Do you spend time fretting over the changing millennium. Picture yourself in 1000 A.D. (a pretty scary place).

James Reston Jr.’s “The Last Apocalypse” reveals a world marked by extremely unfavorable chance and widespread upheaval.

The Vikings were at war with Byzantium, and England was at war with the Danes. During an invasion of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury was clubbed to death by Danish invaders wielding cow bones.

Today’s mainstream fears of entering the threshold to millenniums end do not usually involve being clubbed to death by cow bones.

No, our fears revolve around the paranoia that the Campustown ATM may or may not work correctly on that fateful day.

The paycheck in the mail may be a bit more delayed than usual. The automatic timer on the coffeepot may need a little jostling when the calendar moves over into the next century.

The abbreviated catch phrase that started this frenzy, fueled by suburban cocktail party debates, is Y2K. A conveniently catchy phrase for all potential book titles and sci-fi films.

This year-2000 computer bug, caused by the ancient two-digit dating system in software and hardware, may knock vital systems off-line January 1, 2000.

If there is really going to be nationwide paralysis, it’ll probably be within our judicial system, which will be overflowing with Y2K-related lawsuits.

It’s almost comical. We have gone to the moon, out-witted bloody dictators and conquered diseases spreading to the masses, but two numbers are going to bring the world to a standstill.

I heard someone regurgitate Dennis Miller who said those geeks who spend all their time working on computers can’t handle a date!

Still, the solution for countless Americans is simple: stock up on freeze-dried foods, keep a hoard of cash on hand, grab a generator and a gun, then go running into hiding while protecting your rations from looters who scoffed at your pessimistic views.

Does it seem like I am laying the sarcasm on a little thick? Try this on for size.

A December USA TODAY/National Science Foundation poll found that 65 percent of Americans say they’re probably worried enough to get copies of their financial records in case bank computers fail.

Thirty-one percent say they’ll probably withdraw and set aside a large amount of cash. Twenty-six percent will probably stockpile food and water. Seventeen percent will probably buy a generator and a wood stove. Sixteen percent say they’ll probably withdraw all their money from the bank.

The truth is your bank accounts, your coffeepot, even any electrical problems will only cause minor, if any, setbacks.

A few hours of maintenance (comparable to repairs after a large storm) will set your personal inconveniences at ease.

Nationally, the problem is being taken care of in typical American overanxious style.

However, it will cost the rest of the world anywhere from hundreds of billions to over a trillion dollars to fix the Y2K problem.

While some countries, like the U.S., are sprinting toward the deadline, others are still milling around the starting gate.

The International Herald Tribune listed a World Bank survey of 139 developing countries and found that only 35 percent have a national plan to make systems Y2K compliant.

While the first step is developing a national plan, carrying out such plans is costly. Wealthy countries and large companies have the funds and skilled labor to immunize computers and operating software from the millennium, but many developing countries do not.

How does this affect us?

Well, the U.S. automaker who has spent millions of dollars to fix its computers may still face production delays because of suppliers’ computer glitches in, say, Thailand or Argentina.

Production delays mean a rise in the cost of production and a rise in the cost of production results in a higher cost to you, the consumer.

Even the best-prepared companies won’t know whether oil will flow, international calls will go through, or air-traffic control systems will operate reliably in other parts of the world.

The message is simple. This is a global problem.

We are putting ourselves out on a limb by panicking over the little things that may happen in our individual homes and safeguarding what we think is only the U.S. market.

After billions are spent nationally, the Y2K bug may just bite us in the end.

Take the time to look beyond your windowsill for the real dilemmas of the Y2K problem. Hell, switch to tea for a day.

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Ellyn Peterson is a senior in journalism and international studies from Algona. Her biggest Y2K fear is the champagne shortage.