Politics

Microsoft is trying to persuade politicians to take out targeted ads on Xbox Live, Skype, MSN and other company platforms as midterm elections begin heating up around the country. To plug the idea, Microsoft officials handed out promotional materials Thursday at CPAC, the annual conference for conservatives. It’s the latest move by tech companies to Continue Reading →

The big boys came out on the side of the broadcasters in their upcoming appearance in front of the Supreme Court in the Aereo case. The solicitor general’s office put the Obama administration solidly in the anti-Aereo camp with a 40-page amicus brief (read it here) filed with the SCOTUS today. The broadcasters say that Continue Reading →

Here are 10 reasons why a US dollar is worth the paper it’s printed on: USS Nimitz (CVN-68) USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) USS George Washington (CVN-73) USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) USS George Continue Reading →

The maker movement is officially coming to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. On Tuesday, as CNET reported first, the White House announced its first-ever official Maker Faire, bringing a celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math, not to mention the ground zero of the do-it-yourself world, to the home of the leader of the free world. In Continue Reading →

Did you miss President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night? On one hand, you should be happy that you didn’t subject yourself to the millions of #SOTU jokes flowing through Twitter. On the other hand, the State of the Union is an important event that should be watched by everyone in Continue Reading →

President Obama will once again use Google Hangouts to speak to Americans, this time after his State of the Union address next Tuesday. On Friday, January 31st, the president will use Hangouts on Air to chat with three different citizens from the West, Midwest, Northeast, and South, who will be able to ask questions about Continue Reading →

President Obama on Friday announced a number of radical changes to the US government’s extensive surveillance programs, as reassurance that it’s striking the right balance between security and civil liberties. The most significant change will be the abolition of the current program that collects domestic phone call metadata in bulk. The President said he would Continue Reading →

What the government is doing is applaudable, but is it doing anything? Continue Reading →

President Obama will unveil his proposed reforms to the nation’s surveillance programs in a speech next Friday, Jan. 17, the White House announced. “He will be remaking remarks to discuss the outcomes of the work that has been done in the review process,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said. The administration provided no details Continue Reading →

The social network Snapchat has hired lobbyists in Washington for the first time. Snapchat, which allows users to send photos and videos that disappear after a certain amount of time, has signed up with the powerhouse K Street firm Heather Podesta + Partners, according to a lobbying disclosure form filed Jan. 1. The lobbying firm Continue Reading →