What Makes a Failure a Disaster?

On December 31, 1999, a young sysadmin confidently bet her job that their systems wouldn't go down due to Y2K. Despite the high stakes, she believed in the extensive preparations made throughout 1999 and decided to attend a New Year's Eve party. The massive effort put into risk reduction for Y2K was comparable to the moon landing project. Key strategies included upgrading systems, securely managing zones of control, predicting states, and making low-stakes bets. These methods can be applied in various fields to reduce risks and prevent disasters.