technology industry, the New Year's Eve hangovers have already started.

Because on January 1, 2000 many computers and computer-driven equipment won't know what the date is -- and that will cause havoc with businesses worldwide.

Any application or procedure that is date-driven -- including things like payroll, invoicing, interest calculations and inventory control -- is likely to be affected unless it is "millennium compliant''.

The problem, which stems from a memory-saving programmming technique in the 1960s and 1970s, will cost businesses worldwide hundreds of billions of dollars to identify and fix.

The Bottom Line business magazine's April issue -- available free in stores tomorrow -- devotes its cover story to the Millennium Time Bomb problem. It explains what the problem is and offers expert industry advice on how to deal with it. There's also expert advice for risk managers on insuring against a millennium disaster.

The 108-page colour magazine also includes special coverage on Bermuda's presence at RIMS, North America's biggest insurance showcase. The Risk and Insurance Management Society's annual conference and exhibition takes place in Atlanta next week.

Premier Pamela Gordon, Tourism Minister David Dodwell, Finance Minister Grant Gibbons and international business leaders will spearhead Bermuda's RIMS contingent. An extra run of 2,500 copies of The Bottom Line will be handed out to Atlanta delegates from the official Bermuda booth.

The magazine also includes profiles of Peter Roberts, the new managing director of the Bermuda Commercial Bank, and Arthur Sculley, chairman of the Bermuda Stock Exchange. There's also a look at IBM's Global Network and other corporate networking and telecommunications solutions; advice on how to run a successful small business; and a selective guide to some of Hamilton's best business lunches.

The Bottom Line is published by Crown Communications, a division of The Royal Gazette Ltd. and publishers of RG Magazine.