Denmark in, U.S. out, as most tech-savvy

And you thought they just had tasty pastries.

Denmark is now the world's most tech-savvy country, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. It's the first time the Scandinavian country has topped the list. Denmark--the land that brought you Legos--knocked out the United States, which fell from first last year to seventh this year, behind Sweden, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Iceland, the United Kingdom and Norway round out the top 10.

The report uses a "Networked Readiness Index" to measure the readiness of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from developments in information technology.

While the geographic makeup of the top 10 may lead to conspiracy theories about long winter nights, the authors of the report credit Denmark's "excellent regulatory environment, coupled with a clear government leadership and vision," in helping the country gain the top spot.

Blog community response:

"The annual battle with Congress over H1 visas takes place against a backdrop of short sighted politicians arguing that 'US jobs should stay in the US', while resource starved technology companies sound the alarm that they need more people to be competitive. US schools aren't training people with the needed skills to supply tech companies, and Congress is unwilling to allow those skills to be imported. Ultimately Microsoft, as an example, established an Indian development center, because it became impossible to bring more Indians to the US."
--Alec Saunders .LOG

"And what of our technology overlords: S.Korea? 19th, just ahead of Estonia. Hmm. Time to unleash the robots and defend your honor!"
--Engadget

"A great deal of the lethargy in the US system is somehow tied to the expansion of the US strangle-hold on IP, including extending the time of copyright monopoly, allowing the patenting of vague business processes, and generally taking an aggressive stance on anything that can get past the patent office's inbox, while extending the global reach of that system via so-called free trade agreements, like the one with Australia."
--Guambat Stew