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Learn about the Y2K Bug Crisis that led millions to believe at the dawn of the millennium that computers around the world would crash, causing the end of civilization.

The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) is the leading mode of decadal climate variability over the North Pacific. However, it remains unknown to what extent external forcings can influence the PDO’s periodicity and magnitude over the past 2000 years. We show that the paleo-assimilation products (LMR) and proxy data suggest a 20–40 year PDO occurred during both the Mediaeval Climate Anomaly (MCA, ~ 750–1150) and Little Ice Age (LIA, ~ 1250–1850) while a salient 50–70 year variance peak emerged during the LIA. These results are reproduced well by the CESM simulations in the all-forcing (AF) and single volcanic forcing (Vol) experiments. We show that the 20–40 year PDO is an intrinsic mode caused by internal variability but the 50–70 year PDO during the LIA is a forced mode primarily shaped by volcanic forcing. The intrinsic mode develops in tandem with tropical ENSO-like anomalies, while the forced mode develops from the western Pacific and unrelated to tropical sea surface temperature anomalies. The volcanism-induced land–sea thermal contrast may trigger anomalous northerlies over the western North Pacific (WNP), leading to reduced northward heat transport and the cooling in the Kuroshio–Oyashio Extension (KOE), generating the forced mode. A 50–70 year Atlantic multidecadal oscillation founded during the LIA under volcanic forcing may also contribute to the forced mode. These findings shed light on the interplay between the internal variability and external forcing and the present and future changes of the PDO.

A newly developed concept called ‘groundwater footprint’ is used to reveal the degree of sustainable use of global aquifers by calculating the area relative to the extractive demands; globally, this footprint exceeds aquifer area by a factor of about 3.5, and excess withdrawal is centred on just a few agriculturally important aquifers. Striking a balance on groundwater usage In many parts of the world, groundwater is being extracted for agricultural use and human consumption at a greater rate than the Earth's natural systems can replace it. Tom Gleeson and colleagues estimate the true scale of the problem using a newly developed concept called the 'groundwater footprint' — defined as the area required to sustain groundwater use and groundwater-dependent ecosystem services. The authors find that globally, the groundwater footprint exceeds the aquifer area by a factor of about 3.5. Overexploitation centres predominantly on a few agriculturally important aquifers in arid or semiarid climates, especially in Asia and North America. The groundwater footprint could serve as a useful framework for analysing the global groundwater depletion data sets emerging from NASA's GRACE satellites. Groundwater is a life-sustaining resource that supplies water to billions of people, plays a central part in irrigated agriculture and influences the health of many ecosystems 1 , 2 . Most assessments of global water resources have focused on surface water 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , but unsustainable depletion of groundwater has recently been documented on both regional 7 , 8 and global scales 9 , 10 , 11 . It remains unclear how the rate of global groundwater depletion compares to the rate of natural renewal and the supply needed to support ecosystems. Here we define the groundwater footprint (the area required to sustain groundwater use and groundwater-dependent ecosystem services) and show that humans are overexploiting groundwater in many large aquifers that are critical to agriculture, especially in Asia and North America. We estimate that the size of the global groundwater footprint is currently about 3.5 times the actual area of aquifers and that about 1.7 billion people live in areas where groundwater resources and/or groundwater-dependent ecosystems are under threat. That said, 80 per cent of aquifers have a groundwater footprint that is less than their area, meaning that the net global value is driven by a few heavily overexploited aquifers. The groundwater footprint is the first tool suitable for consistently evaluating the use, renewal and ecosystem requirements of groundwater at an aquifer scale. It can be combined with the water footprint and virtual water calculations 12 , 13 , 14 , and be used to assess the potential for increasing agricultural yields with renewable groundwaterref 15 . The method could be modified to evaluate other resources with renewal rates that are slow and spatially heterogeneous, such as fisheries, forestry or soil.

The Inside Story of Y2K Panic and the Greatest Cooperative Effort Ever, risk management expert Nancy P. James writes, \"Year 2000, like COVID-19, was a completely new problem requiring enormous resources for discovery and remediation.\" TIME'S \"20 Years Later, the Y2K Bug Seems Like a Joke-Because Those Behind the Scenes Took It Seriously\" by disaster assistance specialist Francine Uenuma begins in the waning hours of Dec. 31, 1999, telling the story of John Koskinen, President Bill Clinton's \"Y2K czar,\" and his efforts. Executive Order 13073-Year 2000 Conversion On Feb. 4, 1998, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13073, which established the President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion, whose job was to coordinate the efforts of the federal government to prevent digital disaster. HISTORY AND ANALYSIS \"Apocalypse Then: When Y2K Didn't Lead to the End of Civilization\" forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2020/12/29/apocalypsethen-when-y2k-didnt-lead-to-the-end-of-civilization \"20 Years Later, the Y2K Bug Seems Like a Joke- Because Those Behind the Scenes Took It Seriously\" time.com/5752129/y2k-bug-history Executive Order 13073-Year 2000 Conversion presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-13073-year-2000-conversion \"The Y2K Attitude Era-A Cultural Middle Finger\" youtube.com/watch?v=nwALiv_0Nxg \"The Contingency Contingent: My Fake Job in Y2K Preparedness\" nplusonemag.com/issue-48/essays/the-contingency-contingent RELIGION AND PSYCHOLOGY Millennialism britannica.com/topic/millennialism \"Ten Notable Apocalypses That (Obviously) Didn't Happen tinyurl.com/4smjpjbn Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University tinyurl.com/3366frye \"Y2K Paranoia: Extremists Confront the Millennium\" adl.org/resources/report/y2k-paranoia-extremists-confront-millenium \"When Y2K Sent Us Into a Digital Depression\" mentalfloss.com/article/566058/y2k-year-2000-bug-history \"Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next\" pewresearch, org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2010/10/millennials-confidentconnected-open-to-change.pdf ART AND LITERATURE 'The Weird, Wonderful World of Y2K Survival Guides: A Look Back' Time Bomb 2000.

Data for the Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya region from satellite laser altimetry and a global elevation model shows that glacier thinning varied by an order of magnitude across the region, with surface debris not seeming to provide effective insulation, and that the melting ice added several per cent to the annual discharge of the mountain rivers. Recalculating glacier mass loss in the Himalayas Glacier changes over the high mountains of Asia can have knock-on effects on water resources and sea levels, but it has been difficult to accurately monitor ice-mass changes. A recent gravimetric survey of mass loss in ice-covered areas around the globe — published in Nature — suggested that the high mountains of Asia were approximately in balance during the early twenty-first century. Now, Andreas Kaab and colleagues present a more detailed analysis using satellite altimetry and show a small but statistically distinguishable mass loss from the Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya region. A larger mass loss in much of the Hindu Kush–Himalaya was partly offset by a scarcely distinguishable mass loss in the Karakoram. Glaciers are among the best indicators of terrestrial climate variability, contribute importantly to water resources in many mountainous regions 1 , 2 and are a major contributor to global sea level rise 3 , 4 . In the Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya region (HKKH), a paucity of appropriate glacier data has prevented a comprehensive assessment of current regional mass balance 5 . There is, however, indirect evidence of a complex pattern of glacial responses 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 in reaction to heterogeneous climate change signals 9 . Here we use satellite laser altimetry and a global elevation model to show widespread glacier wastage in the eastern, central and south-western parts of the HKKH during 2003–08. Maximal regional thinning rates were 0.66 ± 0.09 metres per year in the Jammu–Kashmir region. Conversely, in the Karakoram, glaciers thinned only slightly by a few centimetres per year. Contrary to expectations, regionally averaged thinning rates under debris-mantled ice were similar to those of clean ice despite insulation by debris covers. The 2003–08 specific mass balance for our entire HKKH study region was −0.21 ± 0.05 m yr −1 water equivalent, significantly less negative than the estimated global average for glaciers and ice caps 4 , 10 . This difference is mainly an effect of the balanced glacier mass budget in the Karakoram. The HKKH sea level contribution amounts to one per cent of the present-day sea level rise 11 . Our 2003–08 mass budget of −12.8 ± 3.5 gigatonnes (Gt) per year is more negative than recent satellite-gravimetry-based estimates of −5 ± 3 Gt yr −1 over 2003–10 (ref. 12 ). For the mountain catchments of the Indus and Ganges basins 13 , the glacier imbalance contributed about 3.5% and about 2.0%, respectively, to the annual average river discharge 13 , and up to 10% for the Upper Indus basin 14 .

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore what theoretical lenses have been used to analyze and understand information sharing in supply chains. The paper elaborates on the predominant theories and discusses how they can be integrated to research different aspects of information sharing. Design/methodology/approach – The paper carried out a structured literature review by using a combination of selected keywords to search for peer-reviewed articles in ten journals. Findings – The findings suggest that four out of ten reviewed articles explicitly apply one or more theoretical lenses. The predominant theories used include transaction cost economics, contingency theory, resource-based view, resource dependency theory and relational governance theories such as the relational view and social exchange theory. Research limitations/implications – These theories can be applied to analyze different aspects of information sharing. By using the theories in a complementary way, it is possible to increase our understanding of information sharing between companies related to: why and what information to share with whom, how to share and the impact of antecedents, barriers and drivers. Practical implications – The results of the paper highlight the importance of tailoring information sharing structures and mechanisms to the context of the transaction and the business relationship. Originality/value – This paper addresses how theoretical perspectives inform empirical research on information sharing in supply chains. It puts forward an integrative conceptual framework based on cross-disciplinary theories and makes specific suggestions for future empirical research in this area.

In September 2007, as fireworks lit up the sky above Addis Ababa, revellers gathered in the streets for a huge cultural festival. People from all over Ethiopia and many Ethiopian who had emigrated abroad flocked to the capital, as Ethiopia ushers in the new Millennium - Seven years after much of the world marked the beginning of the 21st century, Ethiopia is finally approaching the year 2000, thanks to a unique and ancient system of measuring time. A variation on the archaic Julian calendar -- which started disappearing from the West in the 16th century -- means Ethiopia did not enter the year 2000 until September 1, 2007. In the 16th Century, as the rest of Christendom revised its estimate of the date of the birth of Christ - Ethiopia stuck with the old date, which means it was stuck more than seven years behind the rest of the world. Ethiopia is known for its colorful ancient history and rich heritage. And because it was never colonized, Ethiopia has always had a special significance for the rest of Africa.

Although Y2K did not result in major disruptions, the event is a rich source of critical lessons for strategic management of information and communication technology (ICT), many of which apply to large organizations today. Using a case study approach, this report describes lessons learned from the response of the Air Force to Y2K and makes recommendations for managing ICT complexity, aligning organizational and ICT strategies, and minimizing risk.

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically explore demand-related information sharing in the extended supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – Through a single, embedded case design, a range of methods are used to collect data from companies representing three different supply chain tiers, including focal company, first-tier suppliers and first-tier customers. The collected data are analysed through the theoretical lens of interdependence. Findings – The findings indicate that the supply chain actors adapt information sharing to the pooled, serial or reciprocal type of interdependence. Information sharing is thus increased with key dyadic partners representing, for example, unique offerings and high market shares as percentage of total expenditure/sales. The study also unearths several barriers to information sharing beyond dyadic ties, including problems related to dis-aggregated, misinterpreted and/or incomplete information. Research limitations/implications – The study empirically contributes to the existing literature by exploring information sharing in the extended supply chain and by suggesting different approaches to information sharing depending on the type and intensity of interdependence between supply chain partners. Further, the paper contributes to the existing literature on barriers of information sharing in supply chains by identifying barriers specific to multi-tier information sharing. “Meta-information” (i.e. information about the shared information) is needed to overcome some of the barriers of sharing information in cases of weak, pooled interdependencies in the supply chain. Practical implications – Similar to previous empirical research, this exploratory study indicates that companies, in general, refrain from sharing information beyond dyadic ties. Supply chain managers would instead mostly focus on stronger, reciprocal interdependencies and emphasise dyadic information sharing. To further guide managers, a demand profiling framework considering market share and demand uncertainty is presented. It may be interesting to engage in multi-tier information sharing in particular cases where strong interdependence exists between three or more partners. Originality/value – This study contributes to existing research on information sharing in supply chains by empirically studying information sharing in an extended supply chain, applying interdependence theory as its analytical framework and unearthing several barriers that are specific to multi-tier information sharing.