We like to think of ourselves as the Microsoft of the energy world - Enron CEO Kenny Lay
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A third of the US does not use the Internet
THE FORMER BRITISH COLONY of Virginia appears to be a little backward when it comes to using the world wide web.
According to figures reported by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), nearly a third of the US population doesn't use the Internet at all, either at work or at home.
Based on a survey of 50,000 people, new Census Bureau data shows that the poor, the elderly and minorities continue to lag behind other groups. About 64 per cent of households have an Internet connection, which is more than the 51 per cent that did in 2007. Those who didn't have access either claimed it wasn't needed or was too expensive.
Some Americans insisted that they were still trying to adopt the wheel, while others said that using fire was proving trickier than they had thought and a small minority were still having difficulty with using opposable thumbs. Only 11 per cent of people said the reason they didn't use the Internet was because they lived in a rural area where banjo picking interfered with broadband signals.
The US figures cover wireless, dial up connections and broadband. NTIA is currently handing out billions of dollars in grants to try to get broadband Internet access rolled out to rural and outlying suburban areas.
In Blighty more than 90 per cent of the population have an Internet connection and 88 per cent have broadband.
This larger Internet takeup in the UK is probably because the British have a constitutional monarchy, a more representative democracy, a national health system and a longer history that's is not based on the myth that the terrorists who founded the country were freedom fighters. µ
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You load sixteen pages,
and what do you get?
Another day older
and deeper in debt.
Saint Murdock don't you call me_
'cause I can't go_
I owe my soul to the company store.
not gambit. Still having coffee... We lazy Americans take longer to wake up ;)
I was merely pointing out that the comment was out of line. I'm not justifying America's beginnings, slavery or slaughtering American Indians. If you re-read my post, carefully, you will understand that I'm suggesting hypocrites keep their mouths shut; lest they sound like your idea of a stereotypical American. I don't give a flying rats arse about Mel Gibson (not American) or Disney. A modicum of intellectual honesty if you would, my British "cousins". America was yet another British attempt at conquest.
I think it would be apropos to note here a sort of trend among The Inquirer's authors. Insecurity is common among middle aged white males. Especially among deposed, formerly global super powers. But the tongue in cheek, not-so-thinly veiled America bashing is getting a bit stale. Unfortunately for you guys, we are all human. Yup. Basically the same. Sorry to burst your pompous bubbles... Us Americans run the gambit from complete dolts to Carl Sagans. Love it or hate it =)
Anyway, keep up the good tech posts. And bash away. These are just my opinions.
....not at the article, funny as it is but at the posturing and holier than thou attituides of commenters. Yes the UK had slavery, so did the US oh and anyone remember the Barbary pirates?
The US is populated with ex-europeans amongst others...any American Indians have real cause for complaint. Only ~10% of the UK is urbanised etc.etc.
Let's face it no nation is innocent we're (the UK) are no longer top dogs which if you know your history happens to all great nations, hint to our US cousins..
Oh and as for a "Federal Republic" you get the same problems, corruption, lies and vested interests. However at least when we had a monarch we could chop off his head if he messed up!!
That is because you believe the Disney/Mel Gibson version of US history. There never was a tyranny and most Americans supported King George. What the rebels was good at was spin. The rebels represented about 27% of two and quarter million colonists which is why they knew the would never win any referendum calling for independence.
Hancock was a very weathly smuggler, but the British had undercut his overpriced business and summoned him to appear in court when the war broke out. Washington became involved because he wanted more Indian land. The British had blocked colonist expansion at the expense of the Indians. The Colonists wanted to genocide the Indians but the British were opposed because the Indians had helped them fight against the French. The Americans wanted British protection but were at that time paying a 40th of the tax of the average brit. The UK economy was suffering from fighting the French and it field that Americans had to pay their way.
Washington was at least as harsh on his troops as any British commander or even more so, as he would extend any lashing over several days for those he disapproved of, waiting for wounds to scab over before having them opened up again, then time and time again.
History has proven that most of the claims of war crimes against the British were just propaganda. However their own POW camps were designed to exterminate loyalists usually by starvation. But they often hung or shot them.
The rebels ignored pleas for surrender . In one case they took surrendering British soldiers such as Major Ferguson and killed them and hacked their body to pieces.
Those loyalists that didn't flee ran the risk of being dispossessed, tortured or even murdered. Look up the meaning of the word Lynch Mob and you will see that living in the US after the revolution was similar to being in Iran.
How does it go?
"Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone"...?
Your calling the American revolutionaries terrorists is pretty pathetic (and hypocritical). Are you that unaware of your own history??? I love the inquirer... and I agree with most of your criticisms.. especially about Americans... but this one really missed the "funny" mark.
British tyranny finally failed here in America. Get over it. Now you're just a tiny little island with horrible culinary skills and selective memory. Sure, 90 percent of you have internet access. America has 5 times the population and my arrogant American schlong is larger than the whole of your entire geography. Not including the "colonies" your perfect people raped and pillaged of course. In other words, I think your America bashing sarcasm derailed with the terrorist comment.
The sun has long set on the British Empire my friends...
Faithfully yours,
Gavin
or is that 2/3's
guess iam confused...
iam not stewy
it made me laugh a bit
though iam not sure how tongue and cheek
it really is
growing poverty here in the US
will make for less interconnectivity
compaired to the rest of the civilized world
dont forget
that a third of the us population now
works for Walmart
and cant afford a internet connection
nor even a cheap lindows box
but
stats are bent
to those producing the studies
to further thier agendas
and i take em with a grain of salt
i bet that third
are our government employees
and those poor saps working at Fry's electronics stores...
I have visited the inquierer for years, and must say that while it used to be a very cleverly written web site, this article is not funny at all, and this person who wrote it should consider going out and getting a real life instead of spending so much time in front of a computer.
Oh, FOX!
Sorry...
Keep them coming!
Well what a helpful article! Just filled to the brim with nasty sneering from someone who certainly knows better!
Here's a couple of Facts for ya NickMeister:
1 The U.K. is 79th in land area at 93,800 sq. miles.
The U.S.A. is 4th in land area at 3,717,813 sq. miles. (Wiki numbers)
Just about every bit of your wonderful country (NOT sarcasm) has been cut, plowed under, bombed, tilled, paved over, or otherwise used up at least once or twice -except for Stonhenge. Over here in your former colony - now the greatest nation on the planet - we still haven't let big biz get at all of OUR resources yet - G the Boy King Bush's attempts not withstanding. The population differences are similar. We have vast areas of very sparsely populated areas that are difficult to plumb for internet service with anything other than (arrggg!) dial-up. As for the rest of your Inq-rant-norance, well, I'm not too surprised. Envy on such a large scale is what causes wars and such. Speaking of which - take a guess why all of you Brits are still speaking English instead of German -- twice!! Sorry you're in such a snit. Say, why not go out and get some nice fish and chips (THE national cuisine of England) and calm down with a few pints (y'all do make very good beer over there). By the way, did you know that France, your oh so good buddy, is a country almost THREE TIMES as big as your little island (244,339 sq. miles). They still speak French over there too, I believe, and again, it's because we saved ALL of your collective butts a few years back - and would again if you needed saving. Hate on the folks that really need hating on.
Lucky for us we have CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN to give us THEIR view of the news which is obviously correct because they are liberal and therefore very very smart. We are so lucky to have Induhviduals like Nikki the author are so enlightened.
I use milk but I don't have a cow at home.
A lot of people probably still don't use a home computer, they can use one at work or at school, or a library or a web cafe. So why get ripped off for home connection charges?
Or, what about Internet on your phone, did they include that, do people even realise that's what it is...
I use 3G almost exclusively, at home. As fallback, I have a modem. A real one!
It would be well worth the cost of providing fee internet to the people if it can help save us from wasting trillions of dollars on useless carbon cap and trade laws.
There must be some reason people would vote for this guy. Or could it be that Americans are just that dumb.
As a Canadian, I am often ashamed of the other qualities we have as people, so aptly demonstrated by "nuckynoo". Deep seated insecurity and resentment towards our more powerful and relevant neighbor, the US. Our hateful resentment, serves to makes us both ugly, and hypocritical. There is much to be envied about the US, as well as our own country. Overall, however, the governmental systems, and the people, are remarkably similar. Though we pride ourselves on "universal" (it's not actually) health care, we still have not solved the issue of flocks of wealthy Canadians seeking treatment in the US due to terrifyingly long waiting lists. Nevertheless, we're always up for a good cheap, ignorant, Fox news, or Sarah Palin shot! Our politicians are indeed, informed, benevolent, incorruptible angels.
the reason a lot of americans dont have internet is because our nation actually covers a large amount of land, and you cant drive 45 minutes and reach every city in the country. and a lot of us dont need internet, we have many people who live off the land, dont want internet and dont need it. and can anyone tell me how britains health care is better than the US? especially when thousand of brits fly to the states for treatment to pay for it, than have the free crap you have?
Like most journalists the first casualty of Farrel's writing is that inconvenient impediment to a good if dishonest story: the truth. It is not true that 'More than than 90% of Blighty has an Internet connection' as he states. The figures Nielsen On-line give as of June 09 is 79.8%. Which at least means that 20.2 % of the UK's population are lucky enough not to be tainted by Nick Farrel's preposterous , tedious and repetitive posturings.
Love the post - I rarely comment. Makes me appreciate our system up here in the cold white north (Canada) even more - universal healthcare, democratic system, hardly any gun-toting or invading other people's lands, low crime... Ok sure it's cold and I don't get to pick the leader of my political party, so I guess I'll have to wear a sweater and vote for the other party if I don't like them.. And yeah taxes are higher, but I'd rather my local donut shop employee got $10/hr and could afford to feed his family than my coffee costing 10 cents less and the employee's kids breaking/entering into my house. Socialism? Hardly. Ask how many Canadians (or other progressive nations) envy anything about the U.S. system of government. All they have is historical bullying and dwindling global technological and military advantages. I for one hope that our neighbours see the light and take a look at what other nations are doing for a change. You want a good laugh? Turn on Fox News and see Palin reading notes off her hand. Please...
Would you call all those that gained independence from empirical UK terrorists? What about the people of Africa, Canada, India, and Australia, and Palestine. These are just a few examples of places that were under the thumb of the United Kingdom. Nick, I think some introspection and education on your part would go a long way.
Geez, this is great, the greatest slavetaker society that history has ever recorded is a shining example of democracy to someone. The cavalier references to terrorism are sooo funny. Maybe tomorrow the IRA can get back to blowing stuff up (give Ireland back to the Irish!). We should do this stuff every ever-lovin day...
"Only 11 per cent of people said the reason they didn't use the Internet was because they lived in a rural area where banjo picking interfered with broadband signals."
LMAO. I love a good jibe. Especially when it's on us. AND it deprives the MAC fanboys a reason to complain or flame Nick. What will they do with their day now? Keep up the great work Nick.
...but it's sad how many people would look at the governmental structure of the US and the UK, and conclude that the latter is more democratic than the former. As a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, I directly participate in the election the Mayor of Pittsburgh, the County Executive of Allegheny County, the Governor and Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the President of the United States. I also vote for my school district, city, county, state, and federal representatives, as well as members of the judiciary. So, while it is true that the roughly 1300 members of Parliament represent fewer Britons than the 535 members of Congress represent Americans, the UK is far, far less "democratic" than the US.
I'll buy the UK is more democratic when the government is less centralized, the Head of State is not hereditary, and the head of government is chosen by the people and not by the political elite. Until then, I'll stick with my Federal Republic.
The Science is settled on that. Period.
EOL
I'm a U.S. Citizen and this is why I love Inq. Because it bashes America in the best and most cleverly way possible! :) Keep it up Inq! Maybe the ignorant masses that live in the U.S. will realize how retarded their government is!
article was a good chuckle. I'd rather be out hunting critters with my sks rifle than be sitting in front of a screen but unfortunately, I have to feed my family and not all of them like squirrel. I think I'm envious of that 30 percent and maybe think you are also.
...instead of the internet. So there. :) It's always fun on the Inq!
I'd also like to hear more about the IRA terrorists, and their uptake of broadband, or is that too close to home?
Honestly, I've got the cheapest 'broadband' and that's because I don't have a land line.
Having a small country doesnt mean adding broadband is cheaper or easier.
Sure, America has lots of land, but often the roads are wide enough to cope with three 18 wheelers side by side. The homes are not usually built up to the edge of the road, and when someone wants to put down fibre lines then there's plenty of space to do it. Many european towns are so congested that when they upgrade telco lines it can require years to get all of the planning and permissions done.
As to a "Third of the us not using" the internet.. The location I come from has only about 10% of the population able to receive "Broadband" of 768k down..
Does that even qualify?
I am 57 and like being able to read newspapers and a wealth of other information easily available on the internet. Sometimes finding this information meat a trip to the library.
I also enjoyed this trip and it was fun to find new books by someone like Stephen King for example. A book does not need electricity to use it(other than made a light bulb)does not have any ads and does not depend on my internet working or not to read. With all this easy accesses to information we sometimes lose something. If someone sends you a letter it is a something you can keep forever without worrying about losing in to a hdd failure. It has the person's actual hand writing(in my case I can't read my own hand writing)and much more tangible than an email. It is hard to explain but there is still very important to keep somethings from the past. We sometimes lose something important with humanity and contact with other people and just getting out of the house and going for a walk or something simple that like. Now our lives are mostly spent at home staring at our computer screens hour after hour. With every new technology we seem to lose something important. All these things that are supposed to make our lives simpler don't always work out that way. When we where kids we used to go outside and play a get a little exercise and have fun. If the internet where to disappear tomorrow I would miss it. but I can sure live without it.
This post is the reason why The Inq is, for me, the best IT news site in the web.
...to wire a country with broadband. It's much harder and costlier when you're land mass is the size of China with 2 big mountain ranges and more sparsely populated.
And let's face it, old people are confused by the internet. The think it's a series of tubes.
Talk about wasteful Government spending.
WTF is a US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and what does it do, besides releasing useless diatribe such as the above?
Imagine how much Money Obama could ring in ~for Healthcare~ if he'd kill off these retarded Govenment funded Employment.
Sadly I can only dream about how much of my Money I could save on Taxes needed to fund the Dept. of the Bleeding Obvious.
**Wakes up!!**
Oh-shi... I forgot Obama IS FOR BIGGER Government. awe well carry on then...
Thought I'd get in a positive post before all the Nick-hating trolls show their ugly heads.
This type of article is the reason I still read sites like the Inq. It's funny, tongue-in-cheek and a nice slant on the raw facts.
If only the Apple-loving Nick-haters would stop reading the Inq, the world would be a better place. Of course, in true troll fashion, I'm sure they'll stick around and flame and troll the comments section on the Inq for as long as you're around Nick.
Stay the course Nick! Anyone with at least half a brain will love your style or at least appreciate the style.