the buzz log

Apologies, Obama. Despite your allusions to Lincoln's swearing-in, this is not your forefather's inauguration. This presidential event is going very high tech.

Sure, plenty of people will see the inauguration in person: Two million are expected to descend on D.C. for the festivities. Some high school students in a nearby Maryland school district even successfully lobbied to get the day off to see history unfold in person.

But if you don't like crowds, traffic, or Porta-Potties, best to stay away, and let the inauguration come to you.

No surprise that Obama, the BlackBerry addict with the tech-savvy campaign, is transitioning into a high-tech presidency, starting with the swearing-in ceremony.

In a YouTube address, the president-elect suggests ways to participate in the inauguration events from afar: Start by texting "open" to 56333 for news, transit, and details. Sunday afternoon kicks off with a free celebration at the Lincoln Memorial that's open to the public. HBO will broadcast the event for free that evening. On Monday night Michelle and Barack Obama will host a first-ever neighborhood inaugural ball. ABC will broadcast it on TV, and it will be webcast live on the Internet.

For those who prefer to get the inauguration feed while mixing it up with other Americans, MSNBC will beam its coverage to movie theaters around the country. Click to MSNBCEvents.com for free tickets. The partnership extends to a simulcast into 650 Starbucks stores in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. Celebrants can also head to PIC2009.org to find a local inauguration party. Already, history buffs are heading to the Web for assistance on the Inauguration Day details, looking up "hbo inauguration," "inauguration day schedule," and "inauguration time."

In fact, the coverage will be so massive, you may be asking yourself: What else is on TV?