PC World just ran a 4-part series on Broadband Innovations. Here’s a tiny recap. I love two (maybe two and a half) of the stories.

The Digital Athlete – meet Patrick O’Day, he’s 20 and plays video games in his basement. He’s in training for the Digital Games Tournament, to be held in Beijing to coincide with the Olympics. Qualifying rounds are held online – thanks to the beauty of broadband. Although Patrick is a parking attendant by day, he hopes to be a professional game player. His specialty is first-person shooter games – so I’m sure those skills transfer to other jobs too.

Fiber Optics Reaches the Tipi – meet the Ktunaxa Nation of British Columbia, Canada, their culture is 10,000 years old but was in danger of extinction. They are using broadband technology to preserve and share the Ktunaxa language. There are only 24 fluent speakers but fiber is helping the language spread. The Ktunaxa Nation has North America’s only native-owned open-fiber-to-the-home network, providing speeds of 100 megabits per second to each home.

The Film Editor’s Dream – meet Håkan Karlsson, in Kilafors, Sweden (aka Fiber Optic Valley), 98% of the population has FTTH. Karlsson is a remote film editor; it’s a job that requires broadband speeds of at least 50 megabits per second, making access to high-speed broadband imperative.

The Doctor Isn’t In but Can See You – meet Timothy Moon, he’s in prison and has psychiatric issues. There isn’t a doctor near the prison who could work with him so he meets with a psychiatrist remotely through the Northwest Telehealth Service. Through it he’s able to get services that help with rehabilitation. About 50 of the 620 inmates at Coyote Ridge prison use the network for their health-care needs.