Last week, the NASDAQ exchange froze for three hours due to a faulty connection. On Monday, Europe’s largest derivatives market shut down for an hour because of a glitch. Last month, 14,000 people in rural Iowa lost internet access after a minor car crash crushed a cable. In 2011, the entire country of Egypt had a total internet blackout after officials ordered the country’s ISPs to flip a few switches; the Syrian government is now doing the same. In late 2006, most of Asia had the same experience after a minor earthquake cut a transatlantic cable.