Barack Obama
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Barack Obama just became the first US president to write a computer program
Remember that Hour of Code event we mentioned earlier today? The one that had President Barack Obama hosting a computer science workshop at the White House? Turns out the president used the event to mark a new milestone in American history: He's now the first US president to write a computer program. Specifically, the president used Google's Blockly tool to craft a tiny segment of code to draw a square. It's not a very useful program, but its creation is symbolic of the event's message -- with a little effort, anybody can learn to code. Even one of the busiest men on the planet. [Image credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin]
President Obama wants the FCC to abandon plans for tiered 'net neutrality'
President Obama found a place in the heart of many techies during his first campaign thanks to his staunch support of net neutrality. Six years later the debate still rages on, but Obama's position hasn't changed. During a Q&A in California on Thursday the President reiterated his support for the principle saying: "I made a commitment very early on that I am unequivocally committed to Net Neutrality... Tom Wheeler, knows my position. I can't-now that he's there-I can't just call him up and tell him exactly what to do. But what I've been clear about, what the White House has been clear about, is that we expect that whatever final rules to emerge, to make sure that we're not creating two or three or four tiers of Internet." That statement seems to stand in opposition to the current proposal sitting in front of the FCC which leaves plenty of wiggle room and loopholes for creating tiered service. Of course, he stopped shy of calling for broadband to be reclassified as a Title II service, which critics have said is essential for preserving true net neutrality. Reclassifying broadband under Title II would allow the FCC to regulate it as a "common carrier" like telephone lines, and would demand that ISPs act in "the public interest." [Photo courtesy of Getty, taken by Kevin Mazur for WireImage]
WikiLeaks head doesn't believe Obama is serious about NSA reform
Julian Assange doesn't think you should hold your breath for Barack Obama to deliver meaningful NSA reform. The WikiLeaks founder said during a talk at SXSW Interactive that he believes the president is beholden to the American spy agencies and not the public. According to the self-anointed guardian of the world's conscience Obama has proven that he does not take concerns about the NSA's over reaching seriously by failing to fire or prosecute people at the agency. But Assange also said that Obama couldn't push through serious change, even if he wanted to. If the president tried to dismantle the NSA or CIA, Assange is convinced that he would be impeached and the agencies would destroy him because they "have dirt on him." In fact, he said the NSA "has dirt on all of us," suggesting that the Government has spent the last several years harvesting information with which to black mail the American public.
Saints Row 4 adds presidential pre-order bonus
Those who pre-order Saints Row 4 through GameStop or EB Games and pick the game up within 48 hours of its release on August 20 will receive the Presidential Pack DLC, Deep Silver announced. The Presidential Pack offers players the chance to "live out your wildest dreams of being one of the most famous American Presidents or dress up your President like a real American Revolutionary." Unfortunately, that's the only description available for the bonus content. Aside from what seem to be images of Abraham Lincoln, George W. Bush and Barack Obama masks accompanying the newsletter from Deep Silver, it's not clear what players will get in the Presidential Pack DLC. Amazon.de is also offering the pre-order bonus, and shows George Washington alongside the other presidents.
CDC group to research impact of violent games on real gun violence
Following an executive order from President Barack Obama, the Centers for Disease Control tasked the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to create a plan to research the causes of – and potential deterrents to – gun violence in the United States. The committee created a plan that should produce results in three to five years and focuses on, in part, the impact of video games and other media on real-life gun violence. "While the vast majority of research on the effects of violence in media has focused on violence portrayed in television and movies, more recent research has expanded to include music, video games, social media, and the Internet – outlets that consume more and more of young people's days," the Institute of Medicine writes. "However, in more than 50 years of research, no study has focused on firearm violence as a specific outcome of violence in media. As a result, a direct relationship between violence in media and real-life firearm violence has not been established and will require additional research." In January, Obama signed 23 executive orders with the purpose of researching and curtailing gun violence, based on data collected by Vice President Joe Biden during a round of meetings with players in potentially related industries, including gaming.
President Obama recognizes Apple during State of the Union address
During tonight's State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama gave a specific shout out to Apple, and indirectly to CEO Tim Cook, who is attending the speech. The President cited Apple's plans to bring production of one of its Mac product lines back to the U.S. Cook was previously announced as one of Michelle Obama's guests for the State of the Union address. Follow this link to see the spot in the speech where Obama recognizes Apple. It's also embedded below at the 24:10 mark.
Obama signs executive orders to curtail, research gun violence [Update: ESA responds]
President Barack Obama signed 23 executive actions today with the goal of suppressing gun violence and researching the effects of violent media on young minds. The actions supplement a proposed $500 million program to curtail gun violence, including implementing a universal background check for gun buyers, restoring a ban on military-style assault weapons and limiting magazines to 10 rounds, and developing emergency preparedness plans.Obama mentioned video games once during the conference, asking Congress to provide $10 million for the Centers for Disease Control and other scientific agencies to research the causes of gun violence."While year after year, those who oppose even modest gun safety measures have threatened to defund scientific or medical research into the causes of gun violence, I will direct the Centers for Disease Control to go ahead and study the best ways to reduce it," Obama said. "And Congress should fund research into the effects that violent video games have on young minds. We don't benefit from ignorance. We don't benefit from not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence."Obama's recommendations come after Vice President Joe Biden led a task force to investigate various industries and angles of curtailing gun violence, following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut last month. He met with leaders in the video game industry, including EA's John Riccitiello, as part of his information-gathering tour."While there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of evil, if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there's even one life that can be saved, then we've got an obligation to try it," Obama said.A summary of Obama's recommendations include the following steps: strengthen the background check system to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, help schools to hire more resource officers if they want them, develop emergency preparedness plans, clarify options that mental health professionals have for reporting threats of violence (acknowledging that those with mental health issues are more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators), enacting a universal background check for anyone trying to buy a gun, restore a ban on military-style assault weapons and enact a 10-round limit on magazines, have Congress support severe punishments for criminal gun buyers and sellers, and placing more police officers on the streets.Obama ended the conference by signing the executive orders, emphasizing the responsibility of Congress to enact his recommendations.
Biden talks video game violence with industry representatives today
US vice-president Joe Biden is meeting with games industry representatives today to discuss the role of violent video games with regards to gun violence, as part of a response to last month's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. As the Associated Press reports, today's meeting in Washington is the latest in a series of discussions Biden's task force is undertaking before presenting recommendations on how to suppress gun violence to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 15.Meetings with film industry representatives and the National Rifle Association took place yesterday, with the NRA emerging "disappointed" from what it felt was an attack on the Second Amendment, objecting to a number of proposals including limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines and bans on assault weapons.The Entertainment Software Association confirmed to Polygon that it's being represented at today's meeting by president Michael Gallagher. Sources involved with the meeting told Polygon other attendees include representatives for game publishers, research on the impact of video games on children, and the retail sector.Several industry organizations, such as the International Game Developers Association and the Electronic Consumer Association, issued open letters to the vice president ahead of today's meeting. The IGDA calls on the government to consider the "totality" of research into video game violence, and to avoid causing the games industry similar damage to that suffered by the comic book industry because of the censorship laws of the 1950s. Similarly, the ECA notes a negative correlation between the growth of the games industry and the decrease in violent crime across the last decade.As Polygon learned this week, there are plans to reintroduce a bill to Congress calling for a Federal Trade Commission study into connections between violent video games and harmful effects on children. The bill, originally brought to Congress last month following the Connecticut shooting, failed to make it through the 112th session on January 2. Its author, West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller, is likely to reintroduce the bill before the end of the month. Previous FTC studies failed to establish any causal connections between violent video games and violent behavior.
Tim Cook makes shortlist for Time's Person of the Year
Time Magazine has posted its shortlist for the annual Person of the Year awards, and there's at least one familiar face on there for Apple fans: Apple CEO Tim Cook has made the cut. Along with Barack Obama, Bill and Hilary Clinton and Yahoo CEO (and former Google exec) Marissa Mayer, Cook is under final consideration for this year's award, which will reportedly be announced tomorrow. The internet doesn't quite believe Cook deserves it: Time's annual fan poll (which is always buried under by a mob of votes from social sites like 4Chan) already chose North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as its choice. But the fan poll is basically just a stunt these days. The final decision comes down to Time editors. Given everything that's happened this year, it's hard to believe that Time will eventually choose Cook as its Person, but then again, who knows? Cook has definitely shined in his role of filling the shoes of Steve Jobs, and Apple has never been more influential in the various fields of tech, business and the creative arts as it's been this past year. So maybe we will see Apple's new CEO crowned tomorrow. [via MacRumors]
President Obama meets with Tim Cook, others
President Barack Obama spoke with prominent business leaders over the weekend to discuss his plan to avert the financial crisis that is looming early next year. According to Reuters, the list of senior corporate leaders with which Obama spoke include JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, investor Warren Buffet and Apple CEO Tim Cook. "The president reached out to and spoke with each of these business leaders as a part of his continuing conversations and outreach on the need to find a balanced deficit-reduction solution that protects the middle class and continues to move our economy forward," said a White House official in a statement provided to Reuters. The president and Congress are in last-minute negotiations to avoid a so-called fiscal cliff that could send the US back into a recession in 2013. The fiscal cliff is the result of a $109 billion in spending cuts that go in effect on January 1, 2013 and an increase in individual income taxes as the Bush-era tax cuts expire.
PSA: Final presidential debate tonight at 9pm EDT on Xbox Live
Not the final final debate – just the last one before the 2012 election. Tonight is your final chance to enjoy some heated debate action on your Xbox 360, as President Barack Obama and candidate Mitt Romney will square off in their third debate starting at 9pm EDT – you're that much closer to your free Halo armor.Before the debate, Xbox 360 users will be able to enjoy a concert put on by Rock the Vote, starting at 7pm EDT. The concert will feature artists Neon Trees and DJ Skee, both of which we're in-the-know about because we're not old fogies like your parents. Nope, we're totally hip.
Majority of undecided Xbox Live voters declare Obama victor of town hall debate
Of the 2,000 or so undecided voters that tuned into last night's presidential debate via Xbox Live, 51 percent thought that President Barack Obama's overall performance was better than former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, 17 percent declared Romney the winner, while 32 percent remained unsure as to who outclassed who.Fifty-two percent of undecided Xbox Live voters felt that President Obama was the most truthful during the debate, compared with the 17 percent who felt that way about Romney. Regarding the specificity of their plans for our nation, 56 percent felt Obama was satisfactorily specific in regards to his plan for the future, whereas 17 percent said the same about Romney.Those 2,000-ish voters were but a small subset of the total number of viewers, however, which totaled more than 100,000 Xbox owners. Over the course of the debate, more than 2 million individual answers were given to approximately 70 poll questions, with most questions averaging 35,000 to 45,000 responses each.
PSA: US vice presidential debate on Xbox Live at 9pm ET tonight
Whether you're in it for some free Halo armor or to participate in our nation's democratic process, tonight is the second in a series of four debates leading up to the 2012 presidential election. Following the first debate between Republican nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, Romney's running mate Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden go head-to-head this evening.Starting at 9pm ET tonight, you'll be able to tune into the Vice-Presidential debate through the Election 2012 hub on Xbox Live. The same interactive features from the last debate will also be available, including live voting through the app and suggesting questions through Twitter with the #XboxPoll hashtag.
PSA: Live presidential debate goes interactive on Xbox Live tonight
Standard presidential debates are so 2008. In the 2012, we expect a bit more interactivity from our presidential debates, and coincidentally Xbox Live is delivering that to Gold subscribers tonight with the first presidential debate.Republican nominee Mitt Romney and incumbent President Barack Obama will begin their debate at 9PM Eastern tonight. During the debate, Xbox Live users will be able to answer polls and even suggest questions for the Xbox Live community through Twitter by using the hashtag #XboxPoll.This is one of four debates that will stream live through the Election 2012 hub on Xbox Live, three presidential debates and one vice presidential. Watching three of the four total debates will net Xbox Live users a free Halo 4 Warrior Armor avatar.
Presidential flamewars, er, debates start tonight at 9PM ET on YouTube
Web video sites and civilized discourse have never been particularly compatible concepts, but that's not stopping YouTube from giving it a shot. Roughly a month ahead of the next US presidential election, YouTube be the host to the first of three presidential debates. You can tune into the first tonight at 9PM ET via the site's Elections Hub, courtesy of the folks at ABC news. Further debates can be streamed on the site on the 11th and 22nd at the same time, with then Vice Presidents getting their moment in the web video spotlight on the 11th. Click on the source link to tune in, but stay away from the comments if you're interested in retaining any faith in the political process, and or humankind.
President Barack Obama campaigning in EA games again
Much can change in four years, but apparently President Barack Obama's campaign avenues haven't. For his upcoming campaign towards a second term as President of the United States, Obama will once again advertise through video games – specifically, EA games. Madden NFL 13 across various consoles and other undisclosed EA games are on deck to dish out Obama ads, including EA's casual games portal Pogo and EA Mobile games like Tetris, Scrabble and Battleship. These ads will show up for gamers in Ohio, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire and Virginia.Four years ago, Obama paid $44,500 for in-game advertising in Burnout Paradise and other games. You can see some mock-ups in our gallery below. %Gallery-165666%
Obama, Romney get chiptuned in battle for presidential seat
The battle for the White House is an epic, intense drama to rival those of legend and myth, so of course it makes a great chiptune video game. The Gregory Brothers, creators of Autotune the News and all those viral videos about burgers and bed intruders, songified Barack Obama and Mitt Romney from the Democratic and Republican national conventions (respectively, in case you get those two mixed up).The video is titled "Patriot Game" and presents the presidential candidates side-by-side, comparing their talking points as if they were literal points in an 8-bit video game, set to an upbeat tune. Watch the piggy banks, (bleeding) hearts and American flags stack up over at The New York Times, and see who wins to be the fictional, autotuned President of Earths and Moon. It might surprise you.
President Obama's doing an AMA on Reddit today, invites the people to pose their digital questions
His competition from the GOP, Mitt Romney, already answered the people's questions on Yahoo! Answers, and now the Commander in Chief has decided to take on any and all internet queries too. The virtual Q&A with Obama is set to start at 4:30 ET today via an ask me anything session on Reddit, so head on over to the source link and see if your President will see fit to answer your questions -- be they about health care, net neutrality or even the Cubs non-existent playoff chances.
YouTube's Elections Hub is a one-stop channel for the latest US political happenings
In case you haven't noticed, it's election year in the US of A. And while we already have a slight idea of which political party your beloved neighbors prefer, why not have an all-inclusive video hub to keep you updated with the latest action taking place on the road toward America's historical White House. Here's where YouTube comes in. The Google-owned service announced earlier today the creation of its Elections Hub, which it's dubbing as the "one-stop channel for key political moments" happening now and all the way until the final US election day on the 6th of November. Naturally, the social vid giant's teamed up with some of the biggest outfits around to bring live and on-demand content to the Elections 2012 channel, including ABC News, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and, for the spanish-speaking crowd, Univision. Regardless of who's landing your worthy, priceless vote, this should be a great corner of the internet to keep you in the loop during this year's Stateside political battle.
Both US presidential candidates pushing iPhone apps
It's an election year, iOS devices are almost everywhere, and that's why both US Presidential candidates this year are already pushing iPhone apps. Governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, has released an app called Mitt's VP -- he plans to announce his choice for Vice President from that app first, and there's other sharing and notification features coming in the app as well. President Barack Obama has made a lot of waves for using digital media in his campaigns, and so of course there's an official Obama for America app. That app also shares news and allows for social sharing about the Obama campaign, and allows users to sign up to volunteer at campaign events, or help get out the vote in other ways. Apple's platform consists of a huge audience of well-connected people, so it's no surprise that the presidential election is reflected in the App Store. As we get closer and closer to November's election here in America, it'll be interesting to see how the candidates use these apps to reach out to their voter base. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
