Former Obama Advisers Start Communications Company

Two former advisers to President Obama, Robert Gibbs and Ben LaBolt, are forming a strategic communications firm aimed at leveraging their political experience in Washington for corporate and nonprofit clients.

The pair, the latest in an exodus of Obama aides who have traded White House connections for lucrative new careers, announced on Thursday the formation of the Incite Agency, which they say will help clients with brand development, media relations, crisis communications and engagement with social and digital media.

Mr. Gibbs, a longtime confidant of Mr. Obama, was White House press secretary for the first three years of the president’s term. Since leaving the White House, he has advised Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign, become a political contributor for MSNBC and given speeches, including one for five figures last month at a conference in Azerbaijan.

Mr. LaBolt was an assistant White House press secretary and a national press secretary for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign. He was also communications director for Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, during his successful bid to be mayor of Chicago.

Incite will be part of New Partners, a consulting firm created four years ago mostly by veterans of Mr. Obama’s first campaign. Mr. Gibbs will also be a partner at New Partners.

Adam Fetcher, a former deputy national press secretary on the president’s re-election campaign, will join Mr. Gibbs and Mr. LaBolt as a managing director at Incite.

Former Obama Advisers Start Communications Company

Two former advisers to President Obama, Robert Gibbs and Ben LaBolt, are forming a strategic communications firm aimed at leveraging their political experience in Washington for corporate and nonprofit clients.

The pair, the latest in an exodus of Obama aides who have traded White House connections for lucrative new careers, announced on Thursday the formation of the Incite Agency, which they say will help clients with brand development, media relations, crisis communications and engagement with social and digital media.

Mr. Gibbs, a longtime confidant of Mr. Obama, was White House press secretary for the first three years of the president’s term. Since leaving the White House, he has advised Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign, become a political contributor for MSNBC and given speeches, including one for five figures last month at a conference in Azerbaijan.

Mr. LaBolt was an assistant White House press secretary and a national press secretary for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign. He was also communications director for Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, during his successful bid to be mayor of Chicago.

Incite will be part of New Partners, a consulting firm created four years ago mostly by veterans of Mr. Obama’s first campaign. Mr. Gibbs will also be a partner at New Partners.

Adam Fetcher, a former deputy national press secretary on the president’s re-election campaign, will join Mr. Gibbs and Mr. LaBolt as a managing director at Incite.

Tip of the Week: Go Offline With Google Maps for Android

The Google Maps app for Android includes an “offline” feature that lets you store a map on your phone for those times when your data signal is weak or nonexistent.

To save an open map on the phone, press the Menu button and choose “Make available offline.” Select the area of the map you want to save by pinching or zooming to it, then press Done. You can find your saved map in Google Maps by selecting My Places and then Offline.

Google’s site has more information and links to illustrated instructions.

Obama Speaks at Rally for Massachusetts Democrat

BOSTON â€" President Obama drew a crowd of thousands to a campaign rally for Representative Edward J. Markey on Wednesday, an event that seemed intended to generate a push of energy two weeks before the end of a relatively sleepy campaign.

“I need Ed Markey in the United States Senate,” Mr. Obama said. “This election’s going to come down to turnout. We’ve got a whole lot of Democrats in this state and a whole lot of Obama folks. But you can’t just turn out in a presidential election â€" you’ve got to turn out in this election.”

Mr. Markey, a Democrat, is running for the seat John Kerry left open when he became secretary of state. Mr. Markey’s Republican opponent, Gabriel Gomez, is a businessman and former member of the Navy SEALs who is a political newcomer.

The rally was Mr. Obama’s first trip to Boston since he attended a memorial service here in the days after the Boston Marathon bombings â€" events that still loomed large over the rally. White House officials said that shortly before Mr. Obama made his speech, he met with the family of Sean Collier, the M.I.T. police officer who the authorities say was shot and killed by the bombing suspects, Tamerlan and Dzohokar Tsarnaev. Mr. Obama opened his remarks on Wednesday by recalling the “American spirit” he saw here after the bombing.

“The problem we have is that spirit of generosity, and selfnessness, and community, we don’t see that reflected enough in our politics in Washington,” said Mr. Obama, addressing a diverse crowd in the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. “And that’s why I’m here today,”

Officials from the Markey campaign said that more than 5,000 people were inside, while 2,000 more waited outside.

Mr. Obama made scant mention of Mr. Gomez during his speech, which lasted a little less than 25 minutes. He sought to paint Mr. Markey as a fitting member of a group of prominent Democrats this state has sent to the Senate, invoking Edward M. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry and Elizabeth Warren.

“Nobody is better suited to continue that legacy than Ed Markey, because Ed’s one of you,” Mr. Obama said, drawing on Mr. Markey’s working-class family background.

Mr. Obama pointed to Mr. Markey’s support of gun control, women’s rights and environmental protection during his 36-year Congressional career. “Ed has a track record, and that’s why you know what he’s going to do when he’s a senator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He’s not somebody who comes out of nowhere and says he’s for something and maybe he’s for something else,” Mr. Obama said, presumably alluding to Mr. Gomez. “He’s been steady and he’s been constant, working on your behalf.”

During those remarks, a group of protesters blew whistles to express solidarity with Edward J. Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor who says he gave the news media documents about the agency’s surveillance programs, and Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of providing government documents to WikiLeaks. The protesters were drowned out by repeated chants of “Obama” from the surrounding crowd.

Mr. Obama compared Mr. Markey’s race to his own struggles with gridlock in Washington. “A whole bunch of Republicans out there are not interested in getting things done,” said Mr. Obama, who continued, “Because of those attitudes, we’ve got to have some Democrats like Ed Markey who will stand up and do the right thing.”

The crowd greeted Mr. Obama with louder and longer cheers than those for Mr. Markey â€" although the president also elicited some playful boos when he brought up the forthcoming Stanley Cup playoffs between the Boston Bruins and his hometown team, the Chicago Blackhawks. The moment recalled another last summer, when he made an awkwardly-received comment about Kevin Youkilis, a longtime Red Sox player who was going over to the Chicago White Sox.

“I am not going to talk trash about the hockey game,” Mr. Obama said. “I’m not going to say anything about the outstanding qualities of the Chicago Blackhawks.”

Before the rally, a line of thousands snaked through part of the campus here and up a nearby street â€" a show of popular excitement during a summery special election season that has so far been relatively quiet, especially when compared to the 2010 special election that brought Scott Brown to power here, and the high-octane battle in 2012 that saw Elizabeth Warren unseat him.

“I know it seems like there’s an election every other week,” said Mr. Obama, according to a pool report, during a stop at Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe in the city’s South End on his way to the rally, “but this one’s important.”

Q&A: Making New Playlists on the iPod Classic

Q.

Is there a way to make a playlist directly on the Classic iPod when I’m away from the computer, or do I have create them in iTunes first and then copy them over?

A.

Although putting together a playlist directly on the player is a bit easier on newer models, like the iPod Touch, there is a way to select and group a bunch of songs stored on an iPod Classic into a playlist that you can save. Apple calls these inspired creations On-The-Go playlists.

To make an On-The-Go playlist, go to the Music menu and use the iPod’s scroll wheel to locate a song (or album). Press and hold the iPod’s center button until the song or album title flashes. The selection has now been added to a new On-the-Go playlist. Repeat the process for each title you want to add.

When you are finished adding tracks, press the iPod’s Menu button until you are back on the main menu screen. Select Music, then Playlists, and scroll down to On-The-Go playlist. Choose it and select the first song to start up the newly composed playlist. The top of the On-The-Go playlist screen has a “Save Playlist” option you can select to permanently save the new compilation as “New Playlist 1” in the Playlists menu.

You can make multiple On-The-Go playlists on the iPod by saving each one as you go. If you do not want to save the current On-The-Go playlist, go to the Music menu to Playlists, select On-The-Go and choose Clear Playlist; press the Clear option to dump the songs and start over. If you just want to remove certain songs, select each title and press the center button until it flashes.

If you have your iPod set to automatically sync with iTunes, your On-The-Go playlist is copied back to your iTunes library, where you can edit and rename it. If you manually update the iPod, you can also select the On-The-Go playlist in the iTunes window and rename it when you have the iPod connected. When you unplug the player from the computer, the playlist should display the new name in the iPod’s Playlists menu.

Q&A: Making New Playlists on the iPod Classic

Q.

Is there a way to make a playlist directly on the Classic iPod when I’m away from the computer, or do I have create them in iTunes first and then copy them over?

A.

Although putting together a playlist directly on the player is a bit easier on newer models, like the iPod Touch, there is a way to select and group a bunch of songs stored on an iPod Classic into a playlist that you can save. Apple calls these inspired creations On-The-Go playlists.

To make an On-The-Go playlist, go to the Music menu and use the iPod’s scroll wheel to locate a song (or album). Press and hold the iPod’s center button until the song or album title flashes. The selection has now been added to a new On-the-Go playlist. Repeat the process for each title you want to add.

When you are finished adding tracks, press the iPod’s Menu button until you are back on the main menu screen. Select Music, then Playlists, and scroll down to On-The-Go playlist. Choose it and select the first song to start up the newly composed playlist. The top of the On-The-Go playlist screen has a “Save Playlist” option you can select to permanently save the new compilation as “New Playlist 1” in the Playlists menu.

You can make multiple On-The-Go playlists on the iPod by saving each one as you go. If you do not want to save the current On-The-Go playlist, go to the Music menu to Playlists, select On-The-Go and choose Clear Playlist; press the Clear option to dump the songs and start over. If you just want to remove certain songs, select each title and press the center button until it flashes.

If you have your iPod set to automatically sync with iTunes, your On-The-Go playlist is copied back to your iTunes library, where you can edit and rename it. If you manually update the iPod, you can also select the On-The-Go playlist in the iTunes window and rename it when you have the iPod connected. When you unplug the player from the computer, the playlist should display the new name in the iPod’s Playlists menu.

Q&A: Keeping Control Over Your Facebook Timeline

Q.

How do I stop people other people from posting stuff on my Facebook page?

A.

Facebook’s privacy settings allow you to block your friends from posting photos and comments directly to your Timeline, although they can still see and comment on any photos or updates you post there yourself. To get to your account’s controls, log into Facebook, click the gear-shaped icon in the top right corner of the page and select Account Settings.

On the left side of the Account Settings screen, click on the “Timeline and Tagging” link. In the center of the page, in the “Who can post in your timeline?” area, click the Edit link. In the drop-down menu that appears, select Only Me. (The same Timeline and Tagging settings also let you choose who can see posts on your Facebook page, so you can choose instead to allow friends to post things to your Timeline â€" but have those posts visible only to you, and not your friends.)

Over the years, Facebook has changed its privacy controls and other settings several times. You can find the help guide to the site’s current privacy settings and tools here.

Boehner Endorses House Farm Bill

The House farm bill received a major endorsement on Wednesday when Speaker John A. Boehner announced that he would support the agriculture and nutrition legislation that the chamber is to begin work on this month.

“I’m going to vote for the farm bill to make sure that the good work of the Agriculture Committee and whatever the floor might do to improve this bill gets to a conference so that we can get the kind of changes that people want in our nutrition programs and in our farm programs,” Mr. Boehner said.

Shortly before the Senate voted to approve its version of the farm bill on Monday, Mr. Boehner said he had some issues with the provisions currently in the House version â€" specifically a program to help dairy farmers â€" but nevertheless said the measure would be brought up for a vote.

“As a longtime proponent of top-to-bottom reform, my concerns about our country’s farm programs are well known,” Mr. Boehner said in a statement. “But as I said on the day I became speaker, my job isn’t to impose my personal will on this institution or its members.”

Efforts to get a new farm bill have ramped up in recent weeks, after several attempts to get a new bill died last year.

The Senate passed its version of the farm bill last year. The House Agriculture Committee passed a version as well, but Mr. Boehner and the Republican leadership refused to bring it to the floor for a vote, killing any chance of getting a new five-year bill.

The legislation was derailed after Republicans split over the size of cuts to the food stamp program. Last year’s House bill would have cut $16 billion from the farm bill, but many conservatives refused to support it and called for even deeper cuts. This year’s bill will cut about $20 billion from the food stamp program, a move that will almost certainly be rejected by the Senate.

Mr. Boehner said the cuts in the House bill were reform that “both parties know are necessary.”

The recently passed Senate bill cuts $4.1 billion from food stamps.

The House and Senate bills both eliminate the $5 billion-a-year direct payments that go to farmers and farmland owners whether they grow crops or not.

The bills take some of the savings from cutting direct payments and increases subsidies for the crop insurance program, which protects farmers from drops in income or declines in crop yields. Taxpayers pay about 62 percent of the insurance premiums. The policies are sold by 15 private insurance companies, which receive about $1.3 billion annually in total from the government. The government also backs the companies against losses.

Mr. Boehner said he wanted to see the bill move to a House-Senate conference.

A Homing Beacon for Your Key Chain

In the ranks of nagging annoyances, the search for misplaced keys (especially when you are late) is pretty high.

A product called Stick-N-Find has a solution: a Bluetooth beacon with an adhesive backing that you can stick to your keys or anything else you might lose. You can use your phone to home in on the beacon.

But don’t hand out the Nobel Prize just yet. Stick-N-Find still needs some refinement.

On the plus side, the little gizmos are easy to use. The adhesive-backed disks, about the size of two quarters stacked together, can stick to keys, luggage, your glasses case, the TV remote, your wallet â€" basically anything you might hunt for between the couch cushions.

A free Stick-N-Find app goes on an iPhone 5 or 4S, the new iPad, iPad mini, the new iPod touch, or any Android phone with Bluetooth Low Energy and system 4.1.

Then the phone acts as a homing device that lets you zero in on up to 20 different little Bluetooth beacons. You name each beacon using the app, so you can always track down the right item (provided it is not your phone that you have lost).

When you come within range, you can press a button on the phone that causes the beacon to chirp and light up.

You can also create an electronic leash that sets off the chirp when the beacons are outside of tracking range. That could stop you from walking out of a restaurant without your keys, or perhaps stop someone else from walking out with your wallet.

While it all works well in theory, in practice it needs some refinement.

For one thing, the homing app is not directional. While the app shows a clever radar-style screen, it tells you roughly how far you are from your beacon, but not in which direction. It may not save you from searching every room of the house, although it should ensure that you have to do so only once.

Another drawback is that the app measures the distance between you and the beacon in something called “radio feet,” which is completely useless. When my phone is nearly close enough to touch the beacon, the app puts me at three radio feet. Fifteen feet away reads 255 radio feet. How does that help me find anything?

The other thing is, the price could stand to come down. The little beacons are $50 a pair, so if you tagged the maximum 20 items, you would spend $500. Maybe you should just designate a keys and glasses drawer.

The beacons are available in a variety of colors: black, clear, white, pink, red and blue. They also come with little fobs so you can affix them to things like key rings and pet collars.

Currently they are available only through the Stick-N-Find Web site.

A Homing Beacon for Your Key Chain

In the ranks of nagging annoyances, the search for misplaced keys (especially when you are late) is pretty high.

A product called Stick-N-Find has a solution: a Bluetooth beacon with an adhesive backing that you can stick to your keys or anything else you might lose. You can use your phone to home in on the beacon.

But don’t hand out the Nobel Prize just yet. Stick-N-Find still needs some refinement.

On the plus side, the little gizmos are easy to use. The adhesive-backed disks, about the size of two quarters stacked together, can stick to keys, luggage, your glasses case, the TV remote, your wallet â€" basically anything you might hunt for between the couch cushions.

A free Stick-N-Find app goes on an iPhone 5 or 4S, the new iPad, iPad mini, the new iPod touch, or any Android phone with Bluetooth Low Energy and system 4.1.

Then the phone acts as a homing device that lets you zero in on up to 20 different little Bluetooth beacons. You name each beacon using the app, so you can always track down the right item (provided it is not your phone that you have lost).

When you come within range, you can press a button on the phone that causes the beacon to chirp and light up.

You can also create an electronic leash that sets off the chirp when the beacons are outside of tracking range. That could stop you from walking out of a restaurant without your keys, or perhaps stop someone else from walking out with your wallet.

While it all works well in theory, in practice it needs some refinement.

For one thing, the homing app is not directional. While the app shows a clever radar-style screen, it tells you roughly how far you are from your beacon, but not in which direction. It may not save you from searching every room of the house, although it should ensure that you have to do so only once.

Another drawback is that the app measures the distance between you and the beacon in something called “radio feet,” which is completely useless. When my phone is nearly close enough to touch the beacon, the app puts me at three radio feet. Fifteen feet away reads 255 radio feet. How does that help me find anything?

The other thing is, the price could stand to come down. The little beacons are $50 a pair, so if you tagged the maximum 20 items, you would spend $500. Maybe you should just designate a keys and glasses drawer.

The beacons are available in a variety of colors: black, clear, white, pink, red and blue. They also come with little fobs so you can affix them to things like key rings and pet collars.

Currently they are available only through the Stick-N-Find Web site.

The Early Word: Pathway to Legislation

Today’s Times

• The new immigration legislation has presented President Obama with a chance to reach the kind of landmark accord with Republicans that has eluded him on gun violence and the budget, Mark Landler and Ashley Parker write. Though he gave a wholehearted endorsement of the proposal, he said that he anticipates a bruising fight over issues like border security and the path to citizenship.

• The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Obama administration on Tuesday, contending that its surveillance programs are illegal, Charlie Savage reports. The organization is asking a judge to order the records purged, and the lawsuit could eventually lead to a test in the Supreme Court over national security policies.

• The federal government dropped its opposition to making the morning-after pill accessible to women and girls of all ages, declining to escalate a politically charged issue that appeared to have little hope of success, Michael D. Shear writes.

• When lawmakers returned to the Capitol for the first time since the N.S.A. disclosures, their criticism of the government surveillance programs was largely muted, Scott Shane and Jonathan Weisman report. Carefully delivered statements from Congressional leaders in both parties said the programs were authorized by law and rigorously overseen by Congress and courts.

Around the Web

• Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, delivered a floor speech entirely in Spanish, becoming the first sitting senator ever to do so, The Washington Post reports.

• Politico: Al Gore called President Obama out in a Google+ hangout on Tuesday, urging him to talk the talk on climate change.