Y-Zero-K Problem


Translated from Latin scroll dated 2BC




Dear Cassius:

Are you still working on the Y zero K problem? This change from BC to
AD is giving us a lot of headaches and we haven't much time left. I
don't know how people will cope with working the wrong way around.
Having been working happily downwards forever, now we have to start
thinking upwards. You would think that someone would have thought of
it earlier and not left it to us to sort it all out at this last minute.

I spoke to Caesar the other evening. He was livid that Julius hadn't
done something about it when he was sorting out the calendar. He said
he could see why Brutus turned nasty. We called in Consultus, but he
simply said that continuing downwards using minus BC won't work and as
usual charged a fortune for doing nothing useful. Surely we will not
have to throw out all our hardware and start again? Macrohard will
make yet another fortune out of this I suppose.

The money lenders are paranoid of course! They have been told that
all usury rates will invert and they will have to pay their clients to
take out loans. Its an ill wind ......

As for myself, I just can't see the sand in an hourglass flowing
upwards. We have heard that there are three wise men in the East who
have been working on the problem, but unfortunately they won't arrive
until it's all over.

I have heard that there are plans to stable all horses at midnight at
the turn of the year as there are fears that they will stop and try to
run backwards, causing immense damage to chariots and possible loss of
life.

Some say the world will cease to exist at the moment of transition.
Anyway, we are still continuing to work on this blasted Y zero K
problem. I will send a parchment to you if anything further develops.

If you have any ideas please let me know,

Plutonius