When two separate species independently evolve the same solution to a problem it is called convergence. In daily life when the same thing happens to several people at the same time, but separately and independently we call that coincidence. Well for the Internet there was a convergent coincidence or a coincidental convergence this last weekend. In the Untied States the government, Elliot Ness style, staged a raid on Internet gamblers, seizing the money, domain names and indicting 11 people. And as with the raids in during prohibition on the bootleggers, the Feds assure us they are guarding the law, protecting our morals and making the world safe for democracy. The only legal analysis I have seen so far comes from I. Nelson Rose, Nelson says the government’s legal case is weak and likely will not bring any convictions, or even trials and the money and domain names will probably have to be returned. However, it is a developing story and we may not know the outcome for months. That story is only half of the coincidence.
The other half of the coincidence comes from Iran. According to Wired and Fastcompany, Iran is establishing its own Internet – Halal Internet – a legal or lawful Internet operating in accordance with Islamic law. Officially, Iranian officials would like to extend the influence of Iran, provide a place that is proper for Muslims online and unofficially Iran would like to be able to exercise more control over internet traffic within Iran. That is a concern of most of the sitting governments in the Middle East, preventing the internet from becoming a vehicle for dissent and revolution.
And there was a third piece to the coincidences of the weekend; Al-Jazeera is trying to open itself up to the twitterers, bloggers and iphone reporters of the world. Al-Jazeera wants to be part of fermenting those same dissent revolutionaries that Halal Iran wants to shut down. To make this a perfect circle, Al-Jazeera now needs to provide an opportunity for poker players in the United States to play – after the shut-down on Black Friday ( April 15, 2011) isn’t playing poker online now a form of political dissent? And as a counter balance such a force for illegal, immoral and wrong behavior encouraged by Al-Jazeera, Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker, Iran and the United States could sign a mutual Internet defense pact.
Ken Adams
rexdstock1
the convergence of these coincidences and your outcome rang true with such finesse i would have preferred voting you a sixth and seventh star today and that is my black swan moment.