President Warns Grads of iPad Perils

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Although he doesn’t know how to use them, the President warns that iPods, iPads and other devices are more of a distraction than anything else.

"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," Obama said at Hampton University in southeastern Virginia.
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Whenever I hear words like empowerment and emancipation my inner child throws feces at the speaker.
 
He's right, but... he could probably use a distracted constituency to get some of his bills passed.
 
They may be distractions... but no more or no less than any other smart phone or laptop that has been on the market for years.

This is just another tech idiot wanting to single out the next great thing. :rolleyes:
 
Isn't this the same guy who was so attached to his Blackberry during the election? I seem to remember numerous stories about how hard it was going to be for him to give it up.
 
Hey, let's label everything we don't know how to use as a distraction!

Airplanes, tanks, trains, and spaceships, which I don't know how to pilot, are nothing but a distraction!
 
epimetheus said:
Isn't this the same guy who was so attached to his Blackberry during the election? I seem to remember numerous stories about how hard it was going to be for him to give it up.
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he also has an ipod and spoke of it during his campaign. So he is full of it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041803282.html

Yesterday, Obama's campaign spokesman, Tommy Vietor, would say only this: "He has some Jay-Z on his iPod."
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The man graduated from harvard and says he can't figure out how to work an ipad?
 
Ipad dont give affirmative action points... or guilt points... or hey your the first one points.. so no Obama cant succeed with it :p
 
CHANGE!!!! HOPE!!!!

Well Mr. President, I HOPE, you can CHANGE to the world of ever growing technology. :D
 
03grandam said:
And he is the president no less :confused:.
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When it comes to baby boomers, most are so stupid with newer technology.

Also I have come across the newest generation, "Gen Y???" are even more stupid.

I guess us GenX got lucky :D
 
You know, when i was in school, girls were the distraction, not gadgets
 
sd11 said:
The racism is strong in this thread.
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ahh dont tell me you think the words affirmative action are racist.. because while they are unfair and screw many people obama sure isnt one of those screwed by them.
 
dajet24 said:
ahh dont tell me you think the words affirmative action are racist.. because while they are unfair and screw many people obama sure isnt one of those screwed by them.
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Racism is the new word for dissent these days
 
Great, thank you Mr. "President", I know our country is in safe hands now that someone is on top of this whole iPad Iron Curtian.
Seems that "change" he spoke of is right around the corner.
 
So new gadgets that can connect us with the world, gives us updated information anywhere we go, is a distraction, good to know.
 
What ever happened to information is power? I say they're afraid we know too much.
 
This coming from the guy that refused to gived up his blackberry and made fun of McCain for not using the internet...

Translation: I don't like that people talk bad about me on the internet. Prepair for .gov censorship of things I dont like.
 
You know what else is distracting us from moving this country forward? Agendas, golfing, propaganda, publicity campaigning.


Well, I take part of that back.... the more President and congress golf and take vacations, the better. Take it easy guys, you worked hard. No need to stay up late finishing your bill you are trying to write.
 
MrGuvernment said:
So new gadgets that can connect us with the world, gives us updated information anywhere we go, is a distraction, good to know.
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They can also be a huge WASTE of time and I think that's all he was trying to say. Just take this site. Sure great information here but how much time have so many of us wasted time on just this site, like this thread.? Really guys, making WAY too much out of a very common sense observation.
 
heatlesssun said:
They can also be a huge WASTE of time and I think that's all he was trying to say. Just take this site. Sure great information here but how much time have so many of us wasted time on just this site, like this thread.? Really guys, making WAY too much out of a very common sense observation.
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or debating DRM and piracy in the gaming forums. :D I think it's all good for our time that the thread is closed.
 
Any information that detracts from Obamas message is a distraction. Where is that Obama channel I had on my Dish network before the election anyways? :D
 
Hey, has NORAD ported the nuclear arms control app to the ipad yet? Oh wait, the president doesn't know how to use an ipad? Facepalm...

BTW, I reserve the right to waste my time with the method of my choosing. That's the American way.
 
I am not certain, as I didn't hear the speech live. But I have this feeling that this is one of those cases where he is trying to be witty, but it really fails when it gets written as text as opposed to the real delivery.

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction..."

Clearly he has some understanding of technology and knows how to use gadgets like ipods, blackberry's etc. So why would he say something that is basically a lie (besides the fact that he's a politician)? Look at his audience. He's an "old man" talking to "young kids" about technology. I think it was an attempt at self-deprecation. The text doesn't put in "insert laughter from audience here" after none of which I know how to work. Again, I could be wrong, but I think that was supposed to be a joke. Of course this is Fox News reporting after all (I'm no fan of this administration so don't label me a liberal or anything, but I can recognize FN for what it is).

I think he was trying to make the following point, but he did a really shitty job.

**Don't let devices that are primarily designed to entertain keep you from accomplishing the things in life that you need to do. Its very easy to get consumed by this stuff. You are smart college grads, America is full of retards, we need you to lead the way, so don't play with your idiot box for 8 hours a day. Somebody paid a lot of money to educate you, now go put it to use**
 
I'm sure these things called "Computators" present a serious challenge for him as well?
 
Some of the replies here are quite silly. The president was giving a speech to graduates. He's not giving a State of the Union speech. He was merely warning the students of the pitfalls of technology and it's 100% true. Take off your tin foil hat and relax a little bit. I don't like Obama either, but some of you guys are jumping at shadows.
 
Look at the title and then look at the content of the article. He calls out several gadgets and several companies, and yet somehow it's all about Apple and the iPad only? And where does it say the information he is talking about is specifically educational or useful information? Facebook, myspace, and blogs give out information every two seconds that is indeed a useless distraction in most cases. What a terrible article, let's just throw context out the window!
 
This is the same guy that had ads in video games when he was running for president. I bet he comes out with an apology to Apple in the next few days. Hell, he might even bow to Steve Jobs.
 
Considering he's one of the youngest presidents ever, he sure seems like a crotchety old fart.
 
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