I am very disappointed this week. We were supposed to examine the coconut industry. It has been doing superbly, so much so that I have been gettingThe possibilities and benefits of the internet for Guyana are limitless.reports that Suriname is taking off a significant quantity from our farmers. The industry has literally exploded in growth in recent years as pharmaceutical companies suddenly made an about turn and decided that coconut is the next best thing.However, for some odd reason the folks at the New GMC, on Robb Street, are still to produce the figures. That Government agency is tasked with keeping tabs on exports. Their website has the last published annual report as 2011. Not sure why.I have sent emails and called and even spoken to the General Manager, Nizam Hassan. It has been three weeks now. I could think of a few good reasons. I can only point out that we boast of how much we are advancing in making information available, but yet we fall short in so many ways. I do intend to follow up on this and will be addressing the attitudes of some of our Government agencies at some point. We will leave it at that for this week. I can only imagine what the normal Guyanese encounters when asking for information. As a people, this is never the kind of attitude or service we want to portray if we are to move to another level.This week I want to touch of pet subject of mine – gadgets. It is an expensive habit that I can ill-afford on my salary. As a little boy growing, I got into trouble when I would head to the rooftop to swing the antenna to catch the TV signals a little better. Before that I was in love with the radiogram that my grandfather was so protective about. That piece of equipment was his pride and joy, and I learnt Jim Reeves and Skeeter Davis and even Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” while listening to it.BLACK AND WHITE TVLater on, our first TV was a second hand, black and white one that had knobs. It came with some problems that saw the images starting to scramble for no reason at all. I learnt a lot from that one.My next experiment was with a used amplifier that I fiddled around with. There were literally some shocking experiences with that one. Needless to say, after two months, it was parked in a corner.Next was my little Panasonic home theatre system that played DVDs. You could hear the raindrops falling – it was that good. I started a DVD collection, learning how to make copies of original discs. I was hooked. It took lots of hours and money on those blank DVDs.But perhaps of all my infatuations with tech stuff, I think the internet is the most remarkable.A lot has been said about the importance of connectivity. Someone described it aptly when they said it puts the world in your hands with just a click.The internet has literally revolutionised the way the world operates. We trade, do research, conduct classes with people oceans away, shop online, video chat, the whole works. But we will come back to this.I remember heading to the National Library, while still at school,Cheap NFL Jerseys, to complete my projects. It has all changed now. Google and Wikipedia have changed that way. About 15 years ago, Guyana was now coming to grips with the internet. While working for Stabroek News, in 1999, there was one computer with internet and it was dial up. For those who are not familiar with dial-up,Cheap Jerseys From China, you pay a company that sold bandwidth and they in turn gave you an account. When signing in, you could hear the connection being made. It was maddeningly slow and almost like the current service we get on our smartphones.With the landing of a fibre optic cable from Suriname by GT&T a few years ago, the speed has improved dramatically. We have DSL now…a little box of joy that takes signals and transforms it into videos, emails,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, music and whole world. It has become a critical need in homes and offices. I have a wireless set up at home. This means that I don’t have to connect cables to my devices.The smartphones come equipped with wireless connections to allow them to pick up the signals.A connected smartphone is one of the handiest pieces of equipment for anyone nowadays. As a journalist, it is invaluable for taking photos, taping interviews, and sending messages. Someone in North West can send a photo to the city with the click of a button.NEW FACE OF ENTERTAINMENTNo longer is a computer required. Facebook and other social media have literally changed the way people communicate. Even I, who am by no means a tech savvy person,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, have learnt a little.Overseas calls via telephone are also fast becoming obsolete for many. There are many programmes or applications (apps) like Skype, Facebook Messenger,<a href="http://www.chea