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15 May 2010 23:27

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Politics: Bill Maher makes an astute point about Obama and Apple

  • Barack Obama got all fuddie duddie, and Bill Maher put it into perspective. Simply put, Obama’s point from last week’s Hampton University commencement undercuts his status as the “cool” president, and Apple would probably run the country more efficiently than our current leadership (see the clogged drain that is the Senate). Great clip. source

09 May 2010 11:33

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Politics: Obama dislikes modern technology’s role in democracy

  • What he said about new tech In his commencement speech at Hampton University yesterday, the president threw out this gem: “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.” He also notes that it allows false claims to quickly gain traction.
  • Why we (mostly) disagree May we note that all those new ways to get information empower us to hear a huge diversity of voices? While we agree that this technology has an addictive element to it, the fact of the matter is, it empowers a diversity of voices that didn’t exist even a decade ago. And plus, Obama’s arguments could easily apply to television or radio, if you think about it. We do agree with the false claims part, though. source