Pre-Obama White House in Tech Stone Age
When stepping into the White House for the first time, Obama's staff -currently residing in the Digital Age- found itself entering a dismal, analog world.
If you followed the Obama campaign over the last few years, one feature stood out over all the other candidates: Barack Obama is a digital politician. From his official YouTube page to the campaign's constant interaction with followers through sites like Facebook, the Internet helped get Obama elected without a doubt.
While the Oval Office may not have the latest Pioneer Kuro Plasma TV or PlayStation 3, one would suspect that the office of the President, along with the rest of the White House, would be somewhat up to snuff when it comes to hardware and software. However, according to the Washington Post, the White House has not kept up on the technological times. While the former President and his staff may share some of the blame, many problems root from security and the ability to record all official work as stated in the Presidential Records Act.
With laptops hard to find, no Macs in sight, and sending email a near impossibility, the new staff is certainly out of its element. For the last two years, MacBooks, Twitter, and BlackBerry devices have been at the heart of Team Obama. Even the phones were offline when the new staff was moving in. "It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," said Obama spokeman Bill Burton. Wi-Fi is nowhere in sight for security reasons, and according to Gizmodo, even the iTunes Store is blocked. Given that the staff has only been in the White House since Tuesday afternoon, the chaos will likely subside and the staffers will get whatever technology they need to get their jobs done.
Another point on the minds of many geeks is whether or not Obama will have a dedicated computer in his office. Going off of the Bush and Clinton administrations, the answer is likely no. Sure, Obama will have access whenever he needs it, but don't expect to see a MacBook Pro or Lenovo Thinkpad on the Oval Office desk anytime soon.
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Im sry MAC? Thats the big deal. This story has been printed all over yet its been shown it was more the fact that everyone was moving and around. As for the "MAC's" Im doubting the IT staff will allow them. President or not IT guys are the ones really in charge.
oh my, the guy that runs the US wont be able to slack of his JOB. if he wanted to go on face book then he should have tried another career.
oh my, the guy that runs the US wont be able to slack of his JOB. if he wanted to go on face book then he should have tried another career.
Last I checked, the President of the US does not run the country. His job is to uphold the Constitution and enforce the laws. Check out Article II of the Constitution. We got rid of a guy who "runs the country" in about 1776.
Media will always find a way to bash a republican no matter what. So what Bush didnt have a blackberry or the latest hardware. Thats not or was his job to have time to mess with any of that. So what the new guys coming in are geektafied not to find WiFi in the white house. Better things to do with your time than surf your facebook page democrat scumbags!
A great concern for government officials of that level is communications security. The communications tools used by higher offices aren't those commercial products. No Such Agency is tasked to produce the tech equipment needed as well as provide cryptography and frequency managing. National secret of the US is just too important to be leaked. Hence, the security protocols usually require top officials not to use commercial products. If such devices are needed, NSA will make them, or modify existing ones via exclusive contract.
Besides, all comm devices used by top officials must be EMP-proof. I don't think MacBook or Blueberry can survive EMP strike.
I don't think MacBook or Blueberry can survive EMP strike.
I'm pretty sure Blueberries can survive EMP strikes.
TEH BLUEBERRIES HAZ BEEN DECIMATED
I'm pretty sure [b]Blueberries[\b] can survive EMP strikes.
Yeah - but can they take the radiation fallout? Also, the last time I got an SMS via a BLUEberry it became a permanent stain on my wardrobe... *sigh* at least it was a tasty message.
On a serious note...
While I understand the need for security and record keeping at the upper levels of our government, keeping them at the pre-digital age could have very negative drawbacks.
Crawl the web and you will see that internet skills are key - more jobs using podcasts and live chat meetings, internal corporate websites, Twitter, Facebook, text alerts, and so on. To keep a President for using the tools that even the stoic corporate world is moving to embrace would widen the divide of between the office and the real life of US Citizens.
oh my, the guy that runs the US wont be able to slack of his JOB. if he wanted to go on face book then he should have tried another career.
Facebook is like your brain - while the content may be important, its just a tool and how you use it is what really matters. Believe it or not, some people actually use these tools to do work. Its not like someone is saying "lets get the White House modernized so we can all go play flash games and visit porn sites".
So if a republican is President:
In another sign of being out of touch with the American people, President Bush says he does not use e-mail in the White House. He is SOOOOO old and out of touch. This type of incompetence cannot be tolerated in the 21st century and highlights how American is falling behind the rest of the world because of this administration."
But if a democrat is President:
"E-mail and other new technologies are not secure enough for high-level presidential use. This is in accordance with Presidential Acts and ensures the security of our nation. Obama is expected to comply with this tradition even though he really wishes there could be a way."
I guess nobody bothered to look up these facts when Bush and McCain were mocked for years for not using e-mail? Nope, no double standard here. Move along...
cheepstuff :
oh my, the guy that runs the US wont be able to slack of his JOB. if he wanted to go on face book then he should have tried another career.
Last I checked, the President of the US does not run the country. His job is to uphold the Constitution and enforce the laws. Check out Article II of the Constitution. We got rid of a guy who "runs the country" in about 1776.
i just did that to quote myself
The only reason Bush preferred to stay in the dark ages is because he has dark secrets. Paper can burn, but Wi-Fi gets intercepted and exploited.
Barak's going to make the US go down very fast!
Good in making promises,but slow to execute them (probably keeps them (like taxreduction) by the end of his career).
A president's job is to keep the promises (like reduce incometax, and raise them elsewhere),and ruin the country in such a way that the next president is left with the 'shit'.
The reason previous presidents didn't use email (Bush used email alot prior presidency, and is probably doing so now) is that it's all recorded forever as part of the documentation law. Furthermore at any point a few senators/congressmen could get together and request transcripts of EVERYTHING at ANYTIME. It's really less about security and more about at least some privacy/secrets. The first time a list of all the calls/texts he sent on his Barackberry are ont he frontpage of the New York Post, he'll be ditchin it in the nearest garbage can.
Barak's going to make the US go down very fast!Good in making promises,but slow to execute them...
Okay, so the guy is in the house since last week and you think he's supposed to have executed all of his promises by now? Wake up.
Email can be secured... just make sure he's not using gmail.com or msn.com or some silly HTTP-based facility. SMTP mail isn't secure, but there are plenty of other options that are.
It does seem like a double-standard though... "President can't use wireless networks and email because it's not secure." Followed by, "Presidential communications must be stored to comply with the Presidential Records Act."
If you REALLY want to record what the President says and does you SHOULD encourage him/her to use digital media. Just make sure they know not to email the latest troop maneuvers to the generals over standard smtp email from his Blackberry... that should be a no-brainer.