BarackObama posts

Facebook Poll Asking Whether Obama Should Be Killed Draws Fire

by Amar Toor (RSS feed) — Sep 29th 2009 at 9:45AM

Facebook is no stranger to the debate over freedom of speech. As the networking site grows, and as its increasing number of users make their opinhions known, the site has had to draw its own boundaries between acceptable self-expression and open hostility. The most recent controversy, though, has worried even the Secret Service.

Using a third party application that allows users to create and post public polls, a Facebook member asked members "Should Obama Be Killed?" The question was incendiary enough to warrant the attention of the Secret Service, which has confirmed its concern over the survey.

Tags: assassination, barack obama, BarackObama, facebook, law, president, secret service, SecretService, social networking, SocialNetworking, top

Web, Social Networking

Government Reportedly Storing Comments on Social Networking Pages

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Sep 16th 2009 at 11:27PM

The Presidential Records Act of 1978 ensures public access to government documents so that United States citizens can be aware of the actions of the nation's highest office. According to the Washington Times, the government is asserting that the same act enables the White House to have access to statements made by the public. More specifically, the Act apparently allows the government to monitor and store comments, notes, photos, and videos posted to sites that host a White House page (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, Vimeo, YouTube, and Slideshare).

Because the Act applies specifically to public comments "received by the President or the immediate staff," it's still not clear as to exactly what information, posted by whom, would be susceptible to monitoring. All of the aforementioned are third-party sites, after all. Although some folks, possibly in hopes of inspiring vitriol and paranoia, may suggest that a nefarious Obama is hiding in a dark room crawling through everyone's profiles, the monitoring of the sites is being carried out by a private contractor. Hopefully, some form of congressional oversight committee will be created and more details will emerge soon. Until then, stay tuned, and watch what you say on that White House page. [From: The Washington Times]

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, government, presidential records act, PresidentialRecordsAct, privacy, social networking, SocialNetworking

Web, Social Networking

President Obama Warns Kids About Dumb Facebooking

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Sep 9th 2009 at 2:25PM

Listen, children, we've warned you about posting your youthful indiscretions on Facebook and the likely ramifications. We've told you to be wary of what you post, as employers -- actual or potential -- will almost certainly scrutinize your profile, possibly firing or declining to hire you if they don't like what they see. We've given you example after example after example. So, what do you do? You post incriminating comments on Facebook and get yourselves fired. Oh, we know. Nobody wants to listen to those dumb old dweebs at Switched. Well, would you maybe listen to the President of the United States?

During President Obama's address to the nation's youth yesterday, one student asked how a youngster might become president. "Well, let me give you some very practical tips," the President answered. "First of all, I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life." Check out the video after the break (Obama's answer starts around 2:00).

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, employment, facebook, facebook face loss, FacebookFaceLoss, kids, social networking, SocialNetworking

Web

White House Turns to Internet to Combat "Disinformation"

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Aug 10th 2009 at 1:15PM

Barack Obama is no stranger to spurious claims about his heritage, citizenship, and religious beliefs, but most of these claims have been met with little more than stolid dismissal by our secretly Muslim, terrorist-fist-bumping, Kenyan-born president. Start attacking the man's policies with deceptive chain e-mails and viral videos, though, and you might just find yourself on the losing side of a war with the most tech-savvy administration in our nation's history.

Recent weeks have seen the circulation of online videos and e-mails that White House director of new media, Macon Phillips, has called "scary," according to ABC news. These missives claim to "uncover" various details of Obama's health care plan. That it will eliminate private insurance. That everyone of Medicare age will be visited and asked how they wish to die. That elderly Americans will "be put out to pasture."

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, government, health care, HealthCare, healthcare reform, HealthcareReform, top, viral, white house, WhiteHouse

EPA May Have Suppressed Anti-Global Warming Study

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Jul 2nd 2009 at 5:01PM

Accusations are flying over leaked e-mails (warning: PDF) that the EPA suppressed an internal report that casts a skeptical light on using regulations to reign in carbon emissions and reduce global warming.

The 98-page report (warning, PDF), primarily authored by Alan Carlin, argues that there is no reason to regulate carbon dioxide in the U.S. since much of the science cited by the Environtmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its recent pro-regulation recommendation to President Obama is outdated. Carlin claims that recent studies show that long-held assumptions about hurricanes in the Atlantic, the shedding of ice sheets in Greenland, and the trend of rising temperatures worldwide may be misguided.

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, epa, global warming, GlobalWarming, science, suppression

Cell Phones, Web

Quacking Ringtone Interrupts Obama Press Conference

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jun 30th 2009 at 11:59AM

When's the most embarrassing moment possible for your cell phone to ring? During a church service? How about a college lecture? A funeral, maybe? Nope, nope, and nope. Try being the poor sap whose phone not only rang, but quacked, during a recent press conference by President Obama.

During a live broadcast of a speech about gay rights yesterday, a White House correspondent's cell phone quacked like a duck. After a look of disbelief (and who can blame him?), Obama asked, "Who's duck is back there?" The press corps laughed, but then the president delivered a real zinger when he said, "Where do you guys get these ringtones, by the way? I'm just curious." Ouch, burned by the President. [From: Wonkette]

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, duck, obama, press conference, PressConference, ringtones, top, white house, WhiteHouse

FCC's McDowell Nominated for Another Term

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Jun 3rd 2009 at 8:04PM

After delays and much debate, President Obama has announced that he will officially nominate Republican Robert M. McDowell as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), according to FreshNews.com. (Of course, his appointment will require Senate approval.) McDowell's expected re-nomination was somewhat hindered by political rivals and alleged opposition from AT&T -- he reportedly butted heads with ol' Ma Bell as a lobbyist and a representative of COMPTEL, a trade group of competing telephone companies.

Divisiveness seems to dominate the political landscape, but this move should cross party lines and provide balance, as Obama has already nominated Democrat Julius Genachowski as Chairman of the FCC. McDowell, originally appointed to the FCC by George W. Bush in 2006, has developed a reputation for being moderately conservative and business friendly, while supporting developing communications companies.

Since the FCC has been heavily preoccupied by the decade-long transition to digital television, perhaps McDowell's nomination signifies that the group is ready to get back to its normal issues -- like protecting us all from traumatic and corrupting "wardrobe malfunctions" and "fleeting expletives." [Via: InformationWeek]

Tags: barackobama, FCC, government, robertmmcdowell, top, whitehouse

Celebrities, Web

'Obama Time Capsule' Book, Authored by You, Online

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — May 23rd 2009 at 5:16PM

Customizable Obama Book Lists You as Author

Look out respectable citizens, because here comes 'The Obama Time Capsule.'

What is it, you say? Well, 'The Obama Time Capsule' is a $35 coffee table photo book, available through Amazon, that can be customized with images and words of your choosing. It's like some bastard love child of Web 2.0, grassroots politics, and those cheesy 'put-your-kid-in-a-story-book' carts at our local mall.

The 200-page book is filled with over 140 professionally shot photos, and includes essays from Colin Powell, Joe Klein, Arianna Huffington, and quite a few others. So why do we care about a politics book? After ordering it, you'll get an e-mail with a link to the book's Web site, where you can customize your copy. You can write the dedication, have your name listed as an author on the cover, and upload your own images to put in the book.

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, book, books, custom, obama, politics, shopping, the obama time capsule, TheObamaTimeCapsule, top

Cell Phones, BlackBerry

Obama Getting New Super-Secure BlackBerry

by Peter Mychalcewycz (RSS feed) — Apr 24th 2009 at 12:37PM

Soon, Barack Obama will finally be getting a beefed-up BlackBerry worthy of his office, the Washington Post reported yesterday.

The President, whose affection towards his BlackBerry is well documented, has actually been using a combination of two devices (a regular BlackBerry and an NSA-supplied security attachment called the Sectera Edge) while awaiting delivery of his uber-secure, top-secret Blackberry 8830. The new phone will be equipped with SecureVoice -- a high-security software developed by Genesis Key, Inc. that turns any Blackberry 8830 or Curve into a hacker-proof line of communication.

When Obama finally receives his new phone (expected to be within a few months), he will be able to call, e-mail and text other people who have appropriately secure BlackBerry models. It is expected that top aides to the President, along with his wife Michelle, will be among the recipients.

We are sure the President is thrilled to be getting his new toy; we just hope that the thing is as secure as advertised. [From: Washington Times]

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, blackberry, government, national security, NationalSecurity, obama, obamas blackberry, ObamasBlackberry, politics, security, top

National Broadband Plan Starts Rolling Out

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — Apr 11th 2009 at 10:11AM

Hey, what do you know? All those meetings over the proposed National Broadband Plan has amounted to something: a "yeah, we should probably hit this up." Today, the FCC has kicked off an immensely ambitious project to bring "high-speed internet access to every corner of the United States." $7.2 billion of the economic stimulus package has already been allocated for the task, but it'll be ages before anything becomes of this. For starters, the FCC is asking for input from consumers, businesses, etc, yet it doesn't require a response until February of 2010. Meanwhile, nations like South Korea, Japan and Australia are all looking to implement similar rollouts, albeit with much higher speeds. You see, the FCC currently defines "broadband" as 786Kpbs, which obviously isn't anywhere near median rates in some of the aforementioned countries. Pardon our skepticism in this becoming a reality, but at least we'll be extra elated if our rock-bottom expectations are met.

Tags: america, barack obama, BarackObama, broadband, FCC, government, high-speed internet, High-speedInternet, internet, national broadband, national broadband plan, NationalBroadband, NationalBroadbandPlan, obama, president, us, usa

Celebrities, iPod

President Obama Offers iPod to the Queen of England

by Joshua Topolsky (RSS feed) — Apr 1st 2009 at 4:30PM

No, this isn't an April Fool's joke. President Obama met today at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, and our forward thinking commander-in-chief brought along a little tech for gifting purposes. Obama presented Elizabeth II with an iPod containing video from her 2007 visit to the States. In return, the first family received what is apparently a standard present for visiting dignitaries to the Palace -- a silver-framed photo of the Queen and her husband. At a glance, it seems like Obama has a thing for gadgets (and related media); he recently handed off a set of DVDs featuring classic American films to Prime Minister Gordon Brown... who was unable to play them due to incorrect region encoding. Regardless, the Queen appears pleased with the music player, telling the President during their 25 minute tea that she "Finally has something to listen to [her] Pantera records on."

Tags: apple, barack obama, BarackObama, buckingham palace, BuckinghamPalace, ipod, obama, politics, president barack obama, president obama, PresidentBarackObama, PresidentObama, queen elizabeth, queen elizabeth II, queen of england, QueenElizabeth, QueenElizabethIi, QueenOfEngland

Computers, Celebrities

Once-Arrested White House CIO Steps Out, Then Back In

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Mar 18th 2009 at 1:27PM

White House CIO Steps Aside Over 12 Year-Old Theft

Remember that new Chief Information Officer (CIO) that President Obama recently appointed? As was the case with many of the other seemingly ill-vetted appointees, it now seems like Vivek Kundra too has a couple of skeletons in his closet that almost stopped him from accepting the position for the newly created post.

As with Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer, Charles Freeman, Ron Kirk, Timothy Geithner, and Bill Richardson before him, it looked like Kundra was going to have to step aside. This time, however, it had nothing to do with unpaid taxes. It looks like Kundra was arrested (though not convicted) on charges of theft back in 1997, and that some in his office are embroiled in a bribery scheme.

According to public records dug up by Valleywag, Kundra received probation before judgment (and a $500 fine, of which he only paid $100) for a theft of less than $300 in value. That information, along with news that Kundra had taken a leave of absence from his new post, started making the rounds on the Internet earlier this week and prompted many to assume that he would soon be gone. In fact, he had already taken a leave of absence relating to a raid by the FBI on his office last week that led to the arrest of two Washington DC officials.

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, cio, crime, government, obama, politics, vivek kundra, VivekKundra, white house, WhiteHouse

Computers

Iranian Computer Found to Have Info on Presidential Chopper

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Mar 9th 2009 at 8:36PM

Classified information regarding President Obama's helicopter was recently found in a peer-to-peer sharing folder on an Iranian computer, according to Computerworld.

Chris Gormley, C.O.O. of Tiversa Inc., told Computerworld that the company's analysts first located the leaked information on February 26th, determining it to have been taken from the system of a U.S. defense contractor. Since last summer, sensitive documents pertaining to the helicopter -- known as Marine One -- have been circulating on P2P networks, Gormley elaborated. Although Tiversa employees notified authorities and the contractor at the time, the discovery in Iran proves that the information is still up for grabs.

Avivah Litan, an analyst with Gartner Inc., told Computer world that, in the interest of protecting information, companies should encrypt their files, uninstall any P2P programs from company computers, and block P2P traffic from company networks. Our safety depends on it. [From: Computerworld]

Related Links:

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, cyber emergency, CyberEmergency, expire-images:2010-3-8, leak, marine one, MarineOne, p2p, security

Computers, Visionaries

Obama Names New Chief Information Office for White House

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Mar 6th 2009 at 4:33PM

Vivek Kundra has been named the first Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) by President Obama. The CIO for the White House is a newly created post that will carry a variety of responsibilities, not the least of which is overseeing how the technology budget is spent by the federal government.

Kundra will be responsible for making sure that federal agencies are able to communicate and share information, as well as for ensuring that data is secure in the face of hackers, leaks, and other cyber threats. The CIO will also work closely with a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to develop and implement technology policy for the administration. That will include furthering Obama's pledge of governmental transparency through the use of tools like WhiteHouse.gov and Recovery.gov, as well as deciding how money should be invested to spur new technological developments like clean, renewable power sources.

The new CIO will be in charge of the entire federal government's $71 billion IT budget and will hopefully prevent future administrations from having to deal with the technological mess the Obama transition team encountered when it moved into the White House.

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, chief information officer, chief technology officer, ChiefInformationOfficer, ChiefTechnologyOfficer, federal government, FederalGovernment, government, obama, president obama, PresidentObama, vivek kundra, VivekKundra, white house, WhiteHouse

Audio/Video, TV

DTV Coupons Begin Flowing Once More

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — Mar 6th 2009 at 2:01PM

For all of you still waiting for a little governmental assistance in buying that DTV converter box that you should've purchased months ago (we kid... a little), we've excellent news. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is overseeing the program, has announced that it has finally begun to ship $40 vouchers towards the purchase of these very boxes once more. The waitlist has grown some 4.1 million deep since the subsidy program ran dry back in January, but the agency is hoping to have that cleared within three weeks. Of course, you better not procrastinate on your second chance -- who knows how quickly the $650 million it has left will last.

[Image courtesy of BreakItDownBlog]

Tags: 2009, barack obama, BarackObama, coupon, cutover, digital tv, digital tv transition, DigitalTv, DigitalTvTransition, dtv, dtv cutover, dtv transition, DtvCutover, DtvTransition, FCC, governement, NTIA, obama, voucher

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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