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White House backs plan to reserve 700MHz 'D Block' for public safety network
Public safety agencies in the US have been pushing for some time to have the so-called 'D Block' portion of the 700MHz wireless spectrum all to themselves, and it looks like they can now officially count on the support of the White House in that effort. The Obama administration announced today that it's backing plans to reserve the airwaves -- estimated to be worth $3 billion if they were auctioned off -- for a new national public safety network, and it also plans to ask Congress to approve the additional spending needed to actually build out the network, which the FCC estimates could cost as much as $15 billion. As The Wall Street Journal notes, the fate of the proposed network is now largely in the hands of House Republicans, who remain divided on the plan -- although some key members have come out in support of it in recent days.
Obama's State of the Union address goes Web 2.0
Tonight, President Obama will deliver the annual State of the Union address, and while partisan politics (and some great shots of various people nodding off) will rule the night, the US government is getting into the Web 2.0 game in a big way tonight. The speech -- scheduled for 9:00 pm ET -- will be streamed live on the web, and immediately following said speech, the White House will host an 'Open for Questions' event on Twitter making use of the hashtag #sotu, while other government officials will answer questions submitted on Facebook, as well as the White House website's webform. On Thursday night, the President will also answer questions on YouTube. We'll let you know if and when the government hatches a plan to answer questions on Yahoo! Answers. [Image Credit: Pete Souza for the White House]
White House reportedly pushing for new internet privacy laws, policy office
It's not official just yet, but The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Obama administration is about to make a major push for some new internet privacy laws, and for the creation of a new federal position to oversee the effort. According to the usual "people familiar with the situation," the Commerce Department is now drafting a report with a series of recommendations on the matter, which is expected to be released in the "coming weeks" -- although those same people also note that nothing is final, and things could still change. Assuming it does go through, however, a White House task force would then take the report and work on turning the recommendations into policy. As The Wall Street Journal notes, the new laws would be filing something of a significant gap, as the US doesn't currently have any comprehensive laws protecting consumers' internet privacy -- a fact fully evidenced by countries like Canada, Germany and the UK taking the lead in recent privacy battles with Google and Facebook.
Michelle Obama's healthy apps initiative announces winners
The White House's "Apps for Healthy Kids" initiative, fronted by First Lady Michelle Obama, has picked its winners. Among games, first place goes to Trainer, which encourages kids to train with virtual animals. Other winners include Fitter Critters, about properly feeding a virtual pet; Food Hero, which combines nutrition info with exercise challenges; and Smash Your Food, encouraging exercise through pantomiming Gallagher performances. Oh, wait! That last one is actually an app that displays the sugar, salt and oil contents of certain foods as they explode. That's ... actually still pretty funny.
White House getting solar upgrade, Obama bath water to be heated by the sun, baby
Long, hot showers after a long day of solving the world's problems are about to get a little more guilt-free for a certain Commander in Chief. White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have announced plans to bring new solar panels to the White House, something president Jimmy Carter first did in the '70s to heat the West Wing offices and, believe it or not, George W. Bush did as well during his presidency -- though W's panels were primarily to heat the swimming pool. This latest round of panels are set to be installed in the spring and will provide hot water for the First Family, while PV cells will also "supply some electricity." We're going to guess "some" equates to "not very much," but maybe it'll at least be enough to keep the First BlackBerry topped up.
White House throws its weight behind wireless broadband, wants 500MHz of spectrum reallocated
Ask, and ye shall receive, FCC: hot off Julius Genachowski's National Broadband Plan asking for 500MHz of additional spectrum to keep up with anticipated demand over the coming years, the White House appears to be totally on board with an Obama-penned memorandum out today demanding that federal agencies under his control get on board, while also "strongly encouraging" independent agencies to do the same. This isn't some open-ended, pie-in-the-sky deal, either; the 500MHz needs to be turned loose in the next ten years, and the president wants a plan on his desk -- penned with the help of the FCC -- by October 1 of this year on exactly how to make that happen. It's looking more and more like at least some privately-held spectrum is going to need to be reallocated involuntarily, but there's a lot of underused and unused airspace out there right now, so it'll be interesting to see if these guys can comply with the order in a drama-free manner. Follow the break for the full text of the memorandum.
New White House plan increases FBI anti-piracy force
Yesterday, the White House announced its new Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. In the plan, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel describes an initiative to increase FBI resources devoted to investigating and curbing piracy of films, games, and other materials. In addition to the five agents doing full-time IP work at the FBI's Intellectual Property Rights Unit, "by the end of FY 2010, the FBI intends to employ over 50 Special Agents exclusively devoted to pursuing intellectual property investigations operating in field offices throughout the country and four enhanced intellectual property squads." ESA president Michael Gallagher spoke in support of the plan in a statement released yesterday. "We deeply appreciate the efforts of Vice President Biden and Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Espinel and their leadership and vision in this critical area," Gallagher said. "We also applaud the numerous federal departments and agencies that are committed to protecting intellectual property rights, here and in foreign markets - both of which are critical to our industry's continuing growth and ability to deliver innovative entertainment experiences."
Some things we may not see again from Apple
Conan O'Brien once had a recurring segment on Late Night called "Guests We Won't Have Back," during which he would look back at guests (who were fake) that he regretted having on the show. There was bug expert Sara Wiggins, who ate a live beetle in front of the camera. And there was wine expert Charles Nance who, during his on-air wine tasting session, drank himself into a drunken stupor. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Some_Things_We_May_Not_See_Again_From_Apple'; Despite its fairly strong record over the last decade, Apple has not been without its lapses and major changes. And, in the spirit of Conan O'Brien's "Guests We'll Never Have Back," let's take a look at "Some Things We'll Never Have Back" on the Apple front.
White House releases economic report as e-book
Looking for a bit of light reading this weekend? Then look no further than the 400+ pages of the Economic Report of the President (the hotly anticipated sequel to the Economic Report of the President) which, for the first time, has been made available as a free e-book. That includes versions ready to be delivered to your Kindle or Nook (the former of which is already sitting at #46 on the bestseller list), and an ePub version for Sony readers and other devices. Will this be the final step that truly pushes e-books into the mainstream? Probably not. But if this rapid adoption of technology by the White House is any indication, we could well see weekly Presidential addresses in 3D next year. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
White House releases official app for free
The White House (as in, the home of the American President Barack Obama) has introduced a brand new iPhone app, according to White House blogger Dave Cole. The app is a one-stop shop for everything there is to know about what the president's up to, including blog posts, a newsroom, photos, videos, and even live feeds from various events, including speeches and even press room briefings. It's actually pretty darn impressive -- obviously you're only going to get official White House news, but if you want uncut video of the goings on over there, you've got it. The app is a free download [iTunes link], and in my short hands-on with it, it worked very well -- the updates come often, the video is crisp and clean, and while I didn't get to view any of the live feeds, I presume they'll work just fine over a solid 3G or Wi-Fi connection. If you want direct access to official White House news, this app is perfect. [via Engadget]
White House intros official iPhone app in lieu of universal health care
White House Engadget Price Free (tax revenue notwithstanding) Free Customized blog reader Yes Yes Streaming video Yes Yes Platform availability iPhone iPhone, BlackBerry, webOS, Android (coming soon) Led by Joshua Topolsky No Yes Official blog of CES 2010 No Yes Current iTunes download rank in News category #3 #1 Resident Nobel laureate Yes No (coming soon) Change you can believe in Unknown Have you seen our site lately? When you head to the polls this coming Election Day, we trust you know who to choose.
Acting Cybersecurity Czar resigns for 'personal reasons'
She still hasn't ever been formally named to the post she helped create, but acting White House Cybersecurity Czar Melissa Hathaway has now already taken her name out of the running and announced her resignation from the job, citing the usual "personal reasons" and the need to "pass the torch." As The Wall Street Journal reports, however, there may have been a bit more drama going on behind the scenes, with "people familiar with the matter" reportedly saying that she has been "spinning her wheels" in the post, and marginalized politically. For it's part, the White House simply says that cybersecurity remains "a major priority for the president," and that "the president is personally committed to finding the right person for this job, and a rigorous selection process is well under way."[Via Switched]
With a week to go, Obama urges the remaining few to make DTV preparations
Just in case you were living in fear of another last minute switch on the digital TV transition date, be at ease, President Obama issued a statement urging those who aren't ready yet to prepare as there will be no further delays, and for those of us in the know to make sure that people around the way are getting the message. With a week to go (again) is there anyone still reading this that hasn't gotten their digital TV future straightened out yet?
White House, Pentagon announce plans for new cybersecurity positions
It's just been a few short months since a proposed bill called for the creation of a National Cybersecurity Advisor, but it looks like there's now not one but two new positions in the offing, with both the Pentagon and President Obama himself announcing plans for some newly elevated offices charged with keeping the nation's networks secure. While a specific "Cybersecurity Czar" hasn't yet been named, the White House position will apparently be a member of both the National Security Council and National Economic Council and, in addition to coordinating U.S. response in the event of a major attack, the office will also be tasked with protecting privacy and civil liberties. Details on the new Pentagon office, on the other hand, are expectedly even less specific although, according to The New York Times, it'll be a military command that will work to coordinate efforts now scattered across the four armed services, and will apparently serve as complement to the civilian office in the White House.Read - Reuters, "Obama to name White House cybersecurity czar"Read - The New York Times, "Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars"[Thanks, Ryan]
White House press conference overwhelmed by cell phones
Quick note: if you can't figure out how to set your phone to vibrate during a tense White House press conference, at least learn to turn the damn thing off. Video after the break.P.S.- We're actually more amazed at the second guy, who not only interrupts the briefing, but walks out of the room to take the call. Cojones!
Mac-savvy Obama staffers frustrated with legacy White House
According to the Washington Post, the incoming U.S. presidential administration has inherited quite the challenging IT environment: The White House. President Obama's staff -- accustomed to Macs, social media, and having the latest equipment -- found Windows PCs with Microsoft Office 2003 in their new offices. Laptops were "scarce," apparently, and the team had trouble finding ways to update the redesigned White House website and add subtitles to web videos. Perhaps they were misled by the prominence of Mac hardware in the fictional-but-familiar West Wing version of the executive mansion. Valleywag's Owen Thomas suggests that Obama's staff are "whiners." "Outside the Manhattan media bubble and Silicon Valley's startup cube farms, this is how most Americans work. Want a Macintosh? Sorry, IT hasn't approved it. Oh, you need to use Facebook to interact with customers? Sorry, that site's blocked -- and management suspects that 'social media' is a buzzword which means 'getting paid to waste time chatting with friends.'" Part of the reason for the White House's legacy systems is related to the need to retain all computer records for the National Archives, and protect all kinds of communication (from emails to IMs to tweets) on the network for national security reasons. This task isn't impossible with a Mac -- some might say it's easier to accomplish with a Mac than with a PC -- but there will be a lot of sleepless nights for the White House's new IT staff while the new system is set up. Meanwhile, the tech-friendly new Commander in Chief appears to have won his first geek battle; he is going to get to keep his Blackberry [or something like it; Engadget clarifies that we don't know the details yet, but press secretary Robert Gibbs said it was indeed a BlackBerry during today's press briefing (his first) -Ed.] subject to a security overhaul by an unnamed federal agency (assumed to be the NSA). With the new administration's focus on change, it seems as though a new tech infrastructure and business rules for the executive office of the President are in the cards. It remains to be seen if our favorite platform, though, makes the cut. Thanks to Michael and Joe for sending this in.
Linden Lab sets sights on government
Not all that long ago, if you wanted a piece of Second Life Linden Lab would be just about the last organization to deal with you. Linden Lab was all about the platform. If you wanted help setting up shop, or a marketing presence, to the Lab you were no different from any other customer. Those days, apparently, are over. Linden Lab has partnered with Rivers Run Red, and is now in the business of marketing and selling solutions. While a jump in new sales and marketing staff (like European Marketing Director, Clare Rees) are now old news, Linden Lab has a new hire from Washington DC. That's Scott Sechser, former Operations Manager at the White House. That's the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
Pentagon presents hypothetical terrorist plot in WoW
A number of readers wrote in to tell us about a 'hypothetical WoW-hatched terror plot' from the Pentagon, which Wired posted just last night. The scenario detailed in the presentation given by Dr. Dwight V. Toavs is meant to display how terrorists could potentially use the pseudonymity of an MMO combined with the obscure gamer lingo to hide a terrorist plot within the massive, mostly unmonitored (by them) playerbase. This isn't the first time we've heard about the government looking to virtual worlds for potential terrorist hideouts, but it's the most ridiculous.The presented scenario is as follows (summarized; full version at Wired): Two WoW players, WAR_MONGER and TALON238 meet up to plot. WAR_MONGER lays out the plan: They will approach via the South East of the Zoram Strand, and assault the 'White Keep' using a 'Dragon Fire' spell in their inventory. They will kill all of the 'castle guards' and when they've entered the keep, they will acquire their treasure of 110 gold, 234 silver.Translation: These two terrorists will meet South East of the White House (the White Keep) and take out all of the security before sneaking a weapon of some sort through. The 'treasure' is the coordinates for their attack.
Mexican attach attempts to make off with White House BlackBerrys
We're a bit frightened by the fact that high-ranking political officials are told to leave their BlackBerrys outside in an unguarded basket during high-level meetings (really, it's "common practice"), but nevertheless, one chap who tried to take advantage of the situation didn't quite make it out undiscovered. During a recent political meetup in New Orleans, a Mexican press attaché managed to slip a half dozen or so BlackBerrys into his pocket before darting to the airport with visions of black market markups in his head. Before he could exit the country, however, Secret Service had tracked him down after catching him via surveillance footage. As it stands, the responsible individual has been fired from his post, but there's been no word on whether the US will take any further actions. Reevaluating the whole "leaving them out in the open" practice may be a good start -- just sayin'. [Via The Boy Genius Report]
Sneak peek at the White House home theater
C'mon, deep down in your soul, you knew even the White House had a home theater, right? Granted, we've all ideas (or, at least we hope) that it's used more often to impress foreign visitors than to sneak a peek at the latest Blu-ray release, but we digress. Truth be told, we're still entirely more enamored with the $6 million Kipnis Studio Standard, but then again, the president's own isn't half bad for what used to be a cloakroom. Check out another look after the break.[Via AudioJunkies, thanks Lukas G.]
