IJMC - Time For a Fateful Trip

If I was more conscious right now, I might try and re-write tonight's 
IJMC to better match the original tune. However, I'm half-dead (you could 
almost say I've a half-life...) so I'm not going to. I will remember to 
remind everyone that today (March 10, 1999) is the day to vote for 
Hanging Tough by New Kids on the Block at MTV through the following link:
http://www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/totalrequest2/ then click "Play My Song"
The voting has to be completed by 3pm EST (Greenwich -5:00) today since 
the show is at 3:30pm. I've got my VCR setup to tape the show and see 
what happens...so I'll let you know if you can't watch. But do go vote 
for the video!                                                      -dave

Two Digits for a Date
(to the tune of "Gilligan's Island," more or less)

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale
Of the doom that is our fate.
That started when programmers used
Two digits for a date.
Two digits for a date.

Main memory was smaller then;
Hard disks were smaller, too.
"Four digits are extravagant,
So let's get by with two.
So let's get by with two."

"This works through 1999,"
The programmers did say.
"Unless we rewrite by then
It all will go away.
It all will go away."

But Management had not a clue:
"It works fine now, you bet!
A rewrite is a straight expense
We won't do it just yet.
We won't do it just yet."

Now when 2000 rolls around
It all goes straight to hell,
For zero's less than ninety-nine,
As anyone can tell.
As anyone can tell.

The mail won't bring your pension check
It won't be sent to you
When you're no longer sixty-eight,
But minus thirty-two.
But minus thirty-two.

The problems we're about to face
Are frightening, for sure.
And reading every line of code's
The only certain cure.
The only certain cure.

[key change, big finish]

There's not much time,
There's too much code.
(And Cobol-coders, few)
When the century is finished with,
We may be finished, too.
We may be finished, too.

Eight thousand years from now I hope
That things weren't left too late,
And people aren't then lamenting
Four digits for a date.
Four digits for a date.