muerdeme

Expression/structure can be copyrighted, but that's also not the whole story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_Publications_v._Rural_Tel...

If this document merely lists the keywords in ascending/descending order of popularity, it is unlikely that the author's expression is creative enough to warrant copyright.

"Mr. Greenspan said that he sat through innumerable meetings at the Fed with crack economists, and not one of them warned of the problems that were to come. By Mr. Greenspan’s logic, anyone who might have foreseen the housing bubble would have been invited into the ivory tower, so if all those who were there did not hear it, then no one could have said it.

As a nation, we cannot afford to live with Mr. Greenspan’s way of thinking. The truth is, he should have seen what was coming and offered a sober, apolitical warning. Everyone would have listened; when he talked about the economy, the world hung on every single word."

Instead of expecting Greenspan to see exactly what Burry saw, wouldn't it be better if we didn't have a single point of failure? In the absence of Wall Street's reliance on the Fed, Burry's insurance plays could have further pushed up prices and signaled to everyone else that something was wrong.

I saw the chairman of their board speak not long ago, and it turns out the biggest problem is that USPS can't fire any of their union employees, who consistently get awarded UPS salaries + 15-20% in arbitration.

It's interesting that the Constitution loophole story seems to be based on hearsay. The New Yorker is pretty meticulous about fact-checking.

Objective feedback -> faster learning.

What specific rules do you refer to? I'm not under the impression that things have ever been any better elsewhere. Europe does recognize "prior user rights," which is a step in the right direction, but (at least in the UK) it still requires that the prior user have taken a significant step towards commercialization to benefit. I don't think that would really help US software startups.

Minor quibble: patent prosecution is the process of getting a patent from the PTO. Patent enforcement is suing a startup for infringement.

Complaining about the validity of grades is an easy path to deciding "I could do better than them if I actually tried" for me. I've regretted not trying, but I've never regretted working hard, regardless of the grade.

“The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.” - Lincoln

I would argue that their pay rate isn't high enough because of what we're learning about head injuries. I still love watching football though.

One thing that struck me reading this article is that innovation seems to have outgrown the one size fits all nature of the patent system. Given the huge difference in capital expenditures required between engineering software and pharmaceuticals, why are they treated the same?

Why exactly does Kinsella's political philosophy matter? He is upfront about what he believes, so I don't think he's trying to deceive anyone. I also don't think that his political orientation means anything "from a legal perspective." Meaningful patent reform would almost certainly take place in Congress, not in the courts.

Also, although you may still believe that his conclusions are fanciful, I think Kinsella is actually trying to be practical. Instead of arguing that IP shouldn't exist at all, he is advocating specific reforms that he believes would reduce the net costs of our patent system to society. I don't find his suggestions fanciful, because the US has already moved in the direction Kinsella advocates for at least patent publications.

Why do I have to click checkout to find out what the sensor price is? Even the pricing tab doesn't help...

"Final" means the set that will end the match, not necessarily the fifth set.

The U.S. Open is the only grand slam tournament that uses final set tiebreaks. Hence the marathon 5th set (16-14) between Roddick and Federer at this year's Wimbledon.

Correction to the Roger Federer problem: the setting must be the U.S. Open for the solution to make any sense.

The post doesn't really make it clear, but most if not all of these figures look to me like Jobs has been getting design patents (not utility).

United States Patent Application 20090119148

Really? I've always had the impression that tiered internet is desirable for the "average consumer," but not for me. And how is tiered internet related to the cost of the content you receive over the internet?

How is protection from politics protecting the kids from themselves?

Given how much it pisses me off, I kinda wish I were still protected from politics.

Before: http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north204.html

After: Central banker

That's the gist of the argument. I'm not going to pretend to know where the line between Objectivism's general ideals and economic ideals lies.

I agree that efficiency depends on time frame, but I believe that the market will always be more efficient as the time-frame grows. A market is not zero sum. Investors with long-term horizons don't have to beat the market to make money, because wealth is created.

"Since short-term traders contribute more heavily to efficient markets than long-term value investors, it's plausible that long-run investors can make expectancy in excess of the market average."

Why do you think short-term investors create more efficiency than long-term investors?

"Bubbles start to pop when the momentum traders run out of money and can no longer push prices up."

She states credible evidence that the market is efficient, then claims that the evidence undermines those who believe in efficient markets... Weak.

The $2MM liquidated damages clause may indeed be a penalty, but clause would then just disappear. Either way it wouldn't affect the validity of the rest of the contract.

According to my Dad, the acorn crop has been so good in central Texas this year that corn feeders have been (relatively) ineffective at luring in deer.

"[T]he Federal Circuit said the patent application in question -- a method for reducing the risk of sudden changes in energy costs -- was not a machine and did not result in a transformation." (FTA)

The article seems to say the method is not a machine, which doesn't make much sense. Business method patents are still allowable if the process "is tied to a particular machine or apparatus."

See here for more background: http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2008/10/in-re-bilski.html

Mike Leach is by far my favorite personality in sports (though I was raised in Lubbock). He really is crazy like a fox.

"The Madman of West Texas": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqRz9gQfYr8

I'd happily beta test. I currently use http://www.gyminee.com to track my workouts.

It is yearly interest, but the loan terms are typically much shorter. If the loan only lasts 14 days, a quoted APR seems much higher than is typical for, say, a mortgage, which lasts 30 years.

See profile, forgot that it doesn't show.