Slashdot Mirror
Woz Applying For Australian Citizenship Because of the NBN
An anonymous reader writes "It's a well known fact that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is a fan of Australia and now we know why. He supports a national broadband network — a scheme being rolled out by the Australian government to provide fibre 'for everyone' — so much he's applying for citizenship, the Australian Financial Review reports. You can be assured that he's not giving up his American citizenship though, he told Brisbane radio."
And for U.S. citizens: "Despite his status as a technology icon, Mr Wozniak said he was not connected to a broadband service in his home in California, classing the options available to him as a 'monopoly.' 'There’s only one set of wires to be on and I’m not going to pull strings to get them to do something special for me,' he said .... 'I've sat with our FCC commissioner and told him that story in his office, but it’s not going to happen. We just don’t have the political idea to bring broadband to all the people who are 1 kilometer too far away.'"
I actually believe allegiance to country is a silly concept. I was born in Canada, but I have lived all over. I will go where I see the most benefit for me and my family. I have no allegiance to Canada beyond wishing her well. I have one life, I will not spend it fussing over imaginary lines in the dirt.
I'd argue that Canada and Australia, despite their vast physical separation, and despite variations in detail (eg: they love rugby and we love hockey - but we both love "our" sports) are remarkably similar in general. We share many themes (commonwealth, beer, sports, left/liberal/egalitarian society, native/aboriginal influences, native/aboriginal issues, sense of humour, cultural inferiority complex, etc) for being so very different in specifics. We're a sort of mirror image of each other, and there's almost a natural fit between the two nations as a result.