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GOP platform praises NASA's ability to foster innovation
The Republican party has officially adopted its platform (warning: PDF) for the 2016 election season. And inside is some slightly surprising praise for NASA and talk of investing in it as a means to foster innovation. Specifically the GOP called the agency (along with the Department of Defense) critical to maintaining the country's edge in space. Of course, the specifics of the language are very carefully chosen. The platform doesn't whole-heartedly embrace a government-driven path to space-based dominance. Instead it calls out the agencies, as well as their public-private partnerships with the likes of SpaceX, that it claims have saved tax payers money.
Facebook and ABC team up for live DNC and RNC coverage
Your options for livestreaming the Democratic and Republican national conventions just got even wider. ABC and Facebook are partnering on 24-hour live online coverage of both the DNC and RNC, whether it's speeches on the floor or protests outside. And importantly, this isn't just reusing TV programming onilne -- there will be in-depth coverage that wouldn't be practical in conventional broadcasting. Your comments and questions on Facebook will also influence the coverage.
DNC, RNC streaming options include Twitch and Bing
The US' big political parties are seemingly determined to outdo each other in terms of ways to watch their conventions online. To start, the Democratic Party has unveiled livestreaming plans that will let you watch its National Convention on seemingly every modern platform under the Sun. On top of Twitter and its own site, the party will stream through Bing, YouTube and... Twitch. That's right -- you can witness an important part of the electoral process in between League of Legends and Overwatch viewing sessions. The convention will also be live on Amazon's Fire TV, the Apple TV, Roku players and your Xbox, in case you'd rather see the nominations on a big screen.
Twitter will livestream the Democratic and Republican conventions
Twitter isn't limiting its livestreaming to major sporting events. The social network has revealed that it will stream both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, which respectively start on July 25th and July 18th. The coverage (technically provided by CBSN) will be available through both the web and Twitter's official mobile apps, and won't require an account to start watching.
Clinton's tech policy includes student loan relief for startups
Now that we're down to just one nominee per party, we're starting to hear some finer points of the candidate's platforms. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton revealed a more detailed tech policy today, a plan that includes high-speed internet for every household over the next four years, cybersecurity, net neutrality and more. Those tenets have already been discussed, but the more recent developments include student loan help for entrepreneurs and funding for STEM education.
Apple won't assist the Republican convention due to Trump
Apple has made a number of firm political stands ever since Tim Cook took the helm, and it's not about to back down any time soon. Politico sources (backed by in-the-know journalist John Paczkowski) say that Apple won't provide funding or other support for the Republican Party's July presidential convention due to Donald Trump's policies. Reportedly, his attitudes toward immigrants, minorities and women are beyond the pale -- although Apple has been willing to court Republicans in the past (Cook met with House GOP bigwigs in 2015), Trump is just too extreme for the company's tastes. Apple has declined to comment to Politico so far.
John McAfee says he'll have 'no problem' becoming president
You know that it's a topsy-turvy year when John McAfee isn't the most preposterous candidate vying for the White House. The antivirus millionaire has been talking up his chances with US News and believes that he'll have "no problem" becoming president. He feels that America's dissatisfaction with the current political process gives a third-party candidate like himself a genuine shot at the title. In fact, he feels that if he can't win in 2016, then "the Libertarians should just give up."
Cram for Super Tuesday with Engadget's election guide
On March 1st Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will cast their votes in the primaries and caucuses. Plus Alaska and Wyoming are having Republican caucuses and American Samoa is getting in on the action with its own Democratic caucus -- there's a reason they call it "Super Tuesday." And from here on out things start moving pretty fast. In the next seven days nearly two dozen states and territories will have their say in who should be the nominee for the two major parties. Yes Primary season is really hitting it's stride. But don't think you're done with the debate drama. Thursday, March 3rd, the Republican candidates still hanging on after Super Tuesday will face off in Detroit. You can watch that showdown at 9PM ET either on Fox News or at foxnews.com. Then on the 6th, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will face off in Flint, Michigan, site of the disastrous water contamination scandal that has put the local government under sharp criticism. The two remaining Democrats will take the stage at 8PM ET on CNN and at CNN.com. And, of course, before those showdowns kick off, make sure to get caught up on the candidates positions on the most pressing tech and science issues of 2016 in our election guide. And make sure to join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Ello, Google+, BBS or semaphore using the hashtag #engadgetelectionguide.
Prep for the debates and primaries with Engadget's election guide
Last week Iowa voted and there were surprises all around. Ted Cruz became the front runner in the Republican race and Marco Rubio made an excellent showing by coming in a close third. Plus Hillary Clinton only narrowly avoided an upset from Larry David impersonator Bernie Sanders. Add to that the rather contentious (and meme-inspiring) debate between the Republicans on Saturday and this week is looking to be a decisive one for the Candidates.
Tinder bans users for sending pro-Bernie Sanders messages
Campaigning for Bernie Sanders, and presumably any other politician, can get you banned from Tinder. According to a report from Reuters, two users of the dating app learned that the hard way recently, after their accounts were locked for sending private messages about the 2016 presidential candidate. One woman, for example, told the publication she sent 60 messages per day to other people on Tinder, as she hoped to convince them to support Senator Sanders.
How to watch this week's presidential primary debates
Primary season is officially underway, but don't think that the deluge of debates is over. There will be many, many, many, more chances for the candidates to face off on stage. Tonight at 9pm ET Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will follow up their razor thin race in Iowa by bringing their sales pitches to New Hampshire. With Martin O'Malley officially out of the race, it will be down to just the two front runners. You can watch the debate live on MSNBC and at MSNBC.com. Saturday night, at 9pm ET, its the Republicans turn to put on a debate for the citizens of New Hampshire. You'll be able to watch that on your local ABC affiliate or online at abcnew.go.com/live. And, of course, before those showdowns kick off, make sure to get caught up on the candidates positions on the most pressing tech and science issues of 2016 in our election guide. And make sure to join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Ello, Google+, BBS or semaphore using the hashtag #engadgetelectionguide.
Prep for the Iowa caucuses: Check out the Engadget Election Guide
Tonight the process of selecting the nominees for president from the Democratic and Republican parties officially gets underway in Iowa. The citizens of the Hawkeye State will gather and physically organize themselves into groups supporting each of the candidates. And at the end of the night delegates will be awarded to the candidates accordingly. As the first contest of the primary season the Iowa caucuses garner a lot of attention. They have not always, however, been a reliable indicator of who the eventual nominee would be. That being said, they can give candidates an early boost in the polls. If you're wondering exactly how a caucus works and how it's different from a primary, check out the excellent video from CPG Grey after the break. But before you go out and cast your vote tonight, make sure to read up on the candidates' positions on the most important tech and science issues facing America this election year.
Google makes it easier to keep up with the presidential candidates
It's an election year here in the United States. In truth, the candidates started eating up news cycles well before 2016 started. Regardless, keeping up with each of their platforms and statements on important topics is tough. Plus, there's the always confusing schedule of caucuses and primaries. So you can either have a live feed of all the cable news networks piped directly into your brain, or you can check out our election guide and Google's updated search and Now card results for candidates.
VR video brings you closer to presidential candidates
Sure, you can watch political debates and rally replays to get a feel for a presidential campaign, but what's it really like to be swept up in the fervor of a meet-and-greet or stump speech? The New York Times might help you find out. It just released a video for its VR news app that takes you inside campaign events for Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. In each case, you get a better sense of what it's like for the audience, not just people on stage -- you can see who's attending and how they react to key moments. Even if you don't care for the speeches themselves, this could help you understand the vibe around a given candidate just as well as if you were really at the venue.
Watch tonight's Republican debate with Engadget
Tonight, the field of Republican candidates for president will face off again on the debate stage. This is the last time the whole band will get together before the Iowa caucuses on February 1st. Well... almost the whole band. Professional blowhard Donald Trump will not be in attendance because Fox News refused to remove Megyn Kelly as one of the moderators. (Presumably he's somewhere hiding and wondering why the mean lady asked him so many questions.) Of course, with Trump out, there should be more time for the other candidates to make their voices heard. And ideological, libertarian favorite Rand Paul has regained his seat at the big boy table this evening. If you want to watch the undercard, featuring Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Jim Gilmore tune in to Fox News or to FoxNews.com at 7pm ET. But the main event will kick off at 9pm ET, with Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Rand Paul.
Google helps you hear directly from presidential candidates
Trying to understand presidential candidates' positions through debates can be an exercise in frustration. You might get a sense of where they stand on the issues... or might watch helplessly as their voices are drowned out by boisterous rivals. Google thinks it has a better way to keep tabs on politicians. It's testing a feature that lets candidates share their views, photos and videos in real-time while you're searching for a debate. If a would-be leader has smart ideas, you'll know even when they don't get a chance to speak up on TV. The feature will first be available during Fox News' debate on January 28th (at 7PM Eastern), but it's easy to see this becoming a mainstay for future events.
Donald Trump gets his own blustery programming language
Have you ever wondered what code would look like if it were dictated by a presidential candidate's grandiose statements rather than such radical concepts as accuracy and logic? No? Well, you're going to find out regardless. Rice University students Chris Brown and Sam Shadwell have created TrumpScript, a Python-based programming language that takes Donald Trump's philosophy a little too literally. For a start, it won't deal with either floating point numbers or any number smaller than 1 million -- America doesn't do anything halfway or deal with the small stuff, you see. It also won't allow users from China or Mexico (you can't even use import statements), insists on ending programs with "America is great" and refuses to admit to most of its failures.
Trump claims he'd make Apple build devices in the US
Donald Trump isn't known for having a firm grasp of technology-related issues, and he just reinforced those beliefs on Monday. The hopeful Republican presidential nominee told an audience at Liberty University that he'd make Apple "build their damn computers in this country," rather than sending the work to China and elsewhere. It sure sounds like a great idea, especially in light of increasing efforts to bring tech manufacturing stateside. However, there doesn't appear to be much evidence that this will happen -- or even that it can happen.
Engadget's guide to tonight's Democratic debate
Tonight the Democrats will take the stage and battle it out for the affections of the American public. The spectacle begins at 9PM ET on NBC. But, if network television isn't your thing, you'll have plenty of options for how to watch. You can fire up the NBC News app on your Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, Fire TV or Roku, or You could simply visit NBCnews.com. Or you could visit YouTube.com/NBCNews and watch a livestream there. So many options!
Political TV ad archive preserves lies for the ages
You're about to see a lot of political TV ads in the US (if you haven't already), and keeping tabs on them is going to be... difficult. Who paid for which ad, who are they attacking, and who's playing fast and loose with the facts? That's where the Internet Archive wants to help. It's launching a Political TV Ad Archive that will use audio fingerprinting to track federal campaign spots in 20 markets spread across eight states. In addition to preserving videos, the collection will include info on where and when the ads have aired, their sponsors and their targets.
