5 Doomsday Predictions We Can Look Forward To (And 3 In The Distant Future)

The 2038 problem directly relates to computer and data storage situations in which time is calculated and stored in a signed 32-bit integer. January 1 1970 was arbitrarily picked as the starting point of computer time and many computers calculate time by number of seconds that have passed since that date and store them in a 32-bit integer.

It sounds complicated but just think of it like your vehicle’s odometer, when it reaches 999,999km/m it will roll over and reset to all zeros. Devices using a 32-bit integer for storing time values will do essentially do the same one second past 3:14:07 UTC on January 19 2038.

The major difference is that in your vehicle, you will keep driving after your odometer resets to zero but when computer time resets to zero, it will cause erroneous calculations in the computer systems making its data unusable and any functions requiring that data to cease operation or operate inaccurately. The last thing you would want when flying is to have the plane’s GPS system cease operation or present inaccurate data.

Failure to address this programming issue before 2038 will result in a wide range of failures to cell phones, internet services, military applications, transportation systems and much more. Many systems have already been upgraded to 64-bit so it’s likely that by 2038 the world will have been able to address this problem but it is essential that governments, businesses and people continue to be proactive in upgrading outdated systems in order to avoid this digital doomsday.