I know a lot of you liked these two videos, so I finally put them on YouTube today so you could see a better quality version of them – but, as expected, there’s a copyright problem because of the music used. So, I have them ‘unlisted’ at YouTube – not sure if that stops them from being removed?? But, for now, they’re viewable here – enjoy 😉
Hello people. I know lots of you enjoyed the photos, videos and reports from the President and First Lady’s trip to Asia – so, I’ve added an ‘Asia November 2010’ category to the sidebar on the right. It will – I hope – make it easier for you to find all the coverage of the trip.
HuffPost: Last week, President Obama visited Japan to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. He also took some time out to interact with the country’s advanced robots.
Obama listened to the croonings of the HRP-4C singing android and petted a moving, squealing plush seal ‘bot used to cheer hospital patients.
The president’s hosts also sat him down in the futuristic Toyota i-Real, a single-person pod car that reaches speeds of up to 15km/hr, reports TechCrunch.
Though Obama wasn’t quite up for the challenge of driving the i-Real, he did say “That’s what we’re going to be driving” as he exited the vehicle.
“Meeting with robots was probably more enjoyable than the often tough negotiations attended in recent days,” Obama said, according to NewsKF.
President Barack Obama observes the Cybernetic Human Robot prior to the start of the APEC dinner at the Pacifico Yokohama Conference Center in Yokohama, Japan, Nov. 13, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
When Dmitry Medvedev was a law student he used to read articles in the Harvard Law Review by a guy with a funny name. He was, he said, hugely impressed. Now? Medvedev is Russian President, Barack Obama….well, you know. Funny old world.
From earlier this year, HuffPost:
STEPHANOPOULOS: What do you make of Barack Obama the man?
MEDVEDEV: He’s a very comfortable partner, it’s very interesting to be with him. The most important thing that distinguishes him from many other people – I won’t name anyone by name – he’s a thinker, he thinks when he speaks. Which is already pretty good.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You had somebody in your mind, I think. (LAUGHS)
MEDVEDEV: Obviously I do have someone on my mind. I don’t want to offend anyone. He’s eager to listen to his partner, which is a pretty good quality for a politician. Because any politician is to a certain degree a mentor. They preach something. And the ability to listen to their partner is very important for the politician. And he is pretty deeply emerged in the subject, so he has a good knowledge of what he’s talking about. There was no instance in our meetings with Mr. Obama where he wasn’t well prepared for the questions. This is very good. And after all, he’s simply a very pleasant man with whom it’s a pleasure to deal with.
White House staff members carry shopping bags from Japan and Korea following President Barack Obama’s return to the White House in Washington, November 14
President Barack Obama salutes an Air Force officer as he walks down the stairs of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base upon return from from his longest foreign trip abroad as president, a 10-day tour through India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan
…back at the White House
Air Force One is refueled in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 14, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. President Barack Obama is heading back to Washington Sunday after an exhausting 10-day tour through India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.
….with Peruvian President Alan Garcia at the final day of The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Yokohama on November 14
….with Brunei Darussalam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera Echeñique
Obama White House.gov WH Tumblr The People’s View Steve Benen
The Obama Diary 
You must be logged in to post a comment.