PresidentBush
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Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an out-of-control creation
Ever since Stuxnet was discovered, most of the accusing fingers have been pointed at the US, Israel or both, whether or not there was any evidence; it was hard to ignore malware that seemed tailor-made for wrecking Iranian centrifuges and slowing down the country's nuclear development. As it turns out, Occam's Razor is in full effect. An exposé from the New York Times matter-of-factly claims that the US and Israel coded Stuxnet as part of a cyberwar op, Olympic Games, and snuck it on to a USB thumb drive that infected computers at the Natanz nuclear facility. The reason we know about the infection at all, insiders say, is that it got out of control: someone modified the code or otherwise got it to spread through an infected PC carried outside, pushing Obama to either double down (which he did) or back off. Despite all its connections, the newspaper couldn't confirm whether or not the new Flame malware attack is another US creation. Tipsters did, however, deny that Flame is part of the Olympic Games push -- raising the possibility that there are other agencies at work. [Image credit: David Holt, Flickr]
President Bush plays video games with injured soldiers
President Bush, during a recent visit to a rehabilitation center for injured veterans, found time to sit with the soldiers and play some video games. This begs the question - when you play some games with the president, do you have to let him win?While the idea of wounded soldiers playing war games as part of their recovery process might seem a little strange, the use of simulated battlefields to treat sufferers of wartime Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has become more popular over the past few years.According to a White House spokeswoman, one game allowed our Head of State to "shoot the bad guys" in a virtually rendered Baghdad neighborhood. The veterans were reportedly confused when President Bush made his character run away from the battlefield to hide in his father's ranch house for a year.[Thanks, Steve]
U.S. internet gambling legislated [update 1]
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed through congress last week as a rider to a port security bill, like a tick clinging to a deer. The gambling legislation intends to make online poker and other money-winning internet games illegal super illegal in the United States (see below). (Business Week mentions that some gaming companies are counting on loopholes, but most U.S. operations have a dire outlook.) President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law within the next few weeks.Card Squad says, and we agree, that laws should be created on their own merits. The site covers Shelley Berkeley (D-Nevada) debating the act, expressing her disappointment that the bill was tacked on to critical security legislation.While we usually leave the poker playing to Card Squad, these bills make us nervous for impending legislation in the videogame industry. Will the Video Game Decency Act pass or fail on its own merits, or will it ride on the back of a more important law?Would U.S. lawmakers try to save Springfield from a comet if they had to allocate $30 million to "support the perverted arts?"Thanks to Dirk and others for pointing out that gambling is already technically illegal in the United States. It's only legal under state laws or on Native American land, which has limited sovereignty in this situation. (Although state-run gambling exists as lotteries.)The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act gives the government new tools to enforce old laws, making the transaction illegal. Read the act in its original state or in its new habitat, hiding in the SAFE Port Act.[Update 1: Added last two paragraphs.]
Nintendo gifts birthday boy Bush with DS Lite, Brain Age
Just like you're not supposed to tug on Superman's cape, it's probably not the best idea to send the most powerful man in the world a gag gift on his birthday, so we've got to give props to our good friends at Nintendo for risking an ugly international incident to break President Bush off with a DS Lite in honor of his sixtieth -- and bundling in a copy of Brain Age to presumably help ward off his impending dementia. According to our sources inside the White House, after muttering under his breath about how "this doesn't work like my iPod," Mr. Bush decided to move onto more important matters like national security and regift the console to his Scottish Terrier Barney -- who was able to have a game of Nintendogs up and running within minutes. [Via Joystiq]
Nintendo sends President Bush DS Lite, Brain Age
At first glance, you might think we were kidding. We're not. President Bush turns a whole sixty years old tomorrow, and Nintendo of America felt fit to send him a birthday package of their own creation: a white DS Lite, a copy of Brain Age: Train Your Brain For Minutes A Day, and a nice congratulatory letter (read it after the break).Aside from being absolutely ridiculous (guy at Nintendo who thought to do this, I love you), one must wonder if President Bush will receive the package personally and actually attempt to play a round. Just think! With rigorous training, President Bush may usher in a new era of world peace! Sudoku transcends all cultural barriers.Marketing genius, Nintendo. I wonder what his initial Brain Age would be... (watches as the commenters rush to post the largest number they know)Once again, the full letter from Nintendo after the break.[via GoNintendo]
Bono gives Bush iPod
President Bush has an iPod. This isn't exactly breaking news here on TUAW, however, according to this Rueters story Bono gave President Bush an iPod. It isn't clear what model iPod it was, but I imagine it was one of the video enable iPods that the President wanted.The article also lists a number of other presents that Pres. Bush received, including a chainsaw.
President Bush: US Government developed iPod
Oh, boy. Here's one for all you conspiracy theorists. In a speech delivered at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, President Bush addressed the American Initiative. During his address, the President said:"The government funded research in microdrive storage, electrochemistry and signal compression. They did so for one reason: It turned out that those were the key ingredients for the development of the iPod. I tune into the iPod occasionally, you know..."The President was joking, of course. When asked if he thought the joke was funny, Apple Board of Directors member Al Gore said, "No."[Via Engadget]
