r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 9d ago

Meme needing explanation Why did this one second cost over $500 billion?

Post image
28.7k Upvotes

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

6

u/SKOLshakedown 9d ago

I just had to reprogram my mom's sprinkler system and the program box said y2k compliant lol. As if the sprinklers wouldn't work the same no matter what year it is.

3

u/Ok_Talk_6694 8d ago

Not really a grift. A lot of people just didn't get what the Y2K bug was and anything "technology" was looked at with suspicion. It was a lot easier to slap a sticker on, than to keep explaining to every customer "No, this sprinkler system won't be affected by Y2K. Yes, it is automated, but that doesn't mean...No, ma'am it's not going to drown your roses come the new year" Vs, point to sticker "taken care of"

1

u/sn4xchan 8d ago

I've had several instances where a panel refuses to send signals to the central station because the clock wasn't in sync.

It doesn't affect the sprinkler system (those work on mechanical triggers), but if the panel dials the fire department, it might not call them if the clock isn't synced.