If they "just filed a patent" , and Google has already been using it:
i)Why would Google have to pay royalty?

Didn't the USA just become a "first-to-file" nation?

Well - obviously not. But should they be denied the ability to play the game? How much further would you take it - if the next generation of Windows required to be on line would it be fair to remove their computers?

How is this significantly different from requiring a certain generation of graphics card? Or a minimum amount of RAM? Or having a PC instead of a Mac?

In order to provide the game experience they want to provide (which is what you're paying for) the developers have decided to place certain requirements on the equipment required to play. If you don't have the required equipment, you will be unable to play.

I really don't understand all the hoo-ha - maybe the people who don't have a reliable net connection should buy one of the MYRIAD of competing products which don't have that requirement?

You probably wouldn't say that if you loved in a remote location. For some people connecting to the internet means driving to a wifi-enabled cafe or buying a satellite connection, i.e. the majority of situations they can't connect.

Perhaps those people are not the target market for this game, then?

The WWI idea that the "third light" was unlucky, so they extinguished the match after lighting two

"Fish *** in it"
- Captain Reggie Thistleton

You guys do know what Alt-Tab does in Windows, right? right?

If I can pivot it, I can move it.

If I can move it, it is portable.

Besides, if I add "while moving through space" to any patent which doesn't explicitly state "this can be done while moving" does that make my new patent OK?

In other words, can I patent the ENTIRE PORTFOLIO at the patent office and just add on "while moving" or "portable" and suddenly license out every patent ever previously granted to anyone for use under my own terms as long as the process is carried out in the back of a moving truck, instead of in an office or factory at a fixed location?

In fact, can I just add "in a moving truck" to the end of every patent, and suddenly have a unique new patent?

co.ck would be The Cook Islands, which is a semi-autonomous

Hunh hunh hunh, you said "semi".

I am curious if these open ocean deserts are man made or just nature.

Not necessarily a direct answer, but this academic presentation is incredibly eye-opening and well worth a watch:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_jackson.html

He was right - it is. For the people who matter.

He never said what the solution would be, nor that no-one would send spam - just that it would be a thing of the past. And for my users at work, for me, for my family it really is a thing of the past, because someone has solved the problem for me. We almost never SEE spam messages anymore - even one per week is quite alot. Despite the fact one of accounts alone gets a thousand a day.

How long are these shoes expected to last under normal use?

Until they go out of fashion. So 12-24 months.