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Election day. |
Election Day – Technology in 2008 – History is made. (Map this!)
Recently, the US has been more and more on our minds. The election was interesting enough; the financial crisis made it urgent to follow the US news. We started reading New York Times more thoroughly. We downloaded NPR’s Forum as a political and economic weather-vane for the Bay Area. We figured out a way to vote using the Federal Write in Absentee Ballot, which you can use if you are overseas and you do not receive your absentee ballot.
As the financial horizon looked grim, the election results became more interesting. We were determined to find a hotel room with CNN and wireless internet access so that we could follow the election results live. It never ceases to amaze me what technology can do today. We joined an impromptu election party put together by good friends Fred and Ada. Using a Skype to Skpe video call, we had sausage and champagne together but separately. Monitoring CNN on TV, various web sites and blogs on the laptop, chatting with friends and keeping up an IM conversation with my brother kept us busy all night long.
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Photos from election day 2008 |
I think we will be seeing more of this in the future. I’m still amazed; during the election of an African American President of The United States we had a free video call/party with friends thousands of miles away! All we need now is flying cars and food pills and the future will have finally arrived.
yumm food pills!
Is that Gigantor in the picture? 🙂
Yes Peter, that is your old television in the picture! Gigantor is famous and popular!
Gigantor is doing a yeoman’s duty – they built that bad boy to withstand a nuclear blast!
Amazing!! What technology can do these days. Obama’s victory speech was very impressive and touching. It drove tears into my eyes. Hope his actions are equally effective as the speech. The task of fixing the problems we are having is very difficult as these problems have been brewing over a long period of time and were overlooked by the current administration.
The CEOS of the financial companies were given huge bonuses for driving the company to the ground while the main work force was either suffering or laid off. No one can figure out how and why these things were ignored by the current administration.
The same is true for the big 3 auto industries. When the companies were still having positive cash flow, the profits were siphoned off by the executives instead of reinvesting in retooling or new technologies. The main focus was only on building large cars since there was higher profit margin on these models. As a result, the Japanese auto makers captured the market for small and mid size cars and now after several years of greedy practices, the American big 3s have a problem of cash flow and may lead to bankruptcy.
Why were they not brought to task by the people who had power to do so?? Hope Obama’s administration brings these greedy high executives to justice.
Aai
Hi Aai,
We have high hopes for the new president, that he will fix or mitigate the current economic problems, that he will find closure for the senseless war in Iraq that only enriches war profiteers, and that he will reduce our dependence on foreign oil by investing in green approaches.
I was moved by his eloquence, and also by John McCain’s concession speech. I hope they can work together, Republican and Democrat, to get us out of the fix we are in.