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Comment Google and robotics (Score 1) 247

There's an interesting article in today's WSJ (03/06/15) about a current DARPA contest involving humanoid robots. A Tokyo-based company lead the early trial run. That company was just bought by Google who then withdrew that robot from the competition. Google has been quietly acquiring similar companies including Boston Dynamics. It appears that Google is trying to flex some moral muscle to keep robots out of military hands. Sure, there will be other companies that will fill the void but I'd venture to say that Google is going to try to sue them all for patent infringement.

Comment Re:Have Settled Charges? (Score 1) 97

It means that the company gets screwed for millions of dollars all of which magically disappears into the black hole of the federal government general fund. Meanwhile, you, dear victim, will get discount coupons for cellphone accessories for obsolete phones. It's a little bit like the government promising you a tax "credit" in return for actual money paid by some private entity. You can only make use of this "credit" if you meet certain specific criteria e.g. tax bracket and taxes owed combined with astrological sign and body mass index which most people don't meet.

Comment I never understood the recent patent reform (Score 1) 99

Switching from "first to invent" to "first to file" makes no sense to me. If you're working on something for several years and some asshat hacks your computer, copies all the data, then files the patent, why should they get credit for it? Beyond that, I don't understand how some filers seem to be able to get patents in a few months while others take YEARS to even get reviewed. Something doesn't smell right here. And then there's the patent troll problem. Why has nobody put forth legislation that requires the patent holder to also be the applier of the technology? Nobody likes campers in a MMO game. IMHO, if you own a patent, you should be required to create a real product with it and sell it in order to benefit from the patent protection.

Comment Re:"Loser edit" is a new name for a very old evil. (Score 1) 144

Yellow journalism has infected most of media these days particularly in Hollywood who has figured out that they have a one-side, one-directional soapbox from which to preach their beliefs. I'm not just talking about what passes for a documentary these days but even in screenwriting for fictional shows. The writer or rather whoever ends up creating the dialog that a character utters or whoever comes up with the plot has the ability to make statements knowing that there is no opportunity for debate. Quite often, once the hero character of a series has won the hearts and minds of the audience, that character is used as the conduit. People believe it because of their adoration of the character.

Comment Tort reform would help (Score 1) 245

Drug companies pretty much expect to get sued by the likes of the law offices of James Suck-a-glove and lose every penny they made thanks to a jury in east Texas. And it doesn't matter that the side effect warnings are well disclosed. Take a look at pretty much every drug ad on TV. They basically say, "If you have such-and-such condition, ask your doctor about Fartseeguh. Meanwhile, here's a 45-second long list of things that might happen to you even if you didn't take this drug because we're expecting to get sued even if you don't take this drug." At a certain point, the drug company is looking a the upfront costs as well as the potential legal costs and deciding that there is too much risk. The FDA is no help because they insist on all this testing beforehand and when the lawsuits come they are notably untouchable. Aren't they supposed to protect the public from dangerous drugs? If they approved it, shouldn't they be held liable too?

Comment Re:How can you be in favor of the unknown? (Score 1) 599

Wrong...again. There is a 300+ page document that is being withheld from public viewing which is what they are going to be voting on. I don't know what's in it and neither do you. You are ASSUMING that this is simply going to be a reclassification under Title II which would take a one-page memo to accomplish. You have ZERO facts upon which to make your statements. It amazes me that you are willing to simply accept a sweeping change based on no facts and only what you believe will happen. How the hell can you be opposed to a public comment period on the contents of the proposed rules? Are you that gullible? If so, I've got a little document called a Power of Attorney that I'd like you to sign. You'll just have to trust me that I know what I'm doing and it'll all be for your own good.

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