Internet importance and the New Dork

09/03/10 posted by Liz Niland

Four in five adults consider internet access to be a fundamental right, according to a global survey for the BBC World Service. As reported by Wired, the poll - reaching 27,000 adults in 26 countries - found that "78% of internet users believed the web gave them greater freedom, while 9 in 10 said it was a good place to learn."

Concerningly, but perhaps not surprisingly, a very high proportion of respondents across Asia, France and Germany felt that they could not safely share their opinions online. On the other hand though, more than half of those surveyed "agreed that the 'Internet should never be regulated by any level of government anywhere'."

Itching to get your hands on an iPad? Well unless you’re heading to the US for the April 3 release date, you’ll have to hold out until the end of April for the international release. Don’t book a plane ticket yet though - it’s only the Wi-Fi version that has made the cut for April 3. The 3G versions of the device are set for launch in the US at the same time as the official Australia, UK, Europe and Asian launches. Pricing for the Australian market is yet to be announced but given the strong Aussie dollar performance of late, Apple would be mad to set it too much higher than the US$499 price point.

To tide you over though, check out the first iPad ad, as shown during this week’s Oscars coverage on US television. It’s definitely not replacing the desktop computer but it’ll certainly win hordes of fans seeking a portable, convenient, entertainment device.

Finally, sometimes there’s nothing better than a quality parody - particularly when the parody stands on its own as a top piece of entertainment, rather than simply as a 'for the sake of it' piece. For your Tuesday, may I present, 'The New Dork' a hilarious version of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' 'Empire State of Mind' that references pretty much every social media mover and shaker in recent digital history. As mentioned by Mashable, (who get a guernsey in the clip) "this video is all about using your social media cache to attain new levels of irony-spun hipness".