Internet in the UK – now ahead of Germany!

November 21, 2008 By 2 Comments

There were times when I felt that the internet technology in Germany was far more superior to that in the UK.

Whilst many households in Germany have ISDN lines, the technology is widely unknown in the UK – even for many small businesses.

Broadband arrived earlier in Germany than the UK.  Whilst I was going online with almost 1MBit, most UK internet surfers were still using 56k modems.  By the time 1MBit was on offer in the UK, German providers were offering 6MBit.

For a long time now I have been able to listen and watch selected TV and radio programmes from German public service broadcasters, and more recently some private ones, yet the BBC iPlayer has only been out since the end of last year.

Now, it seems, the UK has not caught up, but has overtaken Germany!

A report in the Telegraph states that the average person in the UK spends just over 4 hours per week longer online that the average German.  Working so much on websites I would probably buck that trend, but does the average Brit really spend 14 hours per week online?  Do they really spend 3 times as many SMSes per month?

But then, what counts as online?  Surfing the web is probably obvious, but does sending an E-mail count?  Am I really online at that point?  Surely that depends on the type of E-mail that I use.  Webmail is online, but how about IMAP accounts that synchronise with their servers?  Or company Exchange servers that are online even when their users are not?

What about Skype?  I know that my computer is online when I use Skype to make a telephone call, whether it be to another Skype user or to a landline, but surely that’s different type of ‘online’?

The gap may be about to widen even more, with the announcement that BBC 1 and BBC2 are to be streamed online.  Unfortunately this will only be available to viewers in the UK (why can’t they allow us ex-pats to subscribe to them as well?!)  But although there are similar services for some channels in Germany, they are not directly from the broadcaster themselves.

This is, of course, wonderful news for students with broadband access.  Now they no longer need to fit a television set and computer into their rooms (do they still have those 2 amp sockets?) but can watch online.  Online?  Are they really ‘online’ when they are only watching their favourite soaps?  That should push up the online statistics a bit more.

Which just leaves the question of whether those same students will still need to buy a television license to watch the channels on their laptops.  In Germany they would…

Filed Under: Computers, Cymeradwyo, Television Tagged With: , ,

How I use Google Maps

November 21, 2008 By 2 Comments

It was this article in the Telegraph that got me thinking about the way in which I use Google Maps.
The article itself is actually about Google Earth – a programme that can be installed on a computer to view Google’s aerial photos of the World.  I first came into contact with it a few years ago on a customer’s computer, but I have, as yet, never installed it on a computer of my own.  Instead, I use Google Maps.
Now, I am aware that Google Earth offers more features, such as being able to tilt the map and get a sort of 3D representation of the area that I am viewing, but for my daily purposes the Maps version is sufficient.
So how do I use it?  Well, the most obvious way is to look up addresses on the maps.  Whenever I have a new address to go to (usually to visit a new customer) then I look it up on Google Maps.  Knowing the area so well, that is usually sufficient for me to know where a particular street is.  Otherwise, I can print off the map of the area around the street that I have to go to, and that will normally be enough.
But if I don’t know the area that I am going to at all, such as some areas of Frankfurt, then will often take a look at the aerial view to see what the roads there are like.  For example, are there parking spaces near where I going to?  It can also be helpful to zoom in the road markings to see if there are any “no left turn” type of junctions on my route.
However, there are many more features to Google Maps that I occasionally use.  There is the ability to view photos that have been taken by other people at specific locations on the maps, so it is interesting to see pictures of places that I have visited, sometimes many years ago.  Of course, I can also look at places that I hear or read about, but will probably never get the chance to visit, such as Tristan da Cuhna in the South Atlantic.
Recently Google have been adding their “Street View” feature to a number of places that I have been to, most recently I was able to look at areas of Madrid that I visited in April.
Finally, there is a more serious side to how I use Google Maps.  Not only can I embed maps in blog posts to show where a particular place is that I have written about, but I can also place advertising on the map for the customers who’s websites I either create or optimise.
All in all, I may not be addicted to Google Maps as the Telegraph article suggested, but I certainly make good use of it.

Filed Under: Cymeradwyo, Internet Tagged With: , , ,

New Look for Puerto del Carmen

November 20, 2008 By 2 Comments

by Nick Ball

Could Lanzarote’s oldest resort be about to become the Puerto Banus of the Canaries? It’s a bit of a stretch for anyone who has visited the island over the last few years, as Puerto del Carmen, still the most popular destination on Lanzarote, has been looking a little tired around the edges of late. Thanks to the impact of over thirty years of package tourism.

But now island authorities are pressing ahead with ambitions plans to “reinvent” tourism in Puerto del Carmen by taking the resort upmarket. A project which has profound implications for the both the future of tourism on the island and the Lanzarote property market.

Puerto del Carmen Harbour
Part of the harbour extension is towed into position and sunk (Photo: C. & L. Tappenden)

Puerto del Carmen is the place where tourism first took root on Lanzarote. Growing dramatically over the last thirty years to transform a small fishing village called La Tiñosa into a bustling holiday destination. And now Puerto del Carmen is about to undergo a second metamorphosis – as island authorires start work on a project that is designed to maintain the resorts popularity as newer, fresher challengers enter the holiday market.

The central plank of this plan is the project to turn the Old Town Harbour area – currently home to a few old fishing boats and excursion vessels – into a luxury marina. A project inspired by the runaway success of the marina at nearby Puerto Calero – now the most upmarket destination on the island, where property prices command a premium.

Local tourist authorities hope that this new marina – which is already in construction and which should be completed by May 2009 – will have a similar halo effect in terms of attracting a more affluent tourist to the resort. Whilst also creating a more upmarket ambience.

Roadworks in Puerto del Carmen
Roadworks in Puerto del Carmen (Photo: C. & L. Tappenden)

This desire to improve the aesthetic feel of Puerto del Carmen also encompasses the current project to part pedestrianise the main beachfront strip, the Avenida de las Playas. Where tourists currently come a very poor second to two lanes of traffic. As well as the imposition of new uniform, shop fronts and fascias on the units lining the Avenida – which currently advertise themselves with a fairly garish kealdsicope of neon signage.

These multi million euro initiatives – in tandem with the opening of the new golf course on the outskirts of the resort next year – are expected to have a positive impact on both tourist numbers and property values over the years to come. Regardless of current concerns about the economic climate.

Filed Under: Lanzarote, News, Puerto del Carmen Tagged With: , ,

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