Mike42 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (737) comment rss

  • On the post: Patent Office Decides To Rush On Green Tech Patents, Rather Than Give Them Scrutiny They Deserve

    Mike42 ( profile ), 10 Dec, 2009 @ 02:22pm

    Thought you'd like to know...

  • On the post: Game Developer Won't Edit 'Aliens vs. Predator' To Appease Australian Censors

    Mike42 ( profile ), 09 Dec, 2009 @ 06:20am

    That explains it...

    This is why the best DIY electronics kits come out of Australia. With no violent video games or porn, what else does a geek have to do with his time?

  • On the post: Should We Add Bandwidth Hogs To The Myth List With That Impending Exaflood?

    Mike42 ( profile ), 04 Dec, 2009 @ 01:14pm

    Re: Re:

    You obviously have no grasp of tcp packets. Each packet travels individually, not one-user-stream-at-a-time. Therefore, this user will send a packet, then you will send a packet, then another user will send a packet. You really can't have a "bandwidth hog". You can have network congestion, due to overselling, bad hardware, bad packets, etc. but not because ONE user uses it all!

  • On the post: How To Respond To Criticism

    Mike42 ( profile ), 04 Dec, 2009 @ 12:53pm

    Wow...

    I actually bought one of these programmers last year, and couldn't get it working easily, so I gave up. Now I know why it didn't work! I'll have to dig it out...

  • On the post: Dallas News Decides That Journalists Should Report To Ad Sales

    Mike42 ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2009 @ 03:14pm

    Cost-cutting manuever

    I did some contract work there, and I would bet dollar-to-donut that this is a cost-cutting scheme. The fat bankrolls are long gone! Cue-Cat, anyone?

  • On the post: Defense Of Software Patents Actually Raises Questions About All Computer Patents

    Mike42 ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2009 @ 08:20am

    Re:

    You state that, in your opinion, some software patents are valid. Could you give an example of a valid software-only patent?

  • On the post: Sens. Feinstein And Durbin Specifically Try To Carve Citizen Journalists Out Of Shield Law

    Mike42 ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2009 @ 07:53am

    Minor Correction

    It's "Dick" Durbin, not "Chuck". He just lost my vote, as well as the vote of everyone I can talk to.

    Good job representing, Dickie!

  • On the post: Defense Of Software Patents Actually Raises Questions About All Computer Patents

    Mike42 ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2009 @ 05:32am

    Re:

    You are actually missing the point made in several cases: if an algorithm can be performed completely in the human mind, it is not patentable. In other words, you should not be able to infringe on someone's patents purely by thinking. Something tangeable and concrete must take place, and that tangeable and concrete thing must be part of the patent.

    Think of general software programs run on general use hardware as automated thought. (I'm a developer, so I certainly do!) With everything that I do, I think through the problem, then I write the steps to solve the problem in code. And thus, the crux of the problem: everything I write, and everything almost every developer writes, must be UNDERSTOOD by the developer, which means he has a copy (memory) of the algorithm is IN HIS/HER MIND!

    Once you view patents in this way, you see the need for a physical component to make a patent valid. And that component has to be more than a "general purpose" computer.

  • On the post: Multitasking Is Our Main Activity

    Mike42 ( profile ), 25 Nov, 2009 @ 11:39am

    Apples and Oranges

    Mike, the "multitasking" that you and Mr. Cowen (and Nick Carr, as well) are referencing is not what the studies are terming, "multitasking." They are talking about writing 3 proposals and reading a resume all at the same time, not writing an article with an occasional break for an e-mail.

    Anyone who has attempted to do the 3 or more related tasks at once is almost guarenteed to have a horror story of how they put the wrong client name/product name/ business name in one of the documents, which ultimatly cost them an account.

    This is because any sufficiently complicated task requires context; that is, information in short-term memory which is related to the job at hand. When you switch tasks, you have to switch context. In my line of work (software development), context switching is substantial, well known, and accepted. That's why people are rarely asked to be on more than one project or task at the same time.

    So when you think of multitasking, don't think, "talking on the phone to the wife and writing an e-mail to Mom," think "architecting a skyscraper while designing a shopping mall and a rocket engine."

  • On the post: EFF Looks To Bust Bogus Podcasting Patent; Needs Prior Art

    Mike42 ( profile ), 23 Nov, 2009 @ 09:59am

    You gotta be kidding

    This claim describes a download progress indicator with a cancel option. Wow, never seen one of those before.
    Oh, that's right, this is an audio file, so that makes it entirely different, and deserving of a monopoly.

  • On the post: EFF Looks To Bust Bogus Podcasting Patent; Needs Prior Art

    Mike42 ( profile ), 23 Nov, 2009 @ 09:53am

    You gotta be kidding

  • On the post: Kicking People Off The Internet Not Enough In South Korea, Copyright Lobbyists Demand More

    Mike42 ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2009 @ 07:51am

    Yay!

    Anonymous Coward/Angry Dude now has a poster child to show how well this system works!

  • On the post: BMW Trying To Patent Technological Problem Solving

    Mike42 ( profile ), 10 Nov, 2009 @ 08:53am

    Re: Re:

    Yet another unimplemented patent!

    Sorry, just had to...

  • On the post: Storm Trooper Copyright Lawsuit Back On In the UK

    Mike42 ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2009 @ 11:50am

    Well...

    ...I'm just glad that copyright laws are doing such a great job of protecting the artists and their work.

  • On the post: YouTube Taking Down Public Domain Works?

    Mike42 ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2009 @ 08:47am

    Creative Commons

    This is the first time I've heard of a case where a "Creative Commons" license would be valuable. A CC license would allow Psalters to go after Rumblefish for commerical infringement (can't think of the legal term). They probably can't now, because they put their stuff in the public domain.

    The bottome line is, Psalters put their music out for free, so that they would get exposure. RumbleFish is limiting that exposure. That should be grounds for civil and criminal action.

    What do you think, Mike? Make a new CC license, no attribution necessary, Derivative Works allowed, commercial allowed, distribute with any license you like, but no copyright claims?

  • On the post: Are Kids Not Going Into Computer Science Because Their Parents Want Them To Be Sports Stars?

    Mike42 ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2009 @ 02:14pm

    Let's not forget

    Programming is often coupled with Mathematics, and although they are loosely related, they are certainly not married. Programming is logic, and is therefore equally related to physics, chemistry, philosophy, and even English. (Can you put together a logical paragraph? Then you can probably program!) The Mathematics requirement pushed 20 years ago made no sense then or now.

    Also, many schools simpy do no offer computer courses anymore. I know my son's high school has no programming offerings.

    The strangest thing that I have seen seems to be caused by the ease of use that modern GUI's offer. The children seem to become "spoiled" by point-and-click, and have no interest in learning arcane "keywords".

    I agree, the "job of the future" has gone the way of the dodo. More work for me, though :)

  • On the post: Nanda's Alarm Clock Not Only Runs Away From You, It Runs Away From eBay Too

    Mike42 ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2009 @ 11:13am

    FTC

    Wouldn't this be an APPROPRIATE thing for the FTC to regulate and fine, rather than bloggers?

  • On the post: FBI Investigation Into Programmer For Freeing The Public Domain

    Mike42 ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2009 @ 06:46am

    1.5 million imaginary dollars!

    You guys missed the important part. The FBI was investigating him because he "leaked" 1.5 million dollars worth of data!

    "The two accounts were responsible for downloading more than eighteen million pages with an approximate value of $1.5 million."

    1.5 million dollars of public domain information! And we had to pay for the investigation!

    Now that they have investigated him, they should hand all of the PACER data over to him and shut the system down. I guarantee the PACER system is losing money, and Aaron did it all for free.

  • On the post: Creative Web Destruction: Sites Go Away

    Mike42 ( profile ), 06 Oct, 2009 @ 06:53am

    Yo

    Archive.org, time machine. 'Nuff said.

  • On the post: Dean Singleton: Please Explain How Charging For Something Magically Gives It Value

    Mike42 ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2009 @ 10:59am

    Everyone overlooking the obvious...

    Air is free, and by this logic, has no value. Let's just hope that Dean removes this "valueless" commodity from himself.

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