Last week Egypt took itself off of the internet.
Did you learn how it was done? Try here.
Do you think it can happen in your country, say America?
In fact, do you know even how you reach the internet and what your options are?
There are many lessons from what's happening in Egypt. I hope for a quick and positive resolution, the minimal amount of casualties, and the best for all. I also hope people take a serious hard took at the Internet and how important it is because someone turned off a country.
Some time ago I ranted on how people really didn't understand how the modern world was possible and why things ran the way they did. I've praised shows like Dirty Jobs and Mythbusters for showing us how the world works (while often being funny and blowing stuff up). This is the serious side of all my little tirades.
Someone shut a country off the internet. Yes, many people are noting that's horrible. Some particularly egregious individuals are probably looking at Egypt and getting ideas.
We're geeks, progeeks, the modern-day literati. We need to know how information and culture works – and what can screw it up. We also are the kind of people who can be aware of it and help raise awareness because we're neck-deep in tech, communications, and media.