Obama & Kids Call Astronauts, Want to Know: Can You Play Video Games in Space?
Obama & Kids Call Astronauts, Want to Know: Can You Play Video Games in Space?
March 24, 2009
Video games came up when President Obama made a long-distance phone call to the International Space Station this morning.
As reported by ABC News, Obama, some members of Congress and a group of Washington, D.C. school kids spent 28 minutes videoconferencing with the crew of the shuttle Discovery.
The Prez was friendly and conversational with the astronauts. When it came time for some questions from the students, the first one was, "Can you play video games in space?"
Obama dutifully relayed the question to the crew. Perhaps surprisingly, the answer that came back was yes, you can play video games in space.
In fact, one of the astronauts (we're not clear as to which one) replied:
We can, in fact. And in fact a few years ago when I was up here for six months I had a video game that I used to play in my spare time. Unfortunately, we don't have much spare time.
So we can, we have a lot of laptop computers. But for the most part we stay real busy doing real work.
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Posted 02/09/10 at 03:51pm
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:41pm
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:31pm
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:30pm
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:20pm
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:18pm
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:14pm
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:13pm
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:09pm
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:07pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:02pm
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 02:50pm
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:16pm
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:10pm
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:00pm
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:53pm
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:51pm
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
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Comments
-16 ton weight drops on head- well that was a dumb question
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
They are, as it says in the article, kids. They are curious and ask whatever pops into their heads. Give'm a break, man. I'm sure you weren't Sir Isaac Newton at the age of 13, either.
--- XboxLive Tag: JuiceLayerJihad
I just can't help but picture the russian dude from "armageddon" playing WoW.
I can only imagine the lag.
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1977/campers.png
(not sure how to post a pic, but this will do)
Post a smiley, right click it and go to image properties, change the Url and hit OK.
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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.
Also, if you open the url in another window and have that window over this window (so that you can see both this comment field and the image), you can simply drag the picture into the comment field and it will work just the same. Just drag and drop, but make sure that you can see the image and comment area at the same time, no scrolling.
-If an apple a day keeps the doctor away....what happens when a doctor eats an apple?-
THIS! is how you kill Onyxia! Now we can go home!
Can't help but laugh.
Wasn't this news in the 1980s when the Russian cosmonauts took Game Boys with them so they could play Tetris?
---
The Mammon Industry
Well, the Gameboy was released in Japan in mid-1989, so I doubt you're thinking of that particular handheld. Perhaps it was Nintendo's Game & Watch system (which was bundled with Tetris) or the Russian G&W knock-off Elektronika (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektronika#Electronic_toys).
Only reason I'm digging this much into this was my own first thought to your post, which was "huh, I thought Game Boy came out in the early 90's."
The more you know!
--- XboxLive Tag: JuiceLayerJihad
And knowing is half the battle.
G.I. JOEEEEEE
| XBOX LIVE GamerTag: Harry Miste | Steam ID: Harry Miste | PSN ID: HarryMiste |
lol, of course they can play videogames in space. Stuff doesn't just stop working when you get up there. But I imagine that when you get into space, playing videogames suddenly doesn't seem as interesting anymore.
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Believe in something! Even if it's wrong, believe in it! -Glenn Beck
Let me guess: Dead Space?
Andrew Eisen
lol, that was a good one. Yeah, playing dead space and watching Alien and Event Horizon.
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Believe in something! Even if it's wrong, believe in it! -Glenn Beck
That's like the time i was walking home alone at night with Silent Hill Homecoming...just flat out asking for some smack-down from the gods of irony and coincidence.
I'm actually making another trip to Centralia, Pennsylvania, the place the movie is based off of. I went once alone, and it creeped the hell out of me, but walking was unsafe if I went too far so I decided not to explore the whole place.
Those are excellent ways never to sleep again.
How's the ping up there?
I'm an attention whore. So visit my DevaintArt and feed my ego. Feed the whore. http://keaton2008.deviantart.com/
Let's hope nobody brought a gun with them. Lord knows what might happen if they play GTA IV too long.
"HEY! LISTEN!"
Would the PS3 six axis, or the Wiimote work in zero G though? Seriously though; if I could get to fly the space shuttle around in space, why would I need a video game
PSN: bracomadar
You actually make a good point about the six axis and Wiimote. Can the motion sensors work without gravity?
Yeah I would like to do this experiment. I'm a bit of a scientist myself also. I like to do this experiment.
Can somebody write up a experiment and come up with a hypothesis for it??
I woulda pissed my pants if they came back with "Yeah, we play a GTA with a mod that lets us shoot space cops".
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Nightwng2000 has also updated his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
Think they ever played this in space?
http://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-2600/space-shuttle-a-journey-into-sp...
If so, seems kinda redundant.
Nah, more likely this one:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/shuttle
That one was more of a challenge.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Nightwng2000 has also updated his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
If I were in space I'd try playing a star wars game myself.
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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.
Its clear that they play DDR in space
LOL, I just noticed that in the picture, it looks like Obama is looking at the sky while he's talking to them. or more like looking up out the window.
I can imagine when Astronaughts are not working, they are playing on their nintendo DS and they lose their stylus pen because they forgot to put it in the DS back of it.
Then the pen would just float away.
I bet they play Backyardigans: Mission to Mars. That game is set aboard the Space Shuttle, and it's just about the difficulty level that folks at NASA would be able to handle.