United States President Barack Obama (no longer President-elect = fewer keystrokes!), like millions of others, is an inveterate BlackBerry user. Yet it was all but guaranteed that he would have to sign off and forfeit his device upon being sworn in to office.

After recently vowing that the Secret Service would have to pry the device out of his hands, however, he made a deal with his security team yesterday to keep his electronic link to the workaday world.

"The new president has worked out a deal with unspecified security personnel to keep his BlackBerry for limited professional and personal use," the Wall Street Journal quotes chief spokesman Robert Gibbs as having said Thursday. "Obama will become the first president to use e-mail on a regular basis."

Obama plans to use his BlackBerry to communicate with "senior staff and a small group of personal friends. It's a pretty small group of people," Gibbs said in the first White House press briefing held by the new administration. He said Obama's BlackBerry would be "enhanced" with additional security measures.

"Under an arrangement with security aides, Obama will get a new BlackBerry loaded with software approved by U.S. intelligence officials that lets him communicate with friends, family and close associates without fear of hackers reading his e-mail," reports the Los Angeles Times.

Gibbs has declined to say who would be allowed to e-mail the president. Experts have speculated that security concerns might force Obama to adopt another brand of smartphone, such as those used by intelligence agencies.

Obama is considered a tech-savvy guy who's attached to his gadgets, and U.S. intelligence officials are understandably concerned over his security.

In fact, according to some reports, the new president was wearing "bullet-resistant clothing" during his inauguration earlier this week. Experts are taking this to mean a bullet-proof suit, but Slate speculates that he might have been adorned in an outfit manufactured by Miguel Caballero, a Colombian company that specializes in bullet-resistant gear like leather jackets, windbreakers and even ruffled tuxedo shirts.

LEGO Presidential Inauguration
Before the historic 56th presidential inauguration took place on Tuesday, it took place on a smaller scale at LEGOLAND in California.

Credit: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images/newscom

More than 1,000 mini-figures have been created out of thousands of LEGO bricks for the park, complete with pretty much everyone expected to be at the Capitol, including Obama's wife and daughters, new Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, former President George W. Bush and his First Lady and parents, former VP Dick Cheney and wife, as well as Rick Warren, Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma and even Oprah:

Visitors to the Carlsbad, Calif., LEGOLAND theme park can view the entire inauguration ceremony — complete with LEGO White House, Mall, parade, motorcade, porta potties and, of course, the first families — through Memorial Day weekend. More photos can be found at the Christian Science Monitor and Gizmodo.

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Young Inventors Popping with Ideas
In conjunction with Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day (yes, there is such a thing) on Jan. 26, the young winners of the Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors will be announced on Monday.

In cooperation with the National Museum of Education, Bubble Wrap cushioning creator Sealed Air Corporation sponsors the Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors to encourage students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of the poppable cushioning. Invention categories range from apparel, automotive and construction to home improvement, household and medical to textiles, toy and transportation.

Valid entries are judged on the following: creativity (35 percent), practicality/usefulness (35 percent), benefit to society (15 percent), cost-effectiveness (10 percent) and clarity of a required accompanying essay (5 percent). This year's competition attracted more than 2,200 entries from 40 states, with entries that included everything from a holiday tree skirt and jewelry to a sanitary hand guard for escalators and a punching bag.

This year's three finalists win a three-day trip to New York City, where the Grand Prize Winner will be announced on Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (always the last Monday in January). The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $10,000 savings bond while the second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $3,000 respectively in savings bonds. The teacher/mentor of each finalist will receive a $500 gift card.

A Record-Breaking Chore
A team of British scuba divers has set a new world record — for underwater ironing.

Earlier this month, 128 UK divers braved the freezing winter temperatures to attempt to break the world record for the most divers ironing simultaneously underwater. The British divers only managed to get 86 divers, including six freedivers, ironing within a 10 min. period, though that was still enough to break the previous record of 72, held by Australians. Water temperatures were in the region of 5°C and air temperatures as low as -2°C.

Each was armed with an ironing board and iron as they submerged to depths of 6 m. to 55 m. at the National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) near Chepstow, Gloucestershire.

Cheers.