Photo of the day

Considering what's happening across the sea and given my "affection" for the internet, this is the image of the day (2011/02/14) for me. (click to enlarge)

It was taken by Paula Nelson and published in the Boston Globe along with 39 other photos. It shows some anti-government Egyptian bloggers working with laptops and cell phones in a corner of Tahrir Square, after getting electricity and plugging in a chain of power strips.

I don't know if you understand the power of this image. These guys, in the midst of the chaos, do what they feel they have to do and blog, albeit with great difficulty. Let's remember that, on that famous January 27th, the government imposed a ban on ADSL and wireless lines, including cell phones, on telcos. However, after a few days, the internet resumed functioning intermittently thanks to amateur radio operators and old landline modems connected to the French Data Network, which provided free connections on international analog lines.

On February 2nd, connections were at least partially restored (RIPE data here).

In Egypt, the median age is 24, and more than two-thirds of the population is under 30. It's impossible to say now what will happen in this country and the rest of the Middle East, but this is a good sign that does away with cultural stereotypes about the Arab masses and theories about "bringing democracy." Democracy can't be brought; if it succeeds, it arrives (and then there's no guarantee it will stay).

The following video is Sout Al Horeya صوت الحريه “The sound of freedom” (with English subtitles), credited to Moustafa Fahmy, Mohamed Khalifa, and Mohamed Shaker (but other sources cite other names), one of the many songs born in recent days and put online.

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