Grab your fish and chips, put down your pint of warm ale, Bob’s your uncle and God save the Queen.
ZDNet is heading across the pond to explore the technological wonders, breakthroughs and up-to-the-minute news from the United Kingdom and wider Europe.
(Images clockwise: Flickr (1, 2, 3), Reuters)
The UK is a small country; home of the Royal family, Beefeaters, the Mecca of tea and the rolling hills of lush, green countryside. And the Beatles, obviously.
The Brits have been paving the technological road for years; quietly building the foundations of modern computing and design, while maintaining our collective stiff upper lips and retaining a sense of utter dignity. Across the way to Europe, the wider continent boasts 27 member states, with budding potential and twice the population of the United States.
But rarely do we get a mention, unless the Queen picks up an iPad or the Beatles make their way to iTunes at long last.
We gave you Jony Ive, Apple senior vice-president, who led the design of the company’s most popular products, from the iPad to the iPod, and the MacBook range. It’s because we love you American’s.
We even handed Bill Gates a knighthood. And we didn’t take it back only a year later when Vista hit the shelves and caused worldwide fury. That’s how much we love our American cousins.
But as the appendix of mainland Europe, the twenty-seven member states of the European Union boasts a vast pot of news and links to the rest of the world. Little as its known, Europe has nearly three times as many people than the United States, and is all but single-handedly the greatest revenue generator for nearly all the major U.S. based technology companies.
Two continents separated by a common language? Perhaps so, but it’s time to rekindle the special relationship, hand in hand, and smooch our way back into each other’s good books. We have ZDNet UK, our sister site, that brings local news to local people, and already does a stellar job of presenting the Brits as a smart, savvy collective.
But it isn’t just about England.
The name of this new column, as you may have guessed, stems from The Clash, a famous British band with its hit album ‘London Calling’. But London and England is, though home to the European headquarters of Facebook, Google and Twitter, the almighty BBC and other major technology firms, there is a world of European news and analysis over the Channel to mainland Europe.
On with the show.
