Why Your GPS May Fail Tomorrow

If you're old enough to remember the Y2K scare in 1999, you might actually get to see some of the chaos they promised back then this weekend. Some older computers that rely on the 24 Global Positioning System satellites orbiting the Earth could go 20 years out of date at 6:59 tomorrow night.

When they designed the system in 1980 they only had enough storage space for little more than one thousand weeks. When it hits the limit, which is Saturday, the counters reset to zero. Most utilities and major businesses have been getting warnings of the change for a couple of years.

In 1999 there were many worries that older computers would not be able to adjust to the Year 2000 date change, and it would cause a lot of trouble. However, there were few problems after months of hype.

I remember buying my first GPS and placing it on the dashboard. I loved it because I am bad at directions. Because I was a politician, I also appreciate the device because I often had to drive into towns and look around for where I needed to go. Before the GPS, I normally looked for a church spire (I attended a lot of church suppers! Yes, it was to meet constituents, but it was also because I love hamballs).

Like most folks, though, my smartphone replaced the GPS device. I have a magnet on my dashboard and use a map app all the time. And because I am STILL directionally-challenged, it's always....rerouting....


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