The perils of modern interdependency

Apparently, Armenia lost internet for a few hours last week. The whole country.

Let's have a thought-experiment, shall we? We often discuss our dependency on commodities, particularly oil. But what about our dependency on timely (indeed, instantaneous) information? One of the nice things about our technology infrastructure is that its very nature is built in nodes and is decentralized. Nevertheless, there continue to be ways to threaten a significant portion of our information infrastructure (can we coin the expression "Infostructure?" Doesn't it sound modern and progressive?) through such things as electromagnetic pulses, attacks on our satellite systems, or cyberattacks. Protecting this infrastructure may be as important as any physical bridge or securing a supply of cheap and reliable energy.

Fortunately, the internet in the US (and in most of Europe) has back-ups, duplications, and special software to protect against this. But it never hurts to be reminded of our vulnerabilities.