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The PC penetration in American homes has increased to 80.6% in 2008 from 77.9% the year earlier. According to Internetworldstats.com, Americans contribute to 26.2 percent of the total Internet population in the world. Still, only 57 percent of all American homes have access to high-speed Internet service.

PC Penetration Vs Internet Penetration in American Homes
According to Nielsen’s National TV panel, around 80.6% homes in US possess a computer in their home. Around 91.6% of these households have Internet connection. This shows that there are more American homes without computers than homes having a PC without any Internet access. Thus, the major challenge in providing web access to all the Americans is the lag in PC penetration.

57% of US Homes Have Access to High-Speed Internet
According to HT survey, over 57% of the Americans have access to high-speed Internet access. Only 17% subscribe to a dial-up service. A recent Consumer Audit Survey reports that an average home spends about $37 per month for home Internet service. This is one-half of what they individually spend on mobile service and TV service.

Factors That Influence Internet Connection Type
According to Nielsen Claritas Convergence audit, 67% of American homes with a PC have access to high-speed Internet service. Around 11% of them are subscribed to dial-up connection. The following are some factors that were found to influence the type of Internet connection an American home possesses.

•    Education level: Major part of households with a high-speed Internet service is with their HOH at least possessing some college certificate or higher. Around three-quarters of homes with a college graduate as HOH have a high-speed Internet connection. Education level is also a motivating aspect for possession of an Internet connection.

•    Combined home annual income: Income also seems to be one of the major factors influencing the possession of an Internet service. In the survey, it was found that around 56% of homes with a combined annual income of less than $40K do not have any Internet connection.

Age: Over 78% of people between age group of 18-34 have access to high-speed Internet service. The percentage of people who possessed a PC but do not have any kind of Internet connection, seemed to increase along with the age group. In the age group of 18-34 – around 12% of them did not have Internet access, while it is 40% in case of people in age group of 65+.

The comparably lesser PC penetration stands as the major challenge in extending Internet access to all US households. Other challenges include low education levels and low household incomes. However, the overall percentage of people who do not have any type of Internet connection at home decreased from 26% in December 2007 to 23% in December 2008.

The much touted and aggressively marketed cruise ship Queen Victoria seems to have hit rough waters.

Superstitious vacationers couldn’t help but murmur predictions of doom when the customary champagne bottle with which she was christened before her maiden voyage failed to shatter. Despite this, it appeared she would avoid the fate of the Titanic after all.

Last December, however, three weeks into her life on the water, passengers on the luxury liner took ill in droves. The Queen Victoria appeared to have been hit with the dreaded cruise ship virus known as Norwalk or Norovirus.

An estimated 80 passengers spent thousands of dollars only to spend much of their holidays confined to bed. The effects of the virus do not usually cause any lasting damage. However, it hits hard and furious, causing severe vomiting and diarrhea for anywhere from 1-3 days. It is also highly contagious and easily transmitted, especially in close and confined quarters, such as one finds on a cruise ship.

Although fewer than 5% of the ship’s passengers were hit with the dreaded cruise ship bug, many of those who were stricken plan to sue for compensation – whether or not they can launch a successful lawsuit is questionable.

Cruise ships hit with stomach viruses is not a new phenomenon. It has proved very difficult in the past to sue a cruise ship company for compensation for contracting an illness from a contagious virus.

Most travel agencies that book cruises have clauses that release them from liability for circumstances such as the contraction of a virus while cruising. The cruise ship companies themselves usually cannot be held responsible unless proof is provided that negligence on the part of staff led to the outbreak.

Nevertheless, many cruise ship companies offer some type of compensation to passengers who take ill while on board. Often this comes in the form of a discounted or free future cruise. Since the virus rarely leaves any lasting effects, the most a sick passenger can hope for is to get back all or part of his or her money paid.

Cruise ship companies have become much more proactive in the last decade when it comes to protecting passengers. It’s bad for business if a ship is associated with illness. Companies have become astute at decontamination and at containing the outbreaks that do occur. Ships have been docked and cruises cancelled to prevent further illnesses from occurring after recorded outbreaks.

After the Queen Victoria docked in Lanzarote, efforts were made to contain ill passengers and decontaminate the ship. Keeping the bug on board and out of the port was a top priority for ship’s staff. Face masks and a liberal supply of antiseptic hand lotion were just two of the precautions taken to ensure that the bug would not spread further.

Today the scourge of Queen Victoria’s virus seems to be broken, at least for now. Her schedule for departures in the New Year includes trips to Sydney and Singapore.

Cunard, the ship’s parent company, hopes that her curse is over and is planning for a stellar year of sailing.