The message that comes through strong and clear is that systems are going to make the transition to Y2K just fine. Needed changes have been identified and completed. So far, things look good. Financial institutions routinely work with loans, mortgages and life insurance policies that mature in the 21st Century. Travel agents already sell airline tickets for flights in Year 2000 without any problems.
Problems are already few and far between, with a year to go.
Our institutions are going to provide our needs, from petroleum to power to paychecks to pants, with the same level of service as before. Given the complexity of modern networked computers, we ll surely find some minor things someone forgot to change. Small glitches, especially in small systems and small companies, will probably occur. But those will be quickly corrected. Planes will still fly, eggs will still fry, and babies will still cry.