Y2K Leader Is Recognized for Worldwide Efforts to Avert Problems

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Minden, NV, December 23, 2009 — Lifeboat Foundation’s 2009 Guardian Award has been given to Peter de Jager on the tenth anniversary of Y2K, which he helped avert. This award is in recognition of his 1993 warning in ComputerWorld which alerted the world to the potential disaster that might have occurred on January 1, 2000 and his efforts in the following years to create global awareness of the problem, and the possible solutions. His presentations, articles, and more than 2,000 media interviews contributed significantly to the world’s mobilization to avoid that fate.

Hopefully we can all learn from this example of how foresight and preparedness can indeed avert catastrophe as technology marches ahead.

“Let us learn from the Y2K success by applying its worldwide mobilization method to future problems and not mislearn from it that all future problems will just solve themselves somehow so we can ignore them,” said Eric Klien, president of the Lifeboat Foundation.

About Guardian Award

This award is annually bestowed upon a respected scientist or public figure who has warned of a future fraught with dangers and encouraged measures to prevent them. Past winners have included Stephen Hawking, Ray Kurzweil, England’s Prince Charles, and Warren Buffett.

About Peter de Jager

Peter de Jager is a speaker/writer/consultant on the issues relating to the Rational Assimilation of the Future. He has published hundreds of articles on topics ranging from Problem Solving, Creativity, and Change to the impact of technology on areas such as privacy, security, and business. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Futurist, and Scientific American.

Having spoken in 37 countries, Peter is recognized worldwide as an exciting, provocative and engaging speaker. His audiences have included the World Economic Forum, The World Bank, and The Bank for International Settlements.

His presentations use humor to challenge the myths surrounding our understanding of the Change process and the benefits of technology. His talks are suitable to both staff and upper management. His single-minded objective, despite the global nature of some of the issues, is always to provide actionable solutions and new avenues of approach to seemingly intractable problems.

Peter’s website is http://www.technobility.com and his email address is pdejager@technobility.com.

About Lifeboat Foundation

The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI, as we move towards the Singularity.