# ColdFusion — Episode 2 (Style Emulation) — “The Year 2038 Bug” Topic: **Year 2038 problem** — the “Y2K” that’s still waiting in some systems Generated: 2026-01-19 Target: ColdFusion documentary/tech-essay tone (calm, cinematic, slightly ominous), ~3:30–4:30, ~150–180 WPM. --- ## 0) Title options 1) **The Year 2038 Bug** 2) **The Next Y2K Is Still Coming** 3) **When Time Breaks (Again)** Thumbnail concepts: - Big: `2038` with smaller: `TIME BREAKS` - Big: `SIGNED INT` with smaller: `03:14:07` --- ## 1) Evidence pack (receipts we can show) Primary receipts (technical references): ``` Linux time(2): https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/time.2.html Linux time(7): https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/time.7.html glibc Y2038 work: https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/Y2038ProofnessDesign ``` Secondary receipts (context): ``` Wikipedia (overview): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem ``` Allowed claims (keep these tight and sourced): - On systems where time is stored as a **signed 32-bit count of seconds since 1970**, it overflows in January 2038. - Modern platforms have been migrating to wider time representations, but long-lived/embedded systems can lag. --- ## 2) ColdFusion-style script (v1) We’ve built an entire digital world on one simple assumption: time will always fit inside the box we put it in. [pause] Most of the time… it does. [micro-pause] But every few decades, reality shows up… and the box breaks. [pause] In the year 2000, we had Y2K. Two digits for the year… and suddenly, computers thought it was 1900. [micro-pause] Now, there’s another one sitting in the distance. Quiet. Technical. Easy to ignore. [pause] It’s called the Year 2038 problem. [pause] On some systems, time is stored as the number of seconds since January 1st, 1970. It’s a simple counter. [micro-pause] And for a long time, that counter was stored in a signed 32-bit integer. [pause] Which means it has a maximum value. And when you hit it… the number wraps. [pause] Time doesn’t just “get weird”. It becomes negative. [micro-pause] And suddenly your software is back in 1901… while the real world is in 2038. [pause] If that sounds abstract, here’s why it matters: time is everywhere. [pause] Certificates expire. Logs are sorted. Backups are scheduled. Databases decide what is “new”. [micro-pause] So when time breaks… nothing fails politely. Everything fails indirectly. [pause] Now, the good news is: this isn’t a surprise. It’s been discussed for years. [micro-pause] Modern operating systems have been moving to 64-bit time. And many platforms will be fine. [pause] But the danger isn’t your laptop. It’s the stuff that lives forever. [micro-pause] Embedded devices. Industrial systems. Old firmware nobody wants to touch. The box in a closet that “just works”… until it doesn’t. [pause] And the scary part is not the date. It’s the silence. [micro-pause] Because time bugs don’t announce themselves with a crash. They show up as a slow corruption of reality. [pause] A file “created in 1901”. A token that “already expired”. A security audit trail that suddenly makes no sense. [pause] So the Year 2038 problem isn’t about the year 2038. It’s about long-lived systems… and assumptions. [pause] Because the next time bug won’t be fixed by changing the calendar. It will be fixed by changing the box. [pause] --- ## 3) Timestamped storyboard (audio-first, 8–12s rows) | t_start | t_end | seconds | VO (tight) | Visual intent | Asset type | Prompt / sourcing notes | On-screen label | Music cue | SFX | Transition | |---:|---:|---:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 0:00 | 0:10 | 10 | We built a digital world on one assumption: time will always fit inside the box we put it in. | Cold open | typography | Slow type reveal, true black, subtle grain. | TIME IN A BOX | bed in (ambient) | sting_tiny | fade in | | 0:10 | 0:20 | 10 | Most of the time, it does. But every few decades, reality shows up, and the box breaks. | Ominous beat | typography | “REALITY” stamp cracks the box icon. | THE BOX BREAKS | bed | boom_soft | cut | | 0:20 | 0:30 | 10 | In 2000, we had Y2K. Two digits for the year, and computers thought it was 1900. | Historical context | typography | Minimal “Y2K” card with 99→00. | Y2K | bed | whoosh_short | cut | | 0:30 | 0:40 | 10 | Now there’s another one waiting. It’s called the Year 2038 problem. | Title reveal | typography | Big “2038” lockup. | 2038 | bed dip | silence_500ms | cut | | 0:40 | 0:52 | 12 | On some systems, time is stored as seconds since January 1st, 1970. It’s a simple counter. | Explain epoch | diagram | Timeline: 1970 → counter ticks. | SECONDS SINCE 1970 | bed | click | cut | | 0:52 | 1:04 | 12 | For a long time, that counter lived in a signed 32-bit integer. Which means it has a maximum. | Core concept | diagram | 32-bit bar filling to the end. | SIGNED 32‑BIT | bed | click | cut | | 1:04 | 1:16 | 12 | And when you hit it, the number wraps. Time becomes negative. | Overflow | diagram | Counter hits max then flips below zero. | OVERFLOW | bed | error_boop | cut | | 1:16 | 1:28 | 12 | Suddenly your software is back in 1901 while the world is in 2038. | Consequence | typography | Split-screen card: 1901 vs 2038. | 1901 | bed dip | silence_500ms | cut | | 1:28 | 1:40 | 12 | If that sounds abstract, here’s why it matters: time is everywhere. | Stakes | montage | 4 icons: cert, logs, backups, DB. | TIME IS EVERYWHERE | bed | whoosh_short | cut | | 1:40 | 1:52 | 12 | Certificates expire. Logs sort. Backups schedule. Databases decide what is “new”. | Examples | montage | Each icon gets a 2s highlight. | CERTS · LOGS · DB | bed | click | cut | | 1:52 | 2:04 | 12 | When time breaks, nothing fails politely. Everything fails indirectly. | Thesis | typography | Calm line, then subtle glitch. | INDIRECT FAILURE | bed dip | silence_250ms | cut | | 2:04 | 2:16 | 12 | The good news is this isn’t a surprise. It’s been discussed for years. | Relief | screenshot | URL: https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/time.7.html
SCROLL_TO_TEXT: 2038 | NOT A SURPRISE | bed | click | cut | | 2:16 | 2:28 | 12 | Modern systems are moving to 64-bit time, and many platforms will be fine. | Fix | screenshot | URL: https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/Y2038ProofnessDesign | 64‑BIT TIME | bed | click | cut | | 2:28 | 2:40 | 12 | But the danger isn’t your laptop. It’s the stuff that lives forever. | Pivot | typography | “LIVES FOREVER” card, slow zoom. | LONG‑LIVED SYSTEMS | bed | whoosh_short | cut | | 2:40 | 2:52 | 12 | Embedded devices. Industrial systems. Old firmware nobody wants to touch. | Examples | montage | Icons + silhouettes, minimal. | EMBEDDED | bed | whoosh_short | cut | | 2:52 | 3:04 | 12 | Time bugs don’t always crash. They show up as a slow corruption of reality. | Ominous | typography | “CORRUPTION” word slowly distorts. | CORRUPTION | bed dip | silence_500ms | cut | | 3:04 | 3:16 | 12 | A file created in 1901. A token already expired. A trail that makes no sense. | Symptoms | ui | Three UI mock cards with dates. | 1901 DATES | bed | click | cut | | 3:16 | 3:28 | 12 | The Year 2038 problem isn’t about the year 2038. It’s about assumptions. | Reframe | typography | “ASSUMPTIONS” with underline. | ASSUMPTIONS | bed dip | silence_250ms | cut | | 3:28 | 3:40 | 12 | Because the fix isn’t changing the calendar. It’s changing the box. | Final line | typography | Box expands to 64-bit. | CHANGE THE BOX | bed out | sting_tiny | fade |