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[Mongrel]

So anyway, this stuff seems pretty run-of-the-mill so far. Some of the less-badly-off Arab states have enough wealth and education spread around that a critical mass of folks finally decided tinplate dictatorships are stupid AND have decided to act on that. Good for them, and I mean that in an entirely non-sarcastic way.

What's really REALLY interesting is the unprecedented effects that have flowed from Mubarek's decision to literally* shut off every ISP in the country, functionally erasing an entire nation from the Internet (minus a TINY ISP which hasn't been shutdown because they host the Egyptian Stock Exchange). 

I won't go into details here unless someone wants more info (and most of you tech folks probably know this stuff better than me anyway), but it's really neat. It sucks for the Egyptians of course (their entire economy may simply stop on Monday morning - we'll see), but it will be the world's first true object lesson on how critical the internet has become. On the plus side, it may prevent similar action in worse circumstances in future (i.e. if this goes terribly badly for the Egyptians, it may prevent Iran or other countries with more repressive governments from going too far with internet shutdowns in future. Maybe. Possibly.)

Either way, it's fascinating.

*_{Here used in the most correct way possible.}

[Mongrel]

So apparently the Egyptian army has given Morsi 24 hours to acknowledge the anti-islamist protests in some meaningful way, a day after he blew off vaguer threats from the army chief.

Things are gonna get interesting...

[Mongrel]

Coup underway. Whoops!

[François]

Well hey, a military takes action because of massive popular protests, and it's the government that's on the business end.  That coulda gone hella worse.

[Mongrel]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324399404578583932317286550.html

Egyptians would be lucky if their new ruling generals turn out to be in the mold of Chile's Augusto Pinochet, who took power amid chaos but hired free-market reformers and midwifed a transition to democracy.

Did the WSJ just whitewash a reviled dictator's reign or repression? I hear Hitler did great things for Germany's economy.

I... wow.

[Mongrel]

This kid is pretty cool.
 
Egypt : The Next President

That's fairly impressive even if it turns out the kid is being coached - he's articulate enough and emotionally invested enough in it that he's communicating really well and clearly knows the material himself. Like this is not just regurgitation.

[Bal]

Shit god damn, that kid is fucking informed.