"Sir! Please put DOWN that iPhone and STEP AWAY!!"
The Great State of Florida has just made computers and smart phones
illegal.
Seriously: Heather Kelly of CNN reported Tuesday (http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/tech/gaming-gadgets/florida-slot-machine-law)
that a new law was passed which makes any device which can allow gambling to be
a “slot machine”. But the wording is so broad that it includes any computer of
any kind on any network where gambling can occur -- to be illegal. You can’t make
this up.
Of course, the Florida legislature did not intend for this. What they intended
was to find a way to block computer gambling and close the internet gambling
cafés. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the wording resulted in a law that if
enforced would shut down the entire Floridian economy.
Pop quiz: Which “road” is paved with good intentions?
To be fair, Florida does have issues regarding gambling, and (if properly
taxed and regulated) could harvest some serious income for the state. But, the
level of competence exhibited here does demonstrate why it is important for all
people – even politicians – to understand what technology is first before
figuring out how to control it.
There is an old business adage which goes "You cannot control what you do not measure. And, you cannot measure what you do not understand."
Perhaps the Florida legislature should take our CIS120 class. In
chapter 1, we learn that there are actually many different kinds of computers.
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