Big cities are talking about getting drones these days, and many of them have a feral cat problem...

Where do I submit my invoice for consulting?

a Slashdot post that doesn't overreact to patents.

Said post will contain an accurate analysis of a subject patent, correctly pointing out how the general public and media hype might misinterpret the key provisions of the patent claims.

This one is a slam dunk, there is no prior art.

Um, no, "closing the hatch and deprive it of oxygen" is never an option on a submarine... whether it's operational and underway or in the shipyard.

For one thing, the compartments are huge. An LA class is only divided into two compartments.

For another thing, there is plenty of things on board a submarine to make a self-sustaining fire for a long time - high capacity, high pressure ~3000 psi air banks... banks containing pure oxygen, high pressure hydraulic systems, diesel fuel, etc. I'm guessing the torpedoes were probably off-loaded prior to the overhaul which would be SOP, but there are still plenty of other things like flares, countermeasures, etc that are kind of "mini torpedoes" as well.

I'm an ex-submariner.

Personally, I don't see it as an "in your face" kind of thing and have never minded my taxes going to such programs. The ballooning entitlement programs bug me more.

I saw several launches while living in Orlando... truly awe-inspiring. I also saw several orbital passes, and a couple of approaches while living in Colorado (including the ill-fated Columbia).

Anyway, hope to get to see it... I'll be in Baltimore on a business trip.

Ummm... correct me if I'm wrong, but ("$521m lawsuit" + "current lawsuit" = "low profile") seems to be the logical equivilent of a divide by zero error.

I thought free health care solved all of this?

It's not always about us... he's clearly trying to Blame Canada.

I bought a Macbook Pro just. last. week.

sigh.

How are software errors legally taken advantage of by casinos?

The machines are tested by the manufacturors, then by a 3rd party testing lab such as GLI, then often undergo further testing before being publicly available... depending on jurisdiction. Yeah, stuff gets through sometimes. Regulators continue to monitor and/or spot check machines while they are in the field. If something gets discovered in the field, action is usually taken fairly quickly. Depending on the nature of what was discovered, a software update may be ordered or the machine may be recalled (sometimes immediately).

The jurisdictional regulator exists to protect the players, not the casinos. The majority of regulations are designed to ensure the players get a "fair shake." That said, of course the casinos are in the business to make a profit... but at least in a manner that is predictable and "fair".

So a warning that covers a timeframe *today* somehow explains a missile launched *yesterday*? Ummm... try again.

The US Navy test range for sud-launched ICBMs is off the coast of San Diego, well south of the point of this launch. Been there, have the t-shirt.

On the "bright" side, they might qualify for alternative energy tax credits...

...and secure our physical borders?

*yawn* I did that back in the 70's and got away with it.

Wait a minute... what's the statute of limitations on that???

The specification teaches the invention, not prior art. If the invention was covered by prior art it wouldn't be novel and therefore wouldn't be patentable.

You're correct in saying that the claims actually define the invention.

If you're quoting a real Claim 1, it's not properly formed and will get thrown out anyway - it lacks proper antecedent basis.

Every time this subject comes up, I'm amazed at the number of clueless people that chime in. I seriously doubt that ALL 'software patents' will go away. That's far too broad of a stroke. There are many many 'software patents' that are perfectly legitimate. Yes, there are many that are questionable and need to be reined in... and that will happen. But all? Sorry, no. If something is invented that is truly novel, non-obvious and useful... it deserves to be protected with a patent no matter what it is made of. To automatically think it's somehow not deserving simply because it's 'software' instead of brick and mortar is, frankly, stone-age thinking. The same blood, sweat and tears in terms of creative work can certainly be poured into a software project that can be poured into a brick and mortar project; probably even more so.

The BIG problem is, a lot of things are getting patented that don't meet the statutory for patentability... which really has nothing to do with it being software.