no Al Gore

August 22, 2003 7:53 AM

President Bush's interest in high-tech gadgets. " 'He's no Al Gore,' said one Bush aide, (...) 'but he's very serious about having all this stuff work.' " via Drudge
posted by 111 (20 comments total)

so, a post about gadgets, the president AND I have to Register with the Washington post?
Oh, via drudge.

I'm gonna start posting man because posts like these....

there is not one item of interest here 111 IMO.

well, at least i can state an opinion about this thread.
posted by clavdivs at 8:02 AM on August 22, 2003

Funny clavdivs, I thought you were quite interested in Pres.Bush. And hey, you don't have to register. At least I didn't. In the future, I trust you to ignore posts that do not interest you particularly.
posted by 111 at 8:14 AM on August 22, 2003

Go clavdivs! Now you're thread-dissing with the big boys! Man, you're an irascible one. MetaTalk, mein freund.
...Bush, described as intrigued by what technology can do but not necessarily with the gadgets themselves.
Sounds like his approach to the armed forces?
Pretty useless article, though.
posted by ghastlyfop at 8:15 AM on August 22, 2003

Still, it's vaguely pro-Bush...in the interests of balance, let it live.

Maybe we need to find more persuasive BushFilter posts?
/give.111.a.break.metafilter.com
posted by dash_slot- at 8:16 AM on August 22, 2003

<obligatory "bush is stupid" comment>
posted by bshort at 8:19 AM on August 22, 2003

This was an interesting reminder to my poor and assistant-less self that there are people who are so rich and powerful that other people get paid to carry their cell phone for them.

What do you do when you want to make a call? Summon it?

The Prez: (imperious tone) "Phone boooyyyyy!"

Aide: (squeaky voice) "Coming, Mr. President!"
posted by eyebeam at 8:29 AM on August 22, 2003

This is an extremely lame attempt at ... exactly what? (by both the WP and 111 for suggesting it)

Here's in an example:

In June, Bush and family tried out the upright Segway Human Transporter, hyped by its inventor as potentially revolutionary for short-distance travel, in the driveway of his parents' Kennebunkport, Maine, home.

No mention that he successfully smashed that idea that such vehicle is idiot-proof by promptly falling from it (pics) ... because he didn't know he had to turn it on. I'd say he clearly is on the "does not understand his VCR" end of the technological spectrum

posted by magullo at 8:33 AM on August 22, 2003

in the future MAKE BETTER POSTS KNIT_WIT
posted by clavdivs at 8:42 AM on August 22, 2003

It's got 3.5 megapixels, sir. MEGAPIXELS.
posted by RylandDotNet at 9:05 AM on August 22, 2003

I heard Bush likes dudes.
posted by xmutex at 9:14 AM on August 22, 2003

I was going to chide xmutex for lowering the level of discourse in this thread, but then I realized there's not a whole lot lower to go in the first place.
posted by signal at 10:00 AM on August 22, 2003

In the past 10 years I bet I've spent a good 10% of my life shopping for, installing, and learning to use different gadgets, and then throwing them up on ebay when something with more storage/speed/megapixels came out.

As sympathetic as I am to RylandDotNet's portrayal of our President's simian tendencies, I have to say I'm glad the president has people to do technology for him. I'm not convinced that an affinity for bleeding-edge technology is very conducive to productivity.

On the other hand, it's not like he spends his time reading, either.

Incidentally, it turns out his dad's infamous encounter with hi-tech supermarket scanners was an urban legend.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:05 AM on August 22, 2003

Incidentally, it turns out his dad's infamous encounter with hi-tech supermarket scanners was an urban legend.

I think Swopes is just joking.
(At the end of the Swopes article: "Last updated:   1 April 2001 ")
posted by jpburns at 10:20 AM on August 22, 2003

"He's no Al Gore," said one Bush aide, comparing his boss to the former vice president

Too fucking true.
posted by nicwolff at 10:29 AM on August 22, 2003

...relies on aides to carry the high-tech gizmos

I wonder if he even handles his own gadget, or if that's left to aides as well.
posted by scarabic at 10:31 AM on August 22, 2003

He was once a prolific e-mailer. It was only after lawyers told him his presidential e-mail communications would become subject to legal and archival requirements that he signed off from cyberspace, just before taking office in January 2001.

There are no words.

No, I mean that literally: there are no words.
posted by stonerose at 10:49 AM on August 22, 2003

There are no words.

Well, he doesn't like looking in the mirror very much, right? Just think how this opens up a possibility for Dutch II by Edmund Morris.

And the West Wing's Roosevelt Room got a big boost with the addition of ... PowerPoint capability...

What an age we live in.
posted by ~rschram at 11:11 AM on August 22, 2003

well, it takes a lot to run such a dynamic country, so bush opinions about gadgets are always welcome.
posted by quonsar at 12:03 PM on August 22, 2003

And the West Wing's Roosevelt Room got a big boost with the addition of ... PowerPoint capability...


In the high tech world we call that...a computer. The president doesn't need that much detail, we'll keep it high level so he doesn't get confused and fall off his chair.
posted by m@ at 1:52 PM on August 22, 2003

quonsar: be careful, the evil is showing.
posted by signal at 5:48 PM on August 22, 2003