Technology Usage Broken Down by Country Shows Surprising Percentages

In the article titled "UK Housewives Rule in Online Time" off of the BBC news website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7789494.stm) , the percentages shown seem surprising.

The survey, consisting of 27,000 web users in 16 different countries placed China at the very top of their list. China's percentage of leisure time spent on the computer was 44% which is nearly three times that of a web user in Denmark.

The survey also broke respondents into age categories with an average of all countries' users under 25 spending 36% of their time online. On average, China's under 25 users spend 50%.

Along with the age category, results were also broken down by occupation and focused on the UK which showed that students spend 39% of their time online which is more than those who are unemployed at 32%...yet was less than what UK housewives spend on the Internet.

Along with these findings, the U.S. spends 30% of it's leisure time on the Internet and in response to the second question, which was "Have you ever met in person a person who you first met online?". The answer from the U.S. was a meager 56% that said yes. Compared to Germany, France, and Sweden's 75% that said yes, it was surprising that only 56% of Americans had done so. China's answer was even lower at 40%.

Overall, each country answered in it's own way and after looking at the findings carefully, i can start to understand why the results came out the way they did. First of all, the volume of people survey was not really a huge amount considering how many people live in just the U.S. and China alone. The U.S. answer of 56% could be more like 75% had more American's been surveyed. Second of all, the social and political conditions in any given country would affect the findings of this study given that not all people own computers or have regular computer access everyday. There are many different factors that could prove this study of technology not so accurate and therefore, I'm not sure i completely agree with it.

I do feel that this study is significant because it puts things into perspective for everyone, no matter what country you are from. Technology has really changed everything from economies, politics, and education to health care, communication, and relationships...the real question is if it's all for the good of everyone.

I can relate to this study just in thinking about how much time i spend on a computer. I use it for homework, research, a way of contacting old friends and family, and i even use it at work. There are not many places that you can go nowadays that doesn't have a computer of some sort. I remember being in 6Th grade and being forced to take a typing class. I remember thinking how stupid it was...now I'm so grateful that they forced it on us. The younger generations are becoming more and more technological everyday. As i watch my 7 year old niece play games on her computer, it all seems a little surreal. When i was her age, i was being old fashioned and playing with Barbies and My Little Ponies...so much has changed just in the last few years. It just reminds people that things never stay the same for too long and because of these strides in technology, we are able to live the lives we live.

Digital Dogs

Who thought it would come to this? The picture on your left is featured on http://hubpages.com/hub/High-Tech-Gadgets-Dog-Lovers and is a "pet cell phone"(bottom picture). The device enables dog owners to actually call their dog and talk to it on speakerphone. Now, for those of us that don't talk to their dogs, it also has a "call owner" button and a GPS tracker just in case your lovable pooch decides to have an adventure. As extreme as the phone part seems, i think i would definetly consider the other features for my dog. (top picture).

Other items included on the webpage were similar to the cell phone except one was exclusively a GPS tracker, one was a PDA to use to organize your dogs appointments and important phone numbers (groomer, vet, etc), and the last one, my personal favorite was the "doggy doorbell". As goofy as this idea sounds, it's pretty smart. Some dogs don't really let you know when they need to go out but training combined with this device make it easier for them to give you a heads up. The device is a wireless remote that sets off a doorbell chime when the dog steps on it, letting you know that they need to go for a walk.

Although these devices may be a little too far fetched for people who don't own dogs, I can see fellow dog owners who are completly obsessed with their pets rushing out to buy these items. I think they're significant because there are alot of people devoted to the well being of their pets and especially since many people now work long hours and aren't home as much as they'd like to be, it's important for them to stay organized with their pets' care. (for example, the pet PDA device) Due to how busy people have become, any device, whether it be for a dog or human, that is going to create conveinence is going to be beneficial.

The link below is an interesting youtube video showing a pug using the doggy doorbell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=975pBcPGTew

Laptops for Those Who Have Less

In regards to the article, "One Laptop Per Child: Then What?", many issues were addressed. There were two sides featured within the article which gave the reader a chance to see both pros and cons of the laptop program. This program, which gives out free computers to children in third world countries in Africa mostly, aims to educate the children who are severly disadvantaged in our world. A noble cause yet is it technologically unequal?

I agree with many things in the article. I believe that every child should be given a chance to thrive and succeed. Yet, because of the way these children have been raised, socialized, and educated thus far, throwing an odd contraption into things and claiming that "this is your future, you must learn it" seems slightly arrogant of technology and doesn't take into consideration the long term affects of a child who will learn these skills in order to gain employment as an adult. The child will learn quickly, as many children do, and as the child matures into an adult, what jobs will be available for him or her? In a region devasted by so much economic decay, technology is a nice and cheery thought but it really means one of two things; the individual will realize that they have no where to use these skills and leave the country in search of applicable jobs elsewhere adding to the original economic decay of the country or the individual will have spent all this time trying to learn the ways of the computer only to realize that he or she really doesn't get it. These two examples i just named were mentioned in the article as happening in Peru. These are issues that are not only predicted, they are actively happening.

I also disagree with the fact that if the computer breaks or is in need of repair, the family has to pay for the repair. Many of these families simply cannot afford to fix them so the generous gift bestowed upon them becomes a piece of junk causing disappointment to those who created the computer and those who were destined to use it.

This article was significant because it addresses the huge divide between the "haves and have-nots", a age-long battle. Everyone should have equal access to technology yet because of the extreme divides between societies, cultures, and countries, that access is going to be harder to provide to everyone. This laptop initiative is a valiant attempt to "close the gap" but there are still major issues to address in order for it to work and unfortunetly, addressing issues costs money. All that one can hope is that this is a step in the right direction.

This article is directly relatable to me due to the fact that I am fortunate enough to be reasonably well educated in technology yet that is part of the problem. I know for a fact that there are 21 yr olds out there that have no idea how to use a computer, although they may not be in the U.S. That constant divide, which occurs in all genres of life, is what creates prejudice and misunderstandings among cultures. I believe that everyone needs to get on the same page yet the question is how? Chances are, technology is a good start but there needs to be some new developements in society as well.