This Brilliant Washing Machine Is a Roadmap for the Internet of Things

[longknife]

BY KYLE VANHEMERT 04.07.14

You never think much about things like this. It's there, you use it, and then forget it. We had a pretty neat one for several years but, when we moved into our current house, we couldn't use it anymore. It had an electric dryer and the house was built for gas. So, we got one of the new “smart” washers and dryers with a steam feature. Works pretty darn neat. So, what would the additional cost of something like this cost us? Read the piece @ This Brilliant Washing Machine Is a Roadmap for the Internet of Things | Design | WIRED

Ain't quite as fancy, but here's mine:

 

[waltky]

Granny says is `cause all dem Chinamens yakkin' on dey's cellphones...

Number of Internet Users Worldwide Approaching 3 Billion
May 06, 2014 ~ The number of Internet users worldwide continues to rise, according to the United Nations' telecommunications agency, which says there will be almost three billion users by the end of this year. Two-thirds of those users will be in developing countries.

In a statement released Monday, the International Telecommunication Union, or ITU, also says the number of mobile-cellular subscriptions will be even higher, reaching almost seven billion by the end of 2014. At the same time, the number of fixed-telephone subscribers continues to fall, with the ITU predicting there will be 100 million fewer landlines this year than in 2009.

The developing world is pushing up the number of mobile-cellular subscriptions, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region; but, the ITU says the global growth rate of 2.6 percent indicates that the cellular phone market may be reaching its peak.

The ITU predicts that by the end of this year, 44 percent of households worldwide will have Internet access. It says nearly one-third of households in developing nations will have an Internet connection, compared with 78 percent in the developed world. The agency's statistics are considered to be the most reliable and impartial and are used by many government agencies and private companies.

Number of Internet Users Worldwide Approaching 3 Billion

 

[srlip]

what constitutes "having access' to the net? walking 3 miles each way to pay for a seat at a net cafe?