Half a billion people access the Internet from home according to the latest figures from NetRatings. Actually, the number is 498 million – but it's still an impressive milestone all the same.

Well done everyone.

In Europe and the Asia Pacific ,Internet access is most common in homes which are headed by men with university degrees. What we're expected to read into this little gem is anyone’s guess but there you go.

Elsewhere, it's reported that some 19 million people have DSL access (five million more than cable apparently) according to global figures published at the DSL Forum in Rome.

This prompted those at the industry conference to chirp that DSL is the "world’s leading broadband technology" and well on track to a "global mass market".

Oh, and the Forum - a consortium of more than 300 DSL industry players – also wants to see 200 million DSL subscribers by 2005. Which is nice. ®