My president slammed my I-pad!

[castleview]

What was he thinking? I can give him a lesson in just how organized I have become in large part due to an I-phone and I-pad.
Mr. President, Fire your speech writer!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ipad_is_ibad_for_democracy_obama_FrUMkdTNGHlfZ5JOKSgMVO

 

[hentob]

What was he thinking? I can give him a lesson in just how organized I have become in large part due to an I-phone and I-pad.
Mr. President, Fire your speech writer!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ipad_is_ibad_for_democracy_obama_FrUMkdTNGHlfZ5JOKSgMVO

Reunited and it feels so good.....

We're Back, Castleview!!! I agree with your post 100%

 

[castleview]

Reunited and it feels so good.....

We're Back, Castleview!!! I agree with your post 100%

So nice to be back in your arms!!

 

[shellybaxter]

Did you really read what the President said - not what the newpaper writer said, but the quotes. He said gadgets can be distracting - true. I use a smart phone and I think it is GREAT - but there are times I wish I weren't so "connected". He also said we have to be careful of the messages spread on the internet. If everyone believed every message it could be dangerous - again true. He encouraged the graduates to use their intelligence to analyze the content of internet messages. Nothing wrong with that. I think it was a pretty intelligent speach for a graduation - and very relevent

 

[Took]

As a college prof, I certainly see the advantages of technology. But, Obama (or anyone else) is right when they say these tools are very often a distraction. I could give literally hundreds of examples of this as I see them daily on our campus.

I don't really lump t he i-Pad in with the Xbox, since the i-Pad can be used for so much, BUT the younger generation does need to be warned of its potential to "distract" them from serious work and information gathering. Truth is, most young people simply "play" with technology; only the more intelligent and productive really use its full potential.

 

[castleview]

As a college prof, I certainly see the advantages of technology. But, Obama (or anyone else) is right when they say these tools are very often a distraction. I could give literally hundreds of examples of this as I see them daily on our campus.

I don't really lump t he i-Pad in with the Xbox, since the i-Pad can be used for so much, BUT the younger generation does need to be warned of its potential to "distract" them from serious work and information gathering. Truth is, most young people simply "play" with technology; only the more intelligent and productive really use its full potential.

I think that's the part that really confused me. I agree about the distraction and the message, but his campaign masterfully used the Internet, Twitter...everything to get his message across. Plus, he has a blackberry - but he can't figure out an I-phone?

 

[Geoff_M]

What was he thinking?

I'm guessing it wasn't him... the Teleprompter is just jealous!

But I agree... that was a surreal comment to make.

 

[diznygirl]

What he said makes sense. Everyone was telling me about how much I needed to get on Facebook to "be connected." But all it's really used for is to play games! Getting sucked into Farmville is not exactly a life enhancer!

I love technology, and the things it can do for us. But I know that over half of the apps on my iphone are silly time wasting games.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

What was he thinking? I can give him a lesson in just how organized I have become in large part due to an I-phone and I-pad.
Mr. President, Fire your speech writer!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ipad_is_ibad_for_democracy_obama_FrUMkdTNGHlfZ5JOKSgMVO

I'm glad that you are using your stuff to its fullest advantage, and that it has helped you in your life.

The thing is, though, the President has a point. Some of the Apple-heads out there buy this stuff, use it for just a few of the features, then dump it a few months later when Mr. Jobs opens up his trap again. They do become quite a distraction. Honestly, who needs to buy an I-Pad so that they can download "TweetDeck" and follow 3 different Twitter feeds at once?

I guess I'm old fashioned (i'm only 33). When I get on the commuter train, I like to close my eyes and relax or read an actual book (not an eBook), rather than immediately start Tweeting & Texting to anyone and everyone about my day. No wonder we live in such a high-stress world, when no one seems to relax anymore.

 

[Geoff_M]

Getting sucked into Farmville is not exactly a life enhancer!

Agreed... Farmville, et al, is the biggest Internet time suck known to man. But, Baby... Bath Water! There's a difference.

 

[castleview]

I'm glad that you are using your stuff to its fullest advantage, and that it has helped you in your life.

The thing is, though, the President has a point. Some of the Apple-heads out there buy this stuff, use it for just a few of the features, then dump it a few months later when Mr. Jobs opens up his trap again. They do become quite a distraction. Honestly, who needs to buy an I-Pad so that they can download "TweetDeck" and follow 3 different Twitter feeds at once?

I guess I'm old fashioned (i'm only 33). When I get on the commuter train, I like to close my eyes and relax or read an actual book (not an eBook), rather than immediately start Tweeting & Texting to anyone and everyone about my day. No wonder we live in such a high-stress world, when no one seems to relax anymore.

I hear you. Although, the book feature is the reason I even considered it. I read several books and magazines at a time so it's convenient for me to have it all in one. The fact that I can return messages, read the news, and yes...play a game once in a while makes it all more convenient.

 

[abdmom]

Plus, he has a blackberry - but he can't figure out an I-phone?

He never said that. Read the quotes.

 

[Geoff_M]

So Obama using technology and pointing out the problems that we must be aware of at the same time is not unusal or hypocritical.

I understand the point, but the awkwardness of the expressions used is what makes the comments interesting to me.

 

[diznygirl]

Agreed... Farmville, et al, is the biggest Internet time suck known to man. But, Baby... Bath Water! There's a difference.

He's not advocating getting rid of technology - just pointing out the pitfalls. And we have already agreed that there are indeed pitfalls.

"We can't stop these changes," Obama said, "but we can adapt to them. And education is what can allow us to do so. It can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time."


I'm wondering how many graduates were Twittering/updating their Facebook pages while he was talking? Probably didn't hear a word he said!

 

[Barbossa]

Though this story is much ado about nothing, I think President Obama is right. I spend a lot of my life in front of a computer, I seriously think it makes life less efficient as it's easy to create unnecessary tasks and participate in essentially mindless activities. For example, I'm a Quicken junkie, I track all of our household income and expenses. Takes up a ton of my time. Though it really comes in handy during tax time, I'm not sure if it's really worth the time it takes. All of the other stuff i.e. EMAIL, web surfing (including online forums) can definitely be pared down.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, to TRY to take this back onto higher ground ...

The part about "not being able to operate" was obviously a joke. He was an early iPod fan, there are lots of photos of him using one.

Technology CAN take over your life if you let it; the tail begins to wag the dog. How many times have you seen two teens who are sitting in the same room (or even on the same sofa) texting one another instead of just speaking?

The speed at which gadgets are upgraded these days borders on ridiculous. It is all about marketing, making the latest gotta-have gadget SO much better than the version that came out a mere 4 months ago (Droid Incredible, anyone?). If you really look at this stuff, you realize that only about 20% of it has much application for the workaday world; the rest of it is just a time-sink. I long ago decided to be VERY selective about which of these things to bother learning to do, because most of them are history in less than 6 months.

As the President was speaking to new college graduates, I think there is something else that can be taken from this: a cautionary tale about the divide between the electronic "haves" and the electronic "have-nots": the digital divide. It's still out there, and it is still enormous. It's crucial that these graduates remember that there is a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from people who don't use these tools to communicate (whether by choice or by necessity) -- their voices are still worth hearing.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Technology CAN take over your life if you let it; the tail begins to wag the dog. How many times have you seen two teens who are sitting in the same room (or even on the same sofa) texting one another instead of just speaking?

Respectfully snipped. My DW's 14-year old cousin has been told that she cannot go out on a date with a boy unless the request has been made vocally. It doesn't matter if he calls to ask her out, or if he asks her out in person, but it cannot be TEXTED. I think it's a great rule!

Seriously kids can't even talk to each other anymore. On top of that, plenty of my friends who are teachers are getting papers submitted that use "text speak" instead of real words.

 

[OrangeCat04]

The things that people will get angry over...

 

[Silent1CB]

I think the art of conversation has suffered due to technology.

 

[castleview]

I think the art of conversation has suffered due to technology.

OP here and I agree with this. I love my I-pad, but my kid won't be logging 10,000 texts per month on my watch. As far as this being political, I like my president, but I really think his speech writer needs a kick in the butt. Equating game consoles with organizational tools is silly and his words obviously gave his detractor ammunition.