...the eclipse of the United States as the central point in cyberspace is one of many indicators that the world is becoming a more level playing field both economically and politically.
China, for instance, surpassed the United States in the number of Internet users in June. Over all, Asia now has 578.5 million, or 39.5 percent, of the world’s Internet users, although only 15.3 percent of the Asian population is connected to the Internet, according to Internet World Stats, a market research organization.
By contrast, there were about 237 million Internet users in North America and the growth has nearly peaked; penetration of the Internet in the region has reached about 71 percent.
NVDL: I still wonder whether the internet will have an impact on our energy future. A sharing of technology, of intelligence (or lack of) isn;t the same as generating a new resource. If anything, the internet just turns more and more people into a bunch of idiots who eat crisps and pizza and drink coffee all day, while clicking on the mouse. In reality, nothing really happens all day except that we are entertained, information re-arranged and we continue our other consumptions and indulgences unaffected.
So is the internet a benefit? My answer: Right now it's not, but it can be. I'd argue though that it will never live up to it's promise because it ends up being exactly what we can no longer afford - additional energy users (albeit it at fractional increments).
China, for instance, surpassed the United States in the number of Internet users in June. Over all, Asia now has 578.5 million, or 39.5 percent, of the world’s Internet users, although only 15.3 percent of the Asian population is connected to the Internet, according to Internet World Stats, a market research organization.
By contrast, there were about 237 million Internet users in North America and the growth has nearly peaked; penetration of the Internet in the region has reached about 71 percent.
NVDL: I still wonder whether the internet will have an impact on our energy future. A sharing of technology, of intelligence (or lack of) isn;t the same as generating a new resource. If anything, the internet just turns more and more people into a bunch of idiots who eat crisps and pizza and drink coffee all day, while clicking on the mouse. In reality, nothing really happens all day except that we are entertained, information re-arranged and we continue our other consumptions and indulgences unaffected.
So is the internet a benefit? My answer: Right now it's not, but it can be. I'd argue though that it will never live up to it's promise because it ends up being exactly what we can no longer afford - additional energy users (albeit it at fractional increments).
During the network’s first three decades, most Internet traffic flowed through the United States. In many cases, data sent between two locations within a given country also passed through the United States.
“We discovered the Internet, but we couldn’t keep it a secret.”
|
No comments:
Post a Comment