Posts Tagged: ‘2038 problem’
The 2038 Problem and the Office of the Future on TechStuff
by Jonathan Strickland | November 25, 2009
Greetings from the World of Tomorrow TechStuff! This week, Chris and I fired up the DeLorean, set the time circuits to The Future and blasted off for another pair of exciting podcasts. We have to take a moment to thank Liz, our amazing editor. It’s Liz who adds in all the special sound effects that make our shows even better (in this host’s humble opinion, at any rate). She’s also the person responsible for trimming out mistakes. Not that we make mistakes often. Ahem.
On Monday, we answered a listener request to explain the 2038 problem. Do you remember the hysteria surrounding 2000 and the dreaded Y2K problem? The 2038 problem is similar to that. It all hinges on the way Unix-based systems keep time. The whole story is both bizarre and interesting. For example, did you know that according to Unix, time began on Jan. 1, 1970?
Then on Wednesday, we take all our listeners on a field trip to the future to see how offices will take advantage of emerging technologies. We also learn that the TechStuff Time Machine can get mighty stuffy.
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