I did read the article and what he said was ridiculous.

He singles out gaming consoles as being used solely for entertainment... isn't that their exact niche in the marketplace?? iPods as well, they are music players, part of the entertainment industry.

Is he writing off the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry as superfluous? Shall we only be entertained by books and live productions? Or not at all?

And then he mentions the iPad, which in concept has almost exponential power to change how the world does business and communicates. An item colleges are giving to their students, hospitals are using for diagnosis, businesses using for daily activities.

It isn't that he is wrong about them being used for entertainment purposes, it is that he is making generalized statements and using failed logic to make a point that is unnecessary to begin with.

Just as electronics make it easier for people to waste their time, they also make it easier for people to be more productive. It has more to do with human nature and the discipline of the individual to be productive with their time than the ease of which they can choose to do one or the other.

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Ever heard of hyperbole?

A speaking style often used as follows:
overstatement, magnification, embroidery, embellishment, excess, overkill, rhetoric; informal purple prose, puffery. ANTONYMS understatement.

It's purpose is to prove a point and isn't alway expected to be totally accurate.

Think about it:
Obama's election was credited, in part, to his skillful use of modern media, from smart phones to Twitter to Flickr. Having said that he can't be totally discounting the use of technology. Therefore he must be drawing attention to what a lot of folks in this forum already know. We spend way to much time using all kinds of technology for non productive purposes.

I think it's fair to say that just as Obama said ""With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations information can become a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment." Personally I will be the first to admit that I spend too much time reading nutty post's and I need to take a break and read a book. That would for sure be a bit of an emancipation.

Finally: The most important thing to remember is that Obama is going to take control of the internet.
This speech was just a cover of his sinister plan to deny everyone the right to buy Apple products.
When that happens all the Apple Fanboys and the one Apple Fanatic round these parts will cry in their beer..........

Obama wants to control the Internet - snopes.com

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"What you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.”
Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….

Any time a politician's speech needs this much defense and explanation, usually means that the politician meant exactly what he said in the first place and wasn't expecting the backlash that ensued.

When someone begins a sentence with "what he meant to say" , I immediately stop listening as I realize that a load of bs is about to dumped on my feet.

Good to see that your head explosion has healed

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You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

Yep...that's it! Bingo!

... And profits are EVIL. At some point "I think you have made enough money".

Don't forget all those embarrassing gifts he has given the British; iPod to the Queen and that Region 1 DVD gift set (not even blueray) to the prime minister . What a moron

"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 said, according to the New York Post.

Sure, any form of technology (including TV) can be a weapon of mass distraction, and new innovations do bring fresh challenges, but this is something that the government should embrace -- not resist.

After all, Obama's election platform elaborately discussed an increased role for the government in cultivating and using technology. The tech-savvy president, an avid Blackberry user, also made expert use of the Internet and social media during his campaign, and was comfortable talking tech on a visit to Google.

Obama's decision to single out Silicon Valley heavyweights Apple and Microsoft is, therefore, a strange one. Love them or hate them, the two tech giants are major employers who have played key roles in turning the U.S. into a technology powerhouse. They've also joined the likes of Ford and GE among America's most recognizable brands in the pantheon of global consumer heavyweights.

At least Obama has acknowledged the government's need to adjust to new technologies.

"We can't stop these changes," he told students. "But we can adapt to them -- and education is what can allow us to do so."

This should be highlighted as the most important part of Obama's speech. Technology can make government more transparent and provide citizens with better access to services. Whether this takes the form of online voting, White House blogs, or text-based emergency information, one thing is for sure: tech is something that can improve -- not impede -- the democratic process.

Why Obama Is Wrong on Tech

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Thanks Benny! Every Breath Bernanke Takes

I would understand this thread debate if it referred to a white paper by the US government, or a new Democrat policy platform. But it isn't. It is a speech to a graduation class, talking about their need to go forth into the world, apply the critical thinking skills they have (hopefully) learned, and use technology wisely. It is a slap against what has been referred to here on this forum as the American Idol generation of news sound bytes, vs real journalism. I work with technology, and I don't feel at all threatened by his comments. I think he is advising a group of young grads (some of whom were probably texting while he was talking, listening to iPods, etc) that democracy is important, that they should participate, and that they should take up their responsibility as citizens. That's it.

Personally, I would have balanced the Apple references with PC references, and the iPhone references with Android references, but really, he seems to just have been referring to some very successful products, those that have name recognition.

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Retired:
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2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
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As usual someone else get's the point.....

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"What you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.”
Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….

So if someone disagrees with you they don't "get it"?

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You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.