updates on the site
were made since then. Indeed, the author really and truly did become
more optimistic, as there was genuine reason for it! Shortly after
the September 28, 1999 update, the author began a journey of divine
revelation when who and what I was, was discerned, as briefly mentioned
in the December 6, 1999 update, the first since the awakening. Anyway,
what else positive came of Y2K?
The scare has compelled banks, phone companies, and manufacturers
to make their computerized nervous systems vastly more efficient and
cheaper to run; a focus, discipline and encouragement to make the
changes and upgrades, weeding out aged or superfluous coding and programs
they knew had to be made anyways. Companies will recoup in the long
term any monies spent because they now have excellent, modern networks,
completely tested and working to perfection. That can only be positive.
We have shaken many people out of their modern-world slumber, preparing
for and thinking about a future disaster, which will come in very
handy when things get rough such as due to a natural disaster or period
of unemployment. People who prepared should NOT feel silly. In fact,
they should continue to prepare since the coming years WILL be rough,
regardless of Y2K.
Governments, agencies and communities now have a cohesive, cooperative
infrastructure and system in place to deal with any natural or man-made
disaster. There are many more, of course, but the point is made.
