Alchemy, SOPA and High Priests

I was reading about the closing down of an Australian citizen's popular online storage cloud the other day by the US FBI. This was quite soon after the temporary defeat of the SOPA bill. That bill would have made it easier to close down any website vs sending the FBI halfway around the world to do it. Then it dawned on me. This is no different than money! And that is no different then the worshipping of High Alchemical Priests!

Crazy? Whacked? Tin-Foil? Well maybe, but hear me out a bit. As this is all about the blessing of bits.

Today money, media and information are just bits in various computers. In fact there is no difference in the bits. A bit is either on or off. What is important is the blessing of an order of bits and in who's computer is blessed to store this particular set of bits.

Now in the pre-internet days, the high priests would be the only ones who were entrusted with the power to turn key pushes into blessed bits which could then be converted to tangible commodities, items and services. These high-priests were called Alchemists. Most, when they hear the word Alchemist, think of long haired, bearded wizards trying vainly to convert lead to gold. And most would be mistaken. The Alchemists of today are exceedingly happy about the general ignorance the 99.9% have of their profession today.

Thus we have an alchemy that can only be maintained by ignorance. In fact, I would go so far as to say the 99.9999999% have no understanding. Nonetheless they will act in obeisance to enforce the dictum that only the priests are allowed to bless bits.

So now we have two sets of bits that they covet the most. Money bits and media bits. Money bits is quite obvious, but media bits has recently emerged as both and threat and opportunity. Well the threat must be destroyed early and hence the sudden need for SOPA or FBI raids in Australia against those that dare store the unblessed data bits.

It really does conjure medieval and Tolkien imagery.

Ah to be one of the blessed.