The BBC reports that Cuba has finally joined the modern world with the arrival of the first legalised home computers at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana.

The BBC reports that the PCs are selling at $800 (£400) while the average monthly wage for Cubans is only $20 (£10) a month. However many Cubans have relatives living abroad who send cash back to the island.

President Raul Castro has been making moves towards modernisation in recent weeks with mobile phones and DVD players becoming available. However those who have been fortunate enough to get hold of one of the PCs won’t be joining us playing EVE Online or Day of Defeat as internet access is limited to certain workplaces and education facilities.

This is because of the US trade embargo with Cuba that prevents the island from connecting to under-sea fibre optic cables. Instead the internet access in Cuba is limited to costyl satellite connections.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is currently laying a cable under the Carribean to Cuba, though it is not known if internet access will become common place once the new connection is laid.

I am currently in my second year of University, and I have had to start thinking about dissertation topics as by the beginning of May I have to have written a Dissertation Proposal. Which is going to be all kinds of fun…I may actually be serious there.

I have an idea of a dissertation title: “The Digital Age: The Internet and Video Games as Political Tools and Victims of Politics.” Well it is going to be something like that anyway. Why I hear you ask? Well for my the internet and video games take up a massive part of my life (wow…that sounds a bit sad) and they are of great interest to me.

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Thank god for that! Back online at last. Don’t know why, but yesterday I was having mega problems with my net, just couldn’t get anything to load be it with a direct connection to my router or the wireless connection. It is working now though so :D

Quicks newsy tidbits:
Crayon Physics Deluxe won the top award at the IGF awards at the GDC - More information.

Far Cry 2 tech video from the GDC:

Portal related info - big winner at the GDC awards - information and Kim Swift accidently confirms Portal 2 more info.