This week we are discussing the "Y2K computer bug," the great potential apocalypse of the turn of the millennium that...did not live up to the hype. But rather than being another "when prophecy fails" situation, the reason this apocalypse was averted was because of concerted and organized work across many different areas. Programmers worked for years in advance to remediate the code of software used in applications from air traffic control to power grids and beyond. The Y2K problem therefore stands as one of the (few) genuine threats to our society that was successfully identified and fixed before it was able to cause real harm.

We then spend a bit of time talking about Y2K , the recent nostalgic horror film from A24.

In he first part of the episode we consider the catastrophic fires that have ravaged Los Angeles during the opening weeks of 2025, with Michael offering some first hand experience from LA. We connect this back to some apocalyptic fiction we have covered in previous episodes, in particular Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower.

Links about the LA Fires and the attendant controversies:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-wildfires-los-angeles-fire-chief-budget-cuts/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/12/who-is-kristin-crowley-la-fire-chief

Links to articles mentioned about the Y2K problem:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/31/insider/y2k-crisis.html?smid=tw-share

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5116271/y2k-year-2000-preparations

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/31/millennium-bug-face-fears-y2k-it-systems

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