Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban

[jimmy olsen]

Banning internet cafes is stupid in and of itself.

Link to the actual law
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0155

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/florida-banned-computers_n_3561701.html?

Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers, Smart Phones In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban: Lawsuit

Posted: 07/08/2013 11:59 am EDT  |  Updated: 07/09/2013 6:32 pm EDT

When Florida lawmakers recently voted to ban all Internet cafes, they worded the bill so poorly that they effectively outlawed every computer in the state, according to a recent lawsuit.

In April Florida Governor Rick Scott approved a ban on slot machines and Internet cafes after a charity tied to Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll was shut down on suspicion of being an Internet gambling front -- forcing Carroll, who had consulted with the charity, to resign.

Florida's 1,000 Internet cafes were shut down immediately, including Miami-Dade's Incredible Investments, LLC, a café that provides online services to migrant workers, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The owner, Consuelo Zapata, is now suing the state after her legal team found that the ban was so hastily worded that it can be applied to any computer or device connected to the Internet, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Miami Herald.

The ban defines illegal slot machines as any "system or network of devices" that may be used in a game of chance.

And that broad wording can be applied to any number of devices, according to the Miami law firm of Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, who worked with constitutional law attorney and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz.

The suit maintains that the ban was essentially passed "in a frenzy fueled by distorted judgment in the wake of a scandal that included the Lieutenant Governor's resignation" and declares it unconstitutional.

[Josquius]

I guess in this day and age internet cafes tend to be just used by the dodiger segments of society, things have changed in the last 10 years.
But yes, stupid.

[Syt]

Would they ban public access library computers with internet access, too?

[CountDeMoney]

All this to prevent Lettow from washing his homeless dick in the sink?

[Richard Hakluyt]

There's quite a lot of this sort of stuff going on these days. Someone does something illegal, gets caught and punished........so far so good; then, for no apparent reason, a crappy new restrictive law is rushed through 

[Syt]

There's quite a lot of this sort of stuff going on these days. Someone does something illegal, gets caught and punished........so far so good; then, for no apparent reason, a crappy new restrictive law is rushed through 

Politicians seem to have taken it on them to appear active in such cases, no matter how needless it might be. Also, there's an increasing tendency to make laws that not only target crime, but remove any opportunity for crime.

[Lettow77]

 There is more context to this than is immediately apparent; internet cafes are used in many southern places as psuedo-gambling institutions in a manner that circumvents the written law for gambling.

But yes, it is unfortunate.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yes, but some guns are used by criminals, some houses are used as brothels and some cars are driven by drunks.......

The sensible thing to do is to send Captain Renault on regular inspection tours of the internet cafes to make sure that no gambling is taking place.

[Lettow77]

 I didn't really say "some" though. "many" might be a better word. Internet Cafes are not really a natural fit for the culture of the area; internet penetration is enormous and few people would use them for their intended purposes.  It is quite frequently a front for gambling.

This is all a shame, since internet cafes are wonderful.

[jimmy olsen]

Yes, but some guns are used by criminals, some houses are used as brothels and some cars are driven by drunks.......

The sensible thing to do is to send Captain Renault on regular inspection tours of the internet cafes to make sure that no gambling is taking place.

I don't know if he's the right man for the job.

[CountDeMoney]

In unrelated, yet very cool news.  Adios Lettows, hipsters and gay Polish lawyers who think they're hipsters.

Coffee shops look to oust 'laptop hobos'
As more workers treat the local cafe as an office, more owners are limiting their ability to hang out all day.

Are today's coffee shops meant to be the new office space for America's disconnected workers? Many establishments, especially the big chains like Starbucks (SBUX -0.78%), offer free, unlimited Wi-Fi service for their patrons -- presumably to let people linger and add to the ambiance. "We want to provide you with a great digital experience to go with your great cup of coffee," the coffee chain's website says.

But Starbucks and small, independent coffeehouses alike now have growing concerns about the large number of customers who camp out for hours at their tables. These "laptop hobos" are working, surfing the Web, using the shop's outlets as an unlimited power supply for their wireless devices and occasionally getting downright territorial with other customers over space.

Some shops say they've had enough. They're either laying down customer rules for Wi-Fi use or eliminating it at certain hours -- or even altogether -- while blocking their wall outlets.

"It got to the point where we had customers watching YouTube videos and blasting them at full volume," Jason Burgett, a co-owner of the Wooden Spoon in Denver, told the Denver Post. Last year, Burgett's coffee shop disabled its Wi-Fi and banned laptops and tablets.

"We're a small shop with only 16 seats," he added. "We prefer that our customers have the opportunity for social interaction."

Even the big restaurant and coffee chains seem to be aware of the issue. Panera Bread (PNRA -1.39%) now has a 30-minute Wi-Fi limit between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. "This time limit helps us service more customers at our peak business hours and frees up more tables," Panera spokeswoman Missy Robinson told the Post.

As for Starbucks, a spokewoman told the newspaper individual shops can make their own decisions when it comes to customers and Wi-Fi use. But Reuters earlier reported some New York City Starbucks stores have blocked their electrical outlets to discourage laptop users from staying too long.

For centuries cafes have been places where people go to meet, trade gossip, network and otherwise come together informally, and some coffee shops are trying to encourage that social interaction again by taking action against the laptop hobos.

In Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood last year, Eleazar Delgado decided to limit Wi-Fi access at his Cafe Jumping Bean during peak weekday lunch hours and to turn it off on weekends.

Delgago told the Chicago Tribune he made the decision after his lunchtime regulars complained they were being crowded out by laptop users. He originally worried his decision would kill business, but he found his revenue went up about 30%.

"I was amazed," Delgado said. "The weekend policy worked like a charm. . . . People were hanging out. Now we have space for people to eat."

[Ed Anger]

I like to watch the chicks at Panara Bread. 

[garbon]

I should go to Panera today.

[CountDeMoney]

Not cold enough yet for tomato bisque.

[derspiess]

I like to watch the chicks at Panara Bread. 

You'd love the one near me.  Not a girl working there over the age of 20.