President Obama went on a little bit of a tirade in a speech to Hampton University this past Sunday, railing on against video game consoles and iPads, calling them ‘distractions and diversions’ rather than tools of ‘empowerement’ or means of ‘emancipation’.
Hmmm…now although I do agree that this world has become far too obsessed with gadgetry, I don’t see the evils in diversion or distraction. Living in the world today, distraction and diversion are absolutely necessary ways of coping with the stuff we all have to deal with on a daily basis. As far as I’m concerned, video games are a great to blow off steam and relax. Besides, any political official preaching about the evils of ‘diversion’ and ‘distraction’ is like a shark preaching about the evils of ‘biting’ and ’swimming’.
Obama, didn’t stop at at iPads however, as he also reserved some choice words about social media and blogs stating, ”With so many voices clamoring for attention on blogs, on cable, on talk radio, it can be difficult, at times, to sift through it all; to know what to believe; to figure out who’s telling the truth and who’s not. Let’s face it — even some of the craziest claims can quickly gain traction. I’ve had some experience with that myself.”
I completely agree…those OTHER blogs totally blow chunks! However, you can rest assured readers, everything posted on THIS blog is 1000 percent true. You see, I’m ALWAYS right…unless I’m wrong, either way, I’ll never be too far off base, so TRUST ME!!
You know…the thing I find irritating about this speech of his, is how he chooses to demonize technology as some kind of frivolous, waste of time, yet NONE of these politicians utter a peep in that regard when it comes to religion; which in my mind is the mother of all diversions and distractions. Believe me, if I was raising kids today, I’d rather let them play some nice games on the Xbox than have their brains assaulted and pickled with fairy tales and superstition in the form of ‘religion’.
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BlackBerry-loving President Barack Obama declared war on technology, singling out Apple’s super-popular iPods and iPads for criticism at a commencement ceremony in Virginia.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
President Barack Obama addresses the 1,200 graduates of Hampton University, a historically black university, at the school's Armstrong Stadium, in Hampton, Va., Sunday, May 9, 2010.
BlackBerry-loving President Barack Obama declared war on technology, singling out Apple’s super-popular iPods and iPads for criticism at a commencement ceremony in Virginia, the New York Post reported Monday.
Obama -- whose election was credited in part to his skillful use of modern media, from smartphones to Twitter to Flickr -- on Sunday told college graduates that high-tech gizmos and apps were straining American democracy.
"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation," Obama said at Hampton University in southeastern Virginia.
Obama described the most popular offerings of companies like Apple, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as distractions that are putting unnecessary pressure on the country.
Obama also lamented the spread of social media and blogs, through which "some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction."
"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you," Obama said. "It is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."
"We can't stop these changes," he said, "but we can adapt to them. And education is what can allow us to do so. It can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time."
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By LEONARD GREENE Last Updated: 5:48 AM, May 10, 2010 Posted: 3:51 AM, May 10, 2010
BlackBerry buff President Obama declared war on technology yesterday — singling out Apple’s super-popular iPods and iPads for criticism.
Obama — whose election was credited, in part, to his skillful use of modern media, from smart phones to Twitter to Flickr -- yesterday told college graduates that high-tech gizmos and apps are straining American democracy.
"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation," Obama said at Hampton University in Virginia.
Lobbing more grenades than the popular "Call of Duty" video game at targets like Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, Obama described the companies' most popular offerings as distractions that are putting unnecessary pressure on the country.
Obama also lamented the spread of social media and blogs through which "some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction."
"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you," Obama said. "It is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."
"We can't stop these changes," Obama said, "but we can adapt to them. And education is what can allow us to do so. It can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time."
Obama, who at one time had rapper Ludacris on his iPod and still has a White House-provided profile on Facebook, warned that the world is at a moment of "breathtaking change."
Yet in a speech before members of a generation that never knew life without a computer, Obama came close to declaring technology -- and the information it spawns -- the enemy.
"With so many voices clamoring for attention on blogs, on cable, on talk radio, it can be difficult, at times, to sift through it all; to know what to believe; to figure out who's telling the truth and who's not," Obama said.
"Let's face it -- even some of the craziest claims can quickly gain traction. I've had some experience with that myself. Fortunately, you'll be well positioned to navigate this terrain." leonard.greene@nypost.com
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By Larry Dignan | May 10, 2010, 3:13am PDT Summary
President Obama says information can be a distraction and singles out the iPad and iPod. He could have included any smart device. Is information distraction a real issue?
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Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.
For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.
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Sam Diaz
Sam Diaz is a senior editor at ZDNet. He has been a technology and business blogger, reporter and editor at the Washington Post, San Jose Mercury News and Fresno Bee for more than 18 years. He's a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a graduate of California State University, Fresno.
President Obama raised a bit of a ruckus over the weekend: He dissed the iPad (along with the iPod, Xbox and PlayStation) for becoming an information distraction, a diversion where entertainment replaces education.
Obama made the remarks during his commencement address at Hampton University in Virginia. Here’s the quote that got tech in a tizzy:
“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter. With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.”
Now there’s some subtext here—politicians don’t like it when there are too many information outlets to control and spin—and most folks caught onto those worries. But there is a larger issue here: Information can a distraction.
This isn’t about information overload per se. It’s about managing data in your own lives. Anyone that has any kind of device knows how it’s easy to hop around to snack on data and information. Even reading a book on the Kindle, which is supposed to disappear like a real paper book, has its distractions. Why? It has a crappy Web browser that at least allows to me to check stock quotes.
Here’s the dynamic on your device (almost any device):
Launch app;
Read headlines;
Check Twitter;
Oooh that’s funny;
Let me check email;
Back to book;
Ah but what about Facebook;
Oh I see someone lost a dog;
Poor thing;
Let me check stock quotes;
Back to that book;
Where’s Andrew Mager on FourSquare;
What was I doing again?
Let’s face it; I’m not sure there’s a lot of education going on in the process. You’ve learned nothing in that process. But you sure did snack on a lot of information junk food.
Obama realizes that the genie can’t be put back in the bottle, but you can see his argument. In my personal time, it’s telling that most of my critical thinking—strategy, arguments formed, stories outlined, my real thoughts after listening to all the crap thrown at me—is formed away from a device. If all we do is snack on information when does that critical thinking happen?
Obama criticized the iPad and other gadgets at a recent graduation speech (Source: YouTube)
The U.S. currently ranks fourteenth in college graduation rates according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (Source: OECD)
Steve Jobs might not be attending Christmas at The White House this year
Addressing 1,100 college graduates at Hampton University (VA) on Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama warned that high school diplomas were no longer enough to compete in the global economy. He stated that it was the responsibility of every American to offer young people access to higher education, particularly when other nations such as India, China, Japan, and the EU are paying for some or all of their college students' expenses.
In the speech he offers some unexpected criticism of today's hottest gadgets, including the iPad. He stated, "You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads, and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy."
Many people have commented that it was curious of the President to attack the products, which he admittedly knows little about. The President is still far from tech illiterate, though -- he was a compulsive BlackBerry user and has been seen using various laptops.
After that somewhat unscripted moment, the rest of the ceremony was relatively predictable. Obama praised the vision of the university's founders, who in 1861 set up the college as a place for escaped slaves from the South to gain an education. He describes, "They recognized, as Frederick Douglass once put it, that 'education means emancipation.' They recognized that education is how America and its people might fulfill our promise."
Obama criticized society for accepting the disproportionate number of blacks and Hispanics failing to receive higher education compared to their white colleagues. He comments, "All of us have a responsibility, as Americans, to change this, to offer every single child in this country an education that will make them competitive in our knowledge economy. That is our obligation as a nation."
President Obama is obviously right that American youth need to gain a college education. And it's a fair point that when many other countries pay for college education, the U.S. risks falling behind if it fails to do so. But attacking the iPad and iPod? We're guessing Steve Jobs won't be inviting Obama on his golf trips anytime soon.
Last edited by American Patriot; May 10th, 2010 at 13:27.
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It is OBVIOUS that this man is a cretin. He is a Marxist SOCIALIST of the worst sort. "Let's get everyone believing that technology is bad, that information is overwhelming and distracting! Let's make SURE that the truth remains HIDDEN!"
If we believe him, then technology is bad and we stop listening to the radio, television, getting news via the internet. Let's CENSOR it ALL so only the Socialists can get their words out.
Oh MY GOD people! Look at this crap!
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What a joke Obama is. The guy that couldn't give up his Blackberry for security reasons when elected is now eschewing technology and trying to play Mr. Old School.
This really, really pisses me off. The President of the United States telling people graduating from LAW SCHOOL they shouldn't ought to be worrying about too much information, because, like, you know... it gets IN THE WAY OF OUR LEFTIST AGENDA!
GOD.
Oh, and those assholes who are bitching about us "wanting to take America back".
I have something to say to you maggots too. FUCK YOU. This is MY AMERICA. It's CAPITALIST. IT'S NOT SOCIALIST. So HELL YES, we will take it back.
if you can't get with the program, get the fuck out of my country.
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“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.”
Your President believes that information you obtain from the internet is somehow invalid, second-rate, ersatz, propaganda. Information gleaned from this blog and countless others is tawdry – somehow not up to the lofty standards of the government approved media sources like MSNBC, the official media organ of the Soetoro administration, and should be discounted. If it is not proclaimed from Olympus by Robert Gibbs, it is, by inference, false. Or, at the very least, a distraction from the real information.
Woe to the nation whose ‘leader’ speaks of factual, valid information as opposed to information that is “mere distraction”, for the advent of Approved Information and Approved Information sources might not be far behind. Followed logically by the criminalization of other sources – like, for example ALL THE OTHER BLOGS YOU READ!
Now this might rightfully be considered as alarmist until you discover that Soetoro’s head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cass Sunstein published a paper in 2008 where he suggested that for internet sites that are deemed ‘anti-government’, the Government or
‘teams of covert agents and pseudo- “independent” advocates’ would be justified in instituting ‘covert programs designed to undermine anti-government conspiracy theories, discredit government critics, and increase faith in government pronouncements.’
Keep a wary eye on this administration vis-s-vis internet regulation and the demonization of dissent.
I see an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth‘ in the not too distant future.
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ."
We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
Now if the Government took over Apple and kicked Steve Jobs out like it did in the Auto Industry and put in one of their czars he wouldn't have mentioned Apple, just XBox and Play Station.
All joking aside this guy looks like a real "RED" Marxist.
The question:
Is he a revolutionary?
If so?
How far is he willing to go in this transformation?
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ."
We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
i took something you posted in this thread as you either being athiest or agnostic. at one point i thought you were tried and true christian but after the post i read, i'm guessing agnostic. i'm not judging either way. just curious.
i took something you posted in this thread as you either being athiest or agnostic. at one point i thought you were tried and true christian but after the post i read, i'm guessing agnostic. i'm not judging either way. just curious.
I was brought up a Baptist. I found Christ a long, long time ago, after He found me. I'm a very poor example of a Christian in many ways, I cuss a LOT, I don't give a shit what others think about me. I don't shove religion down others throats and demand that those who do get out of my face.
These days, I'm "Half Catholic"...
Am I a "Christian"?
I am in many more ways than most Christians. I just don't toe a line like a Preacher and I won't get in your face and quote you Bible verses. I don't believe everything I read, NOT EVEN in the Bible.
As a scientific person I study that which we can see, smell, feel, taste and hear - those things that we can believe with our own eyes. I have never seen "angels" (ok, that's not entirely accurate, I've see things I can't describe). But, I don't believe God is going to end the world in the manner which other men believe.
It won't be with a booming voice that says "You're doomed!" or any such thing. The world will end when it is time.
I'm probably "agnostic" on a certain level I suppose. But, what you and most others MUST understand is this.... Jesus Christ was a real person, a real human being.
God and Heaven are VALUES by which we should live. Jesus lived by those values most of us can never touch, or come close to. People are still trying to be like Him. They never will.
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By the way Zen, I think it is great you can't figure it out from what I say.
I believe that it is my business and mine alone what my religious beliefs are. Mine to share, or not as I wish.
And I believe we all have that right... the right to be left alone and not questioned or molested on it. People on the left don't want YOU to bother THEM as a religious person, but they sure as hell can BOTHER YOU any way they wish!
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ."
We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
Obama's TRUE colors coming out
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AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Originally Posted by zenbudda
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