Customer Reviews

Practical Jack's CheckList for Y2K

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This is an excellent guide for preparing for Y2K, from an individual family perspective. Miller doesn't waste time explaining how the bug happened, or what corporations are doing to correct the problem. He focuses on what you and I need to do to get ready for the very likely reality that many things will go a bit haywire on January 1, 2000. His best piece of advice is to start getting ready NOW. Don't wait until December. By then if you aren't ready, you'll just have to sit tight and hope for the best. Also, things will probably start to get a bit crazy in November and December as other people realize they are late getting started.

Miller's advice is very practical and down to earth, explaining the basic, simple things we can all do to prepare. He doesn't preach about doomsday or Armageddon. He assumes that society won't collapse around us, just that things could get a bit tough. His spreadsheet checklist makes it incredibly easy (using your computer, ironically) to go through and choose what you may need to store and be ready for. He makes many suggestions beyond just storing water, providing useful insight into what it takes to survive a little while without the day to day things we take for granted now.

I highly recommend this electronic book. The price is right, and it could save you a lot of grief the first month of 2000.

I have read a number of good (and not so good) books on Y2K. The kind of book that has been most useful for me is those that help me plan a course of action to minimize the impact of personal disruptions expected because of Y2K. What sets "Practical Jack's Checklist for Y2K" apart for me are: (1) As an electronic book (formatted in HTML) it takes full advantage of hyperlink functionality. This not only makes the Table of Contents and Index a joy to use but also leads me to associated topics from within the chapters. (2) The checklist (in Excel format) follows the organization of the electronic book. This has been extremely helpful as a starting point for me to organize and track my preparation efforts.

Miller covers the full range of planning tips, from trash to family fun. His style is light and conversational; but make no mistake, this is a serious book. The real genius is the spreadsheet checklist - you enter the items you use on an everyday basis, and the checklist automatically computes how many you have to buy and store - and at what cost - for Y2K. This makes planning a lot more efficient; there's no guesswork here.