8 ms·

PresidentObama on GitHub

137 points by joeyyang 12y ago

billhendricksjr 12y ago
His social media team is getting busy!
- finnn 12y ago
  His most recent activity [1] is an issue opened on sunlightlabs/us-laws and based on the link seems to be automated (uses ifttt's URL shortener, presumably it's hooked up through that). I haven't checked the rest, but I assume they're all pretty similar [1] https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135
  - adamnemecek 12y ago
    I'll just leave this link here https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135#issuecomment-66401632 https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135#issuecomm...
  - Amorymeltzer 12y ago
    Yes. The whole point of that repo is for there to be a single issue for every new law starting 12 March 2014. That's all it does. Doesn't hurt to have (yet )an(other) automated process showing what laws get passed.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
pmalynin 12y ago
It'd be interesting to see a system where a government had a GitHub and people could submit laws as pull-requests
- fineIllregister 12y ago
  They do. Type up a bill and mail it to your Congresspeople. I don't see how the medium changes proposing laws.
  - jonalmeida 12y ago
    I think the difference is that with a PR it's public knowledge if the government responds/acknowledges/denies the request. It's also easier to type a bill and email it rather than use snail mail (I'm assuming that's what you meant).
    - fineIllregister 12y ago
      You could e-mail a bill you wrote to your Congressman right now. Congress may be out of touch, but they do have e-mail. The transparency angle is interesting, but I still don't think anything would change. Pull requests would be ignored like petitions, or receive canned responses like letters. The primary problem here is not technological.
- johnnyg 12y ago
  This is a serious and important idea.
  - j2kun 12y ago
    Could you explain why? It seems like just as strange a technological barrier (for the average citizen) as the current process of proposing a law.
    - toomuchtodo 12y ago
      The average citizen can use Twitter, which has been pivotal in recent revolutions. The Github/git process and format brings something that is crucial to the political process we've been missing: transparency.
clamprecht 12y ago
I can't wait for the day when the president actually has a github account before entering politics.
- nfoz 12y ago
  Why?
  - bdcravens 12y ago
    I'm sure having a Github account is a strong indicator for certain ideologies.
  - clamprecht 12y ago
    In general I want more politicians to be engineers or math/science types. Right now they're 95% lawyers, so they don't really represent the rest of society. I'm an engineer-type so I want to be better represented, I guess. I think it could happen. If Aaron Swartz had lived, I think he may have eventually run for office. We still have some in the HN community who could enter politics.
    - atlbeer 12y ago
      Could you not consider legislatures programmers as well? Programmers create software. Lawyers create law.
      - jdoliner 12y ago
        > Programmers create software. Lawyers create law. That's the reason I don't consider legislatures to be programmers.
campers 12y ago
He needs to add a repo for his Hour of Code effort! (http://www.wired.com/2014/12/obama-becomes-first-president-write-computer-program/ http://www.wired.com/2014/12/obama-becomes-first-president-w...)
- jonalmeida 12y ago
  Can you imagine the bashing the internet would give him? Or the comments on how he should have written it in language x instead of y.
datashovel 12y ago
Looks like I've found my obligatory "follow" on GitHub. It's probably going to be far more interesting than following Linus Torvalds on Twitter! :)
- datashovel 12y ago
  That being said, I'm extremely happy that this is happening. It has the potential to bring alot of exposure to the idea of "open source" to government. I think it can and will work if adopted. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
Kiro 12y ago
https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 Interesting first comment.
- hoggle 12y ago
  Github user saeedmalekpour: Mr. President, I have been in Evin Prison, Iran for 6 years because my open source code was found on a website the regime didn't like. In the spirit of freedom, democracy and the hour of code - please help me in any way you can (account administered and message sent with permission of Saeed's family) Proof: https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/518460637916446720 https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/518460637916446720 More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57pfl6nkD0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57pfl6nkD0
joelennon 12y ago
Let's hope he keeps the nuclear launch codes out of his code and in environment variables.
kjjw 12y ago
Amazing but I'm a little bit frustrated at the username he chose. 'PresidentObama'. One day he will no longer be president and then maybe he will understand the difference between identity and value.
- nodata 12y ago
  I think US Presidents keep their title.
  - cwmma 12y ago
    I read somewhere that president is the one job where that is not supposed to happen, I.E. you revert to your previous title (for Obama Senator). I have never observed this to happen in real life.
  - dagw 12y ago
    Not officially. But most people and the media tend to make that mistake. If you are talking about something someone did as president then it is OK to say something like "while in office President Clinton did...", but if you're talking about something Bill Clinton did after leaving office you should say "Mr Clinton" or "Former President Clinton"
- nindalf 12y ago
  I believe you do not lose that title after you step down. Bill Clinton is still referred to as President Clinton. And its not just for Presidents either, same holds true with other posts. Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts from 2002 to 2006 but he was still referred to as Governor Romney during the 2012 Presidential election.
junto 12y ago
I'm trying to find the CIA torture program repository. I need to report a fairly serious bug.
random8799 12y ago
Reddit is the perfect example on why democracy fails. If you culture/condition humans to behave/act stupid to appeal to one another for affection, you garner no substance or value. Their deltas are null. Perhaps a new society/culture/civilization derived from a categorical intelligence is needed. Then we could analyze our resources, grow our culture based off this data, and evolve ourselves out of the current stupidity that exists today.
smfullman 12y ago
guess he doesn't like to work weekends.
ryanthejuggler 12y ago
I'd be glad to see a public key on whitehouse.gov and a signed message on the GitHub account. Anyone could register this name. [edit] whoops, didn't realize it was a bot
igonvalue 12y ago
I guess the username BarackObama was already taken? https://github.com/barackobama https://github.com/barackobama

137 points by joeyyang 12y ago

billhendricksjr 12y ago

His social media team is getting busy!

finnn 12y ago
His most recent activity [1] is an issue opened on sunlightlabs/us-laws and based on the link seems to be automated (uses ifttt's URL shortener, presumably it's hooked up through that). I haven't checked the rest, but I assume they're all pretty similar [1] https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135
- adamnemecek 12y ago
  I'll just leave this link here https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135#issuecomment-66401632 https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135#issuecomm...
- Amorymeltzer 12y ago
  Yes. The whole point of that repo is for there to be a single issue for every new law starting 12 March 2014. That's all it does. Doesn't hurt to have (yet )an(other) automated process showing what laws get passed.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

pmalynin 12y ago

It'd be interesting to see a system where a government had a GitHub and people could submit laws as pull-requests

fineIllregister 12y ago
They do. Type up a bill and mail it to your Congresspeople. I don't see how the medium changes proposing laws.
- jonalmeida 12y ago
  I think the difference is that with a PR it's public knowledge if the government responds/acknowledges/denies the request. It's also easier to type a bill and email it rather than use snail mail (I'm assuming that's what you meant).
  - fineIllregister 12y ago
    You could e-mail a bill you wrote to your Congressman right now. Congress may be out of touch, but they do have e-mail. The transparency angle is interesting, but I still don't think anything would change. Pull requests would be ignored like petitions, or receive canned responses like letters. The primary problem here is not technological.
johnnyg 12y ago
This is a serious and important idea.
- j2kun 12y ago
  Could you explain why? It seems like just as strange a technological barrier (for the average citizen) as the current process of proposing a law.
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
    The average citizen can use Twitter, which has been pivotal in recent revolutions. The Github/git process and format brings something that is crucial to the political process we've been missing: transparency.

clamprecht 12y ago

I can't wait for the day when the president actually has a github account before entering politics.

nfoz 12y ago
Why?
- bdcravens 12y ago
  I'm sure having a Github account is a strong indicator for certain ideologies.
- clamprecht 12y ago
  In general I want more politicians to be engineers or math/science types. Right now they're 95% lawyers, so they don't really represent the rest of society. I'm an engineer-type so I want to be better represented, I guess. I think it could happen. If Aaron Swartz had lived, I think he may have eventually run for office. We still have some in the HN community who could enter politics.
  - atlbeer 12y ago
    Could you not consider legislatures programmers as well? Programmers create software. Lawyers create law.
    - jdoliner 12y ago
      > Programmers create software. Lawyers create law. That's the reason I don't consider legislatures to be programmers.

campers 12y ago

He needs to add a repo for his Hour of Code effort! (http://www.wired.com/2014/12/obama-becomes-first-president-write-computer-program/ http://www.wired.com/2014/12/obama-becomes-first-president-w...)

jonalmeida 12y ago
Can you imagine the bashing the internet would give him? Or the comments on how he should have written it in language x instead of y.

datashovel 12y ago

Looks like I've found my obligatory "follow" on GitHub. It's probably going to be far more interesting than following Linus Torvalds on Twitter! :)

datashovel 12y ago
That being said, I'm extremely happy that this is happening. It has the potential to bring alot of exposure to the idea of "open source" to government. I think it can and will work if adopted. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Kiro 12y ago

https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 https://github.com/sunlightlabs/us-laws/issues/135 Interesting first comment.

hoggle 12y ago
Github user saeedmalekpour: Mr. President, I have been in Evin Prison, Iran for 6 years because my open source code was found on a website the regime didn't like. In the spirit of freedom, democracy and the hour of code - please help me in any way you can (account administered and message sent with permission of Saeed's family) Proof: https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/518460637916446720 https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/518460637916446720 More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57pfl6nkD0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57pfl6nkD0

joelennon 12y ago

Let's hope he keeps the nuclear launch codes out of his code and in environment variables.

kjjw 12y ago

Amazing but I'm a little bit frustrated at the username he chose. 'PresidentObama'. One day he will no longer be president and then maybe he will understand the difference between identity and value.

nodata 12y ago
I think US Presidents keep their title.
- cwmma 12y ago
  I read somewhere that president is the one job where that is not supposed to happen, I.E. you revert to your previous title (for Obama Senator). I have never observed this to happen in real life.
- dagw 12y ago
  Not officially. But most people and the media tend to make that mistake. If you are talking about something someone did as president then it is OK to say something like "while in office President Clinton did...", but if you're talking about something Bill Clinton did after leaving office you should say "Mr Clinton" or "Former President Clinton"
nindalf 12y ago
I believe you do not lose that title after you step down. Bill Clinton is still referred to as President Clinton. And its not just for Presidents either, same holds true with other posts. Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts from 2002 to 2006 but he was still referred to as Governor Romney during the 2012 Presidential election.

junto 12y ago

I'm trying to find the CIA torture program repository. I need to report a fairly serious bug.

random8799 12y ago

Reddit is the perfect example on why democracy fails. If you culture/condition humans to behave/act stupid to appeal to one another for affection, you garner no substance or value. Their deltas are null. Perhaps a new society/culture/civilization derived from a categorical intelligence is needed. Then we could analyze our resources, grow our culture based off this data, and evolve ourselves out of the current stupidity that exists today.

smfullman 12y ago

guess he doesn't like to work weekends.

ryanthejuggler 12y ago

I'd be glad to see a public key on whitehouse.gov and a signed message on the GitHub account. Anyone could register this name. [edit] whoops, didn't realize it was a bot

igonvalue 12y ago

I guess the username BarackObama was already taken? https://github.com/barackobama https://github.com/barackobama