Executive Director, Intermission Magazine
"Personally, I'm buying tons of toilet paper and Tampax, because that'll be the new currency during that week or two lag when the entire world shuts down. I'll be selling them back at 10 bucks a roll, 5 bucks a pad."
Kevin O'Leary
Maitre d', O'Leary's Restaurant & Bar
"They're making too big a deal out of this. From what they say, the banking — all the money in the U.S. — is gonna go haywire. But how do you prepare for it? We had the computer experts come in, and they said that we're ready for it. That's kind of like taking a meteorologist at their word. I mean, people swear up and down by meteorologists who're wrong 75 percent of the time, and still everybody loves them. So are the computer experts going to be correct? I sure as hell hope so."
Mary McClellan, D.D.S.
Dentist, St. Louis University Dental Group
"I'm praying that my computer at work doesn't go down and I lose track of all my patients. But I'm more worried about leaving my daughter alone on New Year's Eve. She's going on 16."
Anthony "Harpo" Ventimiglia
Tomato Packer, Franklin Produce
"I ain't doin' nothin'. Why should I? I ain't got nothin' now and I'm gonna end up with nothin'. And I'll believe it when I see it happen, not when somebody tells me it's gonna happen. Nothin' might happen at all. They said the world was gonna end and that didn't happen. I believe what's gonna hit you is gonna hit you, and there ain't nothin you can do about it."
Alex Klein
Principal Oboist, Chicago Symphony
"My oboe doesn't have a chip, so I'm not too concerned. There will be enough people worried about it. Bill Gates will worry, military brass will worry, politicians will worry. They have more at stake. I can go two months on the reserves in my house, but they can't go two months without turning on a computer."
Larry Beckham
Science-Fiction Writer
"I make sure that the software I use is up to date. This whole thing is definitely overblown. There will be problems, but it won't be a matter of planes falling out of the sky or banks going bust. I intend to carry on as normal, which, for other people, would be considered "survivalist.' I'm prepared for almost any short-term disaster. I always have flashlights, stored water and lots of rice. But here's the thing: If you start depending on computer technology, you're in deep yogurt."
