As the clock counts down to the year 2000, hysteria rises when computer experts and “Y2K Paul Revere” Peter de Jager raise the alarm about the discovery of a computer flaw that, at the stroke of the year 2000, would switch omnipresent two-digit year signifiers from 99 to 00, causing a meltdown of computer systems worldwide. In a mad scramble to fix the glitch, computer engineers and programmers grapple with code in a race against the clock. While some of the population are only mildly concerned, others stockpile arms and seek remote shelters to prepare for the impending doomsday, while industry booms with a proliferation of end-of-days products. Co-directors Marley McDonald and Brian Becker employ archival footage to take us on an immersive journey into the past to explore this pivotal moment in history—a turning point in our understanding of the fragility of manufactured systems and how industry capitalizes on widespread fear.
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