Serendipity35

Y2K, short for “Year 2000,” was a potential computer bug caused by how dates were formatted in older software. To save memory space, early computers used two-digit years—like “97” for 1997—which in the new millennium risked misreading “00” as 1900 instead of 2000, potentially disrupting systems that depended on accurate dates (read 101).

Though a kind of panic occurred in 1999, the Y2K issue surfaced in technical literature as early as 1984. Long before it became a global concern, researchers were already flagging the two-digit date flaw. A 1984 book, "Computers in Crisis," outlined how the year 2000 rollover could break financial, governmental, and technical systems if left unaddressed.

In the late 1990s, many feared this glitch could cause widespread failures in banking systems, power grids, transportation networks, and other critical infrastructure. This idea took hold of the public imagination, spawning doomsday predictions, a booming survivalist market, and a massive global push to audit and repair vulnerable systems before the deadline—work that cost an estimated $300B-$500B. 

Because of the extensive preparations, Y2K passed without significant disruptions, however, its legacy endures. The crisis helped modernize global IT systems, accelerated the outsourcing of programming jobs, and exposed society’s dependence on digital infrastructure—prompting long-term shifts in cybersecurity and software maintenance.

The Year 2038 problem is the next potential computer time rollover bug. Many older systems store time as a signed 32-bit integer counting seconds since Jan. 1, 1970. That counter maxes out on Jan. 19, 2038—overflowing into negative time and sending clocks back to 1901, potentially crashing any older software that depends on accurate dates. The Y2K38 bug is also known as the end of 32-bit Unix time and the year 2038 problem.

 

My posts on the blog are about education and technology and often about where those two topics cross. It is rare for politics to enter these posts, but obviously,y politics plays a role in education and technology.

In this ever-crazier federal administration, we find that the Department of State has recently declared a move away from so-called "woke" fonts.

WTF does this mean? The translation of "woke" in this context is  "accessible." Apparently, Times New Roman is the preferred "unwoke" font. 

The US government has long provided a whole suite of accessibility recommendations for its agencies. These include accessible design and universal design. They're all under Section508.gov. This past summer. The website said, "Accessibility is about more than compliance with standards. It’s about developing solutions to meet the needs of all users, with and without disabilities. Universal design, a concept now widely used in the private sector, provides a path for federal agencies to shift to this broader focus."

In December 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a formal directive to revert the Department’s official font from Calibri back to Times New Roman.

While the "woke" terminology comes largely from media headlines and social commentary describing the move, Rubio's official memo explicitly linked the font change to the administration's broader push to dismantle DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) programs.

In a memo titled "Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper," the Department argued that the previous switch to Calibri was a "wasteful" and "radical" initiative. Rubio stated the change was necessary to "restore decorum and professionalism" to official work products, arguing that Calibri was too "informal" and clashed with official letterheads.

The memo cited statistics showing that the number of accessibility remediation cases remained nearly identical before and after the change. A spokesperson stated the return to a serif font aligns with "President Trump’s One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations directive," emphasizing a unified, traditional image for the U.S. government.

More likely, the reverals has more to do with the fact that the Biden Administration in 2023 made the change because sans-serif fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Calibri et al) are generally easier for people with dyslexia or low vision to read on screens.

The current State Dept. labels the Biden change as a "wasteful DEIA program. Supporters of the reversal argue that government communications should look formal and authoritative, and that the previous administration's focus on "inclusive typography" was performative bureaucracy.

Critics (including disability advocates and typography experts) argue that the move ignores the technical benefits of sans-serif fonts for digital accessibility and that labeling a typeface as "woke" is an unnecessary politicization of basic office tools.

I care far less about what the default font might be, but I do care that in the time of war in the Ukraine, Israel and Gaza battles and other hotspots getting hotter around the globe, mass shootings, ICE raids on imigrants, and the U.S. economy continuing to fall, that the administration has the time and budget to care about fonts and reversing almost everything done by the previous aministration. 

 

Marian Croak, a name that may not be familiar to many, has had a profound impact on the way we communicate today. As a renowned American engineer, Croak has spent her career pushing the boundaries of technology, particularly in the realm of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). With over 200 patents to her name, Croak's work has enabled seamless communication over the internet, revolutionizing the way we connect.

Her  U.S. Patent No. 7,599,359 for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Technology was ultimately used to create applications such as Zoom, WhatsApp and many others.

Born on May 14, 1955, in New York City, Croak's interest in technology was sparked by her father, who built her a chemistry set that led to her early exploration of the sciences. She pursued her passion for problem-solving at Princeton University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in 1977. Later, she received a PhD in Social Psychology and Quantitative Analysis from the University of Southern California.

Croak's career spans three decades at Bell Labs and AT&T, where she worked on digital messaging applications and VoIP technologies. Her team convinced AT&T to adopt the TCP/IP protocol, which allowed for standardized communication over the Internet. Croak's work on VoIP enabled the conversion of voice data into digital signals, making it possible to transmit voice, text, and video over the internet.

Another of Croak's notable achievements is her patent for text-based donations to charity. Developed in response to Hurricane Katrina, this technology allowed users to donate to organizations using text messaging. The technology was widely used after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, raising over $43 million for relief organizations. Croak received the 2013 Thomas Edison Patent Award for this innovation.

Croak's contributions extend beyond her technical expertise. As a leader at AT&T, she managed over 2,000 engineers and computer scientists, overseeing programs that impacted millions of customers. In 2014, she joined Google as Vice President of Engineering, focusing on expanding internet access and developing Responsible AI.

Throughout her career, Croak has received numerous accolades for her work. She was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2016 and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022, becoming one of the first two Black women to receive this honor. She has also been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

As Croak herself notes, "Inventors are usually people like you. Sometimes they're good at certain things, other times they're not, and that's ok. Just focus on what you want to change, and you become that change and can make that change happen."

Her legacy serves as a testament to the power of innovation and the impact one person can have on the world. As we continue to navigate the complexities of modern communication, we owe a debt of gratitude to pioneers like Marian Croak, who have worked tirelessly to bring people closer together.

 

I wrote earlier about the issues we were experiencing with the blog's backend. I mentioned that Tim, the IT half of Serendipity35, had created a testing version of the blog on an .icu domain. This .icu domain was new to me, and I had to look it up.

The .icu top-level domain (TLD) quite literally stands for "I See You" and was launched in 2018 as a flexible, globally accessible domain option. “I See You” is probably appealing for brands and individuals who want to convey visibility, connection, or care. It also coincides with the medical abbreviation for Intensive Care Unit though I doubt that any brands want that association.

It officially became available for public registration in 2018, and quickly gained traction due to its affordability and the wide availability of names. The original application was submitted by One.com, a Danish web hosting provider.Since it’s relatively new, many desirable domain names are still unclaimed and it has lower costs. Registration fees are typically lower than traditional domains like .com or .net. The .icu domain is not region-specific, making it suitable for international branding.

While .icu domains are popular for their flexibility, one caveat is that they’ve also been associated with spam and phishing, again because of their low cost and ease of registration. This has led some email providers and security platforms to flag .icu domains more aggressively. That said, legitimate businesses and creators continue to use .icu effectively, especially when paired with strong branding and secure hosting.