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Comment Authenticate my Job for my Online Rolodex? (Score 1) 55

Why do I care about authenticating my job to my online Rolodex service? For longer than I can remember, all I have used LinkedIn for is a semi-self-updating electronic phone book. If I call someone and don't get who I expect, I'll know right away and delete their contact. I expect they would do the same with me. I probably use it to look someone up 3 or 4 times a year, if it is a particularly busy year. I can't be bothered with (and actively avoid) the social media features.

Comment Just Walk Away (Score 4, Interesting) 574

Cell tower companies already abandon obsolete equipment on towers at the end of their lease for tower space because it is cheaper than removing the equipment. They do this regularly despite clauses in the lease that require them to remove old equipment at their cost. The companies know that relatively few landlords will sue them for the cost incurred by the landlord to have the equipment removed themselves.

If the cost of removing old wind turbines is so high, why wouldn't the operators adopt the same business model the cell companies have used successfully for decades?

Comment "Just" A Patent Application? (Score 4, Informative) 52

In this context, you can be sure there is more. The patent laws of the US and other countries require that the application (and consequently, any issued patent) describe the invention in sufficient detail so that someone of ordinary skill in the art area to which the invention most nearly pertains can make and use the invention. You don't have to build one, but you do have to provide enough detail so that someone else could build one.

Comment Incredible... (Score 1) 367

... or rather, incredibly condescending. Given my occupation (and prior occupation in law enforcement), I am a huge advocate for catching criminals. I am also a huge advocate for the rule of law and respecting rights of people under law. By saying that the Bureau is collecting information so we can have an "adult" conversation, the clear implication is that those on the other side of the conversation from the Bureau have been having conversations that are immature or child-like. The tone of those comments is like that of a parent telling a child that it is time for the child to grow up. It indicates a lack of respect for the opposing views. The Bureau isn't doing itself any favors with that kind of approach.

Comment Not an Agency (Score 1) 154

The Copyright Office is part of the Library of Congress and as such is part of the legislative branch of the US Government and ultimately reports to Congress. The federal agencies that most people think of and interact with, such as the Patent and Trademark Office or the Veterans Administration, are part of the executive branch which ultimately reports to the President. The PTO specifically is an office within the Department of Commerce. I suspect the inability to use is due to this separation.

Comment There Goes The Neighborhood (Score 1) 164

Certain items are classified as "dual use" for US export control laws because they have 2 major use classifications - military and non-military. The only way to ensure that goods sold for non-military purposes are not later used for military purposes is by monitoring and controlling.

We all know how effective the US's monitor and control systems worked in Iran.

Comment Unfair and Deceptive Business Practice (Score 1) 562

One of the cardinal rules of contracts is that words are given their ordinary plain meaning. This rule is applied within the context of the transaction. If words have a usual or customary meaning within a particular industry, then that meaning is attributed to the word used. If you want to depart from that rule, you have to provide a definition in the contract.

Hard drive manufacturers got into trouble with this principle when they quietly redefined a megabyte to be equal to 1,000,000 bytes instead of 2^20 bytes like everyone was used to.

If I had AT&T as my service provider, I would be complaining to the Federal Trade Commission alleging this as a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act. I would also be complaining to my state's Attorney General alleging a violation of my state's consumer protection laws.

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