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Microsoft Pockets Patent for Encouraging TV Viewing
theodp writes "Through its WebTV unit, Microsoft was awarded a patent Tuesday for a system and method for encouraging viewers to watch television programs, such as offering viewers frequent-flier miles for identifying the name of a sponsor or the color of an announcer's shirt. In other news, Microsoft took a District Court to task for failing to recognize the existence of prior art for the Eolas web plug-in patent, resulting in a $521 million judgment against the software giant."
One more reality show like "Wife Swapping" and I'm going to kill my TV..
Wasn't that originally done by Dave Chapelle as a SPOOF on reality TV? Ugh...
But don't kill your tv. Just cut your cable. If you kill your tv you lose your video games!
B-E S-U-R-E T-O D-R-I-N-K Y-O-U-R O-V-A-L-T-I-N-E
(please tell me someone get the reference.)
Come on, this kind of encouragement has been going on for DECADES.
taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
Wasn't that originally done by Dave Chapelle as a SPOOF on reality TV? Ugh...
.
Sort of. Dave did a skit about a show called "Trading Spouses" and now Fox has created an actual show with the
I hope Dave Chappelle is getting some money out of it.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
From the bedroom Iran's voice came. "I can't stand TV before breakfast."
"Dial 888," Rick said as the set warmed. "The desire to watch TV, no matter what's on it."
"I don't feel like dialing anything at all now," Iran said.
"Then dial 3," he said.
"I can't dial a setting that stimulates my cerebral cortex into wanting to dial! If I don't want to dial, I don't want to dial that most of all, because then I will want to dial, and wanting to dial is right now the most alien drive I can imagine; I just want to sit here on the bed and stare at the floor."
Her voice had become sharp with overtones of bleakness as her soul congealed and she ceased to move, as the instinctive, omnipresent film of great weight, of an almost absolute inertia, settled over her."
Philip K. Dick - Do androids dream of electric sheep ?
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
I killed mine a couple of years ago. I have noticed effects on my social life. People will say something that is just slightly out-of-place, such as "can you hear me now?" and everyone else will start laughing for no apparent reason.
After it is explained to me, I still don't find it funny, however. More sheeplike than anything.
Anyway, just be prepared for the social ramifications....
Tech TV's(R.I.P.) Digital Dig contest has people watch for codes and then enter them on the web.I'm sure a dozen more will pop up in the thread. Looks like they got their head up a small narrow space at the patent office.
Yeah, I guess I'm funny like that.
Very specific? Here's the end of the patent:
"While the present invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments, variations of these embodiments will be apparent. [...] Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the foregoing description."
Frankly, claim 1 doesn't seem particularly specific or limited to me.
This has been done, but what's more important for USPTO is that it's been done using a computer
On digital TV in the UK, they're always asking viwers to 'press the red button' and be up for a chance to win 'something crap'.
What's more competitions also run, like on Discovery Home & Leisure, where viewers watch the channel for an entire week and when they see a fish float across the screen then they press the red button to be up for a chance to win prizes.
If this isn't exactly what the MS patent is going on about, I don't know what is.
May the Maths Be with you!