My commentary on Tech News, Starting a business, Ebay, and Everyday Life
Microsoft announced that they had entered into a deal to purchase Skype competitor Teleo today. The idea, I believe, is to package it into Windows Vista eventually, much like Internet Explorer, as a service for Windows users. Could this be part of the “Premium packages” that Uncle Bill spoke of?
Check out the article here.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that she left in her wake is felt most accutely in the gulf states, but even way up here in North Dakota we feel her. Gas has skyrocketed to over $3.00 a gallon where it was $2.69 on Sunday. One of my employers vendors is actually headquartered in New Orleans, which has caused quite the stir trying to find a temporary replacement for their services while they recuperate. Of course, by the looks of things, recuperation might be a long time coming.
If you can, Please visit www.redcross.org and make a donation to the relief effort. I have a feeling that they are gonna need all that we can give.
How does the patent office go about validating patents? Nintendo just recieved a patent for the use of insanity in video games. Creative and Microsoft own the patents to several Apple Ipod features. The newest one is the Creative patent on the heirarchal menu system for organizing the files on an mp3 player. Seems to me that DOS did this first, it was just adapted to the new technology.
My thoughts on this are that patenting the menu system that is very similar to the DOS system, or techniques for affecting game play based on a percieved ‘sanity’ response of the player is just plain stupid.
If something is not done about this, and soon, inovation in the technology world will cease to exist. All these companies will have patents to one thing or another and none of them will want to pay to use the other patent.
Take the same concepts to Hollywood and see how much worse our movies would be. Imagine someone patenting the use of swords in a battle scene to depict hand to hand battle. You get the idea.
Stop the patent abuse now!
An article on Wired.com talks about a study done on antioxidant levels in many different foods shows that coffee is in fact one of the best suppliers of antioxidants in the average American diet. Higher levels than the first runner up tea.
And honestly, as any coffee lover will tell you, I didn’t really need another excuse to drink coffee, but it helps.
Take a look at Jake’s POV on the article.
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