Slashdot Mirror
MS Seeks To Patent Education-Feedback Software
theodp writes "The USPTO disclosed Thursday that Microsoft is seeking an early childhood education-related patent for Providing instructional feedback to a user, which the software giant says covers the use of computers to teach little tykes to form the letter 'b', make a 'ch' sound, and divide 321 by 17. Let's hope LeapPad-toting preschoolers are indemnified against Microsoft lawsuits." "Unstructured" is the key word in this patent, which (like most) is written in language that does more to obscure than illuminate. Just how structured was Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing? How about GCompris?
Oh great now Microsoft is making crappy kids software. I'm waiting for the Mozzila version.
Did you forget Microsoft Barney?
In a few decades when books have been practically replaced by software, the only education available will be from Microsoft. *Everyone* will be retarded!
Shold have been: "Posted by timothy on Saturday November 27, @08:11PM from the patent-system-could-use-some-learning-soft dept."
Education: "No, don't push that button right after pushing this one. Bad things will happen."
Feedback: "You just pushed those two buttons in order. Your system will now crash."
Software: "The system that is now crashing."
-- I prefer the term "karma escort."
The patent is for the computer responding to "unstructured input" with an instructional response.
"It looks like you're trying to..."
next up on the microsoft patent list:
"Utilization of circular object to limit friction"
(the wheel)
Soon to be followed by a public pronouncement by Steve Ballmer that "The governments of many nations should be wary that they may be infringing on MS patents and could be sued".
There will also be a lite version of this patent freely available to everybody, limited to the letters needed to say "open source damages innovation" and "intellectual properties are an essential part of the economy".
A.CDEFG.I..LMNOP.RSTUV..Y.
Well, not so lite but the joke is there.
bash$
Q: 1 + 1 = ?
A: 2?
## We've got a bright bulb here! fork to college-level section.
Q: In the following sentence, fill in the blank with the word that makes the most sense: "Software patents _________ innovation."
A: kill
## Oh dear, it seems we've got an open source communist on our hands. silently fork to MS re-education section.
Q: True americans believe in the Constitution, baseball, apple pie, capitalism, private property, and a healthy ecosystem of private intellectual property which promotes progress.
A: fuck this propaganda!
## profanity detected. lost cause. BlueScreenOfDeath(WITH_A_VENGENCE);
--
Power to the Peaceful
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Hey hey! Don't mod k4_pacific down! He's right! I declared in this post attached to k4_pacific's original comment that I intended to troll with it. He's entirely right to claim prior art on that first post. He should be modded up interesting or insightful, not redundant! Really, the whole thing is funny, but that's no karma bonus. I swear to God that I'm the author of this story's first post, and post #10731676. :)
Perhaps if we were to become the 51st state
Oi, Australia is the 51st state and don't you forget it mate!
Then, I'll install a money collector, along with a credit card machine, on every toilet sold in the U.S. I'll make millions!!!! Bwaaaahahahahahahahahahahah!
I'd bet you that the USPTO employees won't EVER figure out that some amount of prior art (though I won't tell you where it is) already exists.
How do you expect them to be able to fix the patent system when they don't even know that burning radioactive metal produces more nitrates than extrapolation from light elements would imply?