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Comment Apple is a hardware company. (Score 1) 1012

Apple does not make software unless that software drives hardware in some way. Apple has always been a hardware company, that is how they make their money. The software is there to entice you to an experience on their hardware.

You will never see Apple sell just their software because that would ruin their market. It would also cripple their support system which relies heavily on standardized hardware to streamline technical issues. Customer support is easier on Apple products precisely because they know their hardware inside and out.

Get this point through your heads people... Apple will never shoot themselves in the foot and stop linking their software directly to their hardware. The hardware IS the Macintosh. The software drives the hardware but will never, ever get uncoupled from it (again).

Patents

Apple Seeks Patent On Operating System Advertising 342

patentpundit writes "On April 18, 2008, Apple Computer applied for a patent relating to an 'invention' that allows for showing advertisements within an operating system. The first named inventor on the patent application is none other than Steve Jobs. The patent application published and became available for public inspection on October 22, 2009. If implemented, the invention would make it possible for advertisements to be displayed on a variety of devices, including desktop computers, cell phones, PDAs, and more. In one alarming aspect, the device could be disabled while the advertisements run, thereby forcing users to let the advertisement run its course before the system would unlock and allow further use. In an even more invasive scenario, explained in the patent application, the user could be required to do something, such as click to continue, in order to verify that they are actively watching the advertisement and haven't simply walked away while the ad runs. Whether Apple would implement such an invention is unknown, but it is possible that they think there are others out there who might want to implement such invasive advertising. It is possible Apple wanted to get ahead of the curve and file this patent so that if any company is silly enough to engage in Big Brother advertising, then Apple will get a royalty. I sure hope this is not the future of advertising."

Comment Re:Heard about this... (Score 1) 36

MMA has much fewer concussions than boxing due to it's lighter weight gloves with allow for knock-outs faster and because many matches end by submission. Boxing matches can last for up to 15 rounds with fighters being repeatedly struck to the head. This repeated beating of the brain is much worse than the relatively small amount that happens in MMA.

Chess, on the other hand, makes you angry from repeated beatings by higher level players. The scars, while much less obvious, are none the less debilitating. I suggest playing Chess960 *(or Chess480) as the MMA equivalent to chess.

Comment As I've said before. (Score 5, Insightful) 455

It's not property and you, sir, are not an intellectual.

The very idea that something infinitely reproducible could be considered to have value is preposterous and flies in the face of call macro economic theory. Infinite supply results in infinitesimal value.

Eventually people will realize that what is being called intellectual property is actually the result of a service, then we will all be happier.

I want to pay the person who provided the service, but pretending that something ethereal is property is not the way to do it.

It is simple to create copies, people will continue to do it and the companies who fight it will lose potential customers.

Wake up.

We are willing to pay for the services rendered, but your prices are ridiculous.

Comment Military application. (Score 1) 244

This could easily be the next smoke rounds. Imagine being able to block light past specific points on a battlefield. You could effectively blind the enemy in darkness, or create soft cover for your movements. It would also absorb laser tracking and targeting devices, leaving many modern weapons systems moot.

Make no mistake about it, this is a very important technology for the battle field.

Science

First Black Hole For Light Created On Earth 244

An anonymous reader writes "An electromagnetic 'black hole' that sucks in surrounding light has been built for the first time. The device, which works at microwave frequencies, may soon be extended to trap visible light, leading to an entirely new way of harvesting solar energy to generate electricity. A theoretical design for a table-top black hole to trap light was proposed in a paper published earlier this year by Evgenii Narimanov and Alexander Kildishev of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Their idea was to mimic the properties of a cosmological black hole, whose intense gravity bends the surrounding space-time, causing any nearby matter or radiation to follow the warped space-time and spiral inwards."
Windows

Michael Dell Says Windows 7 Will Make You Love PCs 627

ruphus13 writes "In a recent talk at the Churchill Club, Michael Dell addressed several topics, including the fact that Windows 7 is poised to take advantage of the upgrade cycle. Dell has always been a strong MS OEM ally and it is now hoping to cash in again from the impending upgrades. From the post: 'Dell made plain several times that he sees the installed base of technology as very old, and sees a coming "refresh cycle" for which he has high hopes. "The latest generation of chips from Intel is strong, particularly Nehalem," he said, adding, "and Windows 7 is on its way." (The operating system arrives Oct. 22nd, although Microsoft's large-volume licensees are already getting it.) He pointed out that many business are running Windows XP, which is eight years old. "I've been using Windows 7 for a long time now," he said, "and if you get the latest processor technology and Office 2010 with it, you will love your PC again. It's a dramatic improvement."'"
Businesses

Blogger Loses Unemployment Check Because of Ads 554

Techdirt is reporting that one unfortunate, unemployed New York lawyer recently had her unemployment benefits greatly reduced because of the incredible $1/day she was earning via ads on her blog. "The whole thing sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare, with NY State asking her to get a form from her new 'employer' who didn't exist. Then NY Department of Labor started giving her all sorts of contradicting information, and eventually an 'investigation' into her 'business' — during which time her unemployment benefits were stopped entirely. She's now pulled the Google AdSense from her blog (total earned over the life of the blog $238.75)."
Desktops (Apple)

Most Mac Owners Also Own a Windows PC, But Not Vice Versa 814

Barence writes "More than eight out of ten Mac owners also own a PC, according to a new piece of research. The NPD survey found that 12% of US computer-owning households have a Mac. However, 85% of those also own a Windows PC, suggesting that the Mac/PC divide is nowhere near as clear cut as both Apple and Microsoft suggest. Mac owners are also far more likely to have multiple computers in the house. Two thirds of Mac owners have three or more computers in the home, while only 29% of PC owners have two or more PCs."
Earth

A Geek Funeral 479

We've recently talked about a geek wedding, and now reader Sam_In_The_Hills writes in with news of his brother's geek funeral. "I've not seen this topic covered here before even though it's one that will concern us all at some time: what to do with our corporeal remains after we've left for that great data bank in the sky. For my recently departed brother (long illness, don't smoke!), I thought this nice SPARCstation would be a cool place to spend eternity. Yes, he's really in there (after cremation). I kept the floppy drive cover but for space reasons removed the floppy drive, hard drive, and most of the power supply. I left behind the motherboard and power switch and plugs to keep all openings covered. The case worked quite well at his memorial party. His friends and family were able to leave their final good-byes on post-notes. Anyone who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot. All notes will be sealed in plastic and placed within the case. There has been one complication. His daughters like the look of it so much they aren't now sure if they want to bury him. One more thing: the words on the plaque really do capture one of the last things he ever said. Of course as kids we watched the show in its first run."

Comment Re:License missing (Score 1, Interesting) 336

If I buy a Nike T-Shirt. It has a Nike logo on it. If I sell it to you, did I just commit trademark infringement? No? Why not?

The difference is this. You buy Nike T-Shirts then print some slogan on them and then either sell them or give them away. What you've done is now made it appear the slogan is from Nike (or it's reasonable to assume people could be confused by it.)

Yes, this is a problem, isn't it.

Comment Mistaken market. (Score 3, Insightful) 459

Google is not in the business of providing searches. Google is in the business of selling ads. It just happens that having the best search gives you more eyeballs on your ads. They leverage that advantage to gain share in other markets. It does sound like another company I've heard about.

But you're on target here, this is obviously not comfortable for Microsoft. Five years ago they wouldn't have even bothered to issue a response. This is the kind of press release that is pure fear.

Someone has made a plug-in for your browser that makes it 8X faster.

  • It shows incompetence of your developers that someone else had apparently patched your buggy/slow software.
  • Eventually people learn that it's actually another browser. Most people don't even know what a browser is.
  • Why use something in emulation when you can run the real thing? People will switch.

It's something I said a long long long time ago. What can kill Microsoft? Something free.

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