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Patents

Patent Issued Covering Phone Notifications of Delivery Time and Invoice Quantity 60

Posted by Soulskill from the i-should-patent-the-rubber-stamp dept.
eldavojohn writes: The staggering ingenuity of the U.S. Patent system has again been showcased by the EFF's analysis of recent patents. This week's patent and follow-up patent cover the futuristic innovative idea that when you order something, you can update your order and add additional amounts to your order while it's being processed. But wait, it gets even more innovative! You may one day be able to even to notify when you would like it delivered — on your phone! I know, you're busy wiping all that brain matter off your screen as your head seems to have exploded. Well, it turns out that inventor and patent holder Scott Horstemeyer (aka Eclipse IP, LLC of Delray Beach, FL) found no shortage of targets to go after with his new patents. It appears Tiger Fitness (and every other online retailer) was sending notices to customers about shipments. Did I mention Horstemeyer is a lawyer too? But not just a regular lawyer, a "SUPER lawyer" from the same firm that patented social networking in 2007, sued Uber for using location finding technologies in 2013 and sued Overstock.com as well as a small time shoe seller for using shipping notifications in 2014. A related article at Vox makes this case: "The primary problem with the patent system is, well, the patent system. The system makes it too easy to get broad, vague patents, and the litigation process is tilted too far toward plaintiffs. But because so many big companies make so much money off of this system, few in Congress are willing to consider broader reforms."

Submission + - A running start really can improve your golf game

Submitted by StartsWithABang
StartsWithABang writes: It was an idea made famous by the movie Happy Gilmore, but the physics behind it is actually sound: getting a running start, even a slow one, should theoretically be able to improve your driving distance by about 10% off the tee. But there's a big different between physics-in-theory and physics-and-physiology-in-practice, at least, in many cases. This time, however, they line up beautifully, as a running start really can help your golf game!

Submission + - Microsoft designed a special processor to handle HoloLens data (computerworld.com.au)

Submitted by angry tapir
angry tapir writes: Microsoft shared some additional details about the components inside its augmented reality HoloLens headset during the company's Build conference. Like a traditional PC, HoloLens contains a CPU and GPU, said Alex Kipman, a technical fellow in Microsoft's operating system group, on Thursday. But the headset also uses a custom built holographic processing unit to handle data coming from the many sensors contained in the device.

Submission + - Comcast brings fiber to city that it sued 7 years ago to stop fiber rollout

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In April 2008, Comcast sued the Chattanooga Electric Power Board (EPB) to prevent it from building a fiber network to serve residents who were getting slow speeds from the incumbent cable provider. Comcast claimed that EPB illegally subsidized the buildout with ratepayer funds, but it quickly lost in court, and EPB built its fiber network and began offering Internet, TV, and phone service. After EPB launched in 2009, incumbents Comcast and AT&T finally started upgrading their services, EPB officials told Ars when we interviewed them in 2013. But not until this year has Comcast had an Internet offering that can match or beat EPB's $70 gigabit service. Comcast announced its 2Gbps fiber-to-the-home service on April 2, launching first in Atlanta, then in cities in Florida and California, and now in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Comment Re:Twisted perception (Score 1) 185

by zlives (#49587595) Attached to: How One Tweet Wiped $8bn Off Twitter's Value

the middle class didn't do so well in gold based economy either, if anything the meddlesome Fed was partially responsible for the taxation and redistribution during the golden years of middle class. the rules have changed in favor of the elite but who knows maybe one day they will swing back. the type of currency has nothing to do with it.

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