• 13% of Cuba has access to the internet, which is only accessible by expensive satellite access (that’s a lower average than Haiti, even!)
• 200+ the number of news items Fidel Castro reports to read daily, which is kind of a lot; he’s obsessed with Wikileaks, too source

• This was all inevitable. It is the cycle of capitalism. The story of industrial revolutions, after all, is a story of battles over control. A technology is invented, it spreads, a thousand flowers bloom, and then someone finds a way to own it, locking out others. It happens every time.
• Wired editor Chris Anderson • Discussing the possibility that the Web is becoming less important in our lives. Why? Well, the Web is complicated, with many layers. Apps and other forms of connecting to the ‘net just work. We don’t buy this. As Anderson notes himself at the start of his article, they were wrong about Push notifications killing the Web way back in 1997. Why should we believe them now? (Also, the mag takes an interesting approach to laying this story out; Michael Wolff is on the other side of the coin, claiming that other companies forced apps onto us. Yeah, that’s it, too.) source

• anyone fooled by this needs to try harder. Jenny, the employee who quit her job via dry-erase board, was proven to be a hoax today. But then again, it did fool some people. We’re actually not disappointed. Anyone who looked at those photos would wonder why the quality of them was basically perfect, like they had been shot in a studio. Because they had been. This hoax flew through the Internet in a matter of hours, which leaves a lot of questions about both the girl (real name: Elyse “I’m freaking famous now” Porterfield) and the traffic she drew. So, let’s throw out some numbers.

• 20 girls applied to an ad looking for an actress for the role; Elyse was the obvious choice
• two the number of hours the photo shoot took – half of which was spent on waiting for a battery to charge

• 421,000 total Facebook shares (whoa)

• 2.5Mthe amount of traffic TheChive.com usually gets each month
• 2.5M the amount of traffic TheChive.com got yesterday alone
• 2.5M the amount of traffic TheChive.com got today (at last count)

• » How has it worked out for Elyse? Well … her Facebook fan page is brimming with new fans. Like, 4,100 or so. While she claims to have gotten more marriage proposals than job offers, she did get a few of those, too. She should do a commercial with the Old Spice Guy. source

• The agreement outsources the FCC’s powers and authorities to the very industries these rules are supposed to oversee.
• Public Knowledge Senior Director Sherwin Sly • Discussing yesterday’s deal of an announcement between Google and Verizon. This is the sticking point many other people and groups have, just an FYI. Sure, it’s good for them to talk to the FCC about this kind of thing, but they’re basically trying to set public policy for everyone with a bunch of backroom deals. Sounds shady to us. Many feel that there’s a hidden agenda at work here, and if they do use this self-appointed authority, it could be dangerous. source

• 71%
  think we’ll be working on computers in the cloud
• 27% think we’ll still be using PCs for most of everything we do
• 2% think we’ll be using Amigas or running BeOS for some reason source

• Somehow, fingerprints and cameras doesn’t sound better than sitting in a classroom. University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, is testing a new exams-at-your-leisure program by Software Secure. You can take tests anytime, but it shuts off your Internet and watches to ensure you’re not cheating. It’s intended for people who have full-time jobs, but honestly it just sounds a wee bit over-the-top. source

• FAST but no more specific than that source

• The internet as we know it will no longer be able to grow. That doesn’t mean it will cease to function, but entry could be limited to new devices.
• RIPE NCC chief scientist Daniel Karrenberg • Regarding the quick decline of IPv4 and the slow adoption of IPv6. The combination of the two problems – iPv4 running out of addresses, while many companies sit on the fence regarding IPv6 – means that we could run out of IP addresses in eighteen months. At which point, if you buy a gadget and it can’t get online, don’t blame us. We’re just the messenger. source

• If you’ve ever used the internet, you could’ve seen this coming from a while away. After House Republicans launched a site looking for democratic input on their new agenda, the site got overloaded with comments that perhaps didn’t show the GOP’s decision-making process in the best light. A few samples to nosh on:

• one“Require all Muslims in the U.S. to wear ankle bracelet transponders so we know where the terrorists are at all times.”
• two“Consensual bestiality should not be illegal. No, I am not joking. Everything I’ve said is logically sound.”
• three “End the idea of Net Neutrality. American’s do not need the government censoring our websites for us.”

And the best answer goes to …

• We need to train an army of Ninja Cats. Cats are natural born hunters and predators, and it is known that they indeed have 9 lives, many more than the typical human life (being one).
• An absolute genius • Saying everything that needs to be said about this endeavor. It’s absolutely perfect in its conceit – the world needs stronger counter-terror measures, and how much stronger could you get than ninja cats? You know, seriously. source

• Guess which congressman said this: “This thing is the bomb. It’s light; it’s portable. It’s accessible information. I love it.” The Blackberry was perhaps the killer device for legislatiors of the last decade, but this decade it’s proving to be the iPad. With laptops still not allowed on the floor, the aluminum and glass love machine is a major hit for some. If it takes off, it could straight-up replace the need for paper in the famously-tree-killing legislative branch. We haven’t heard if Robert Byrd is using one yet, though. Maybe he’s waiting for the second-gen. source