top 10 tech surprises

As 2008 draws to a close, top lists and rankings begin to make the press.  I’m always interested in some of the least expected rankings.  The 10 Biggest Technology Surprises for 2008 is worth a read.

Be sure to check out the slideshow to learn why these shocking stories made the list.

1. Windows crumbles. Not!
2. Tech couldn’t stop the financial meltdown
3. Virtualization. It’s alive!
4. Cloud computing
5. Green IT
6. Apple as the enterprise champion
7. Forget innovation, let’s just buy something.  (remember Microsoft and Yahoo?)
8. The big switch or the big snitch?
9. The social net election.
10. The Internet.

the survey for people who make websites

Are you a webmaster, web designer, or information architect?  Do you make a website? If you do, A List Apart wants you!

The 2nd annual Survey For People Who Make Websites is aimed at anyone involved in making websites. The survey seeks to gain a better understanding of the jobs, salaries and demographics for those of us that work the web.

Thanks to Rob at LibTech Life for bringing this one to my attention.

Pew Internet thermometers of access

Pew Internet & American Life Project recently updated their three “thermometers” of access which shows “the disparities among various groups when it comes to internet access, cell phone use, and broadband access at home.”

key findings:

• 73%* of the population reports using the internet or email.
• 78%* of the population reports owning a cell phone.
• 55%* of the population reports using a high-speed connection (e.g., DSL, cable, wireless) when accessing the internet from home.

The data also shows that “offline Americans are overwhelmingly over age 70, have less than a high school education, and speak a language other than English.”

You can download the presentation from Pew’s Presentations section.