Shutdown of US government websites appears bafflingly arbitrary

At midnight on the morning of Oct 1, the American federal government shut down operations as a result of the Congressional budget impasse. Currently there's no immediate end in sight, so a mish-mash of government agencies are open and closed.

National parks and museums are off, but mail is still being delivered to American households. Ars took a quick look at which US government agency websites would be going dark during the shutdown. Those included the Federal Trade Commission, the Library of Congress, and the National Park Service sites. They all planned to go dark and have done so. The federal court system is remaining open, as it has a financial reserve that should last around two weeks. Similarly, the United States Patent and Trademark Office could stay open for approximately four weeks. However, Ars has conducted a more thorough examination of 50-plus different .gov websites. What emerges is a rather bizarre picture. Nearly all of the agencies we looked at are up, even those with a message about the shutdown.