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Microsoft's Internal Advice About Patents
BigPoppaT writes "Eric Brechner writes a best practices blog called Hard Code for Microsoft under the name I.M. Wright. His most recent post sounds like an endorsement of open source development (and does end with a call for Microsoft developers to participate in the shared source community). But even better is his advice regarding patents: 'When using existing libraries, services, tools, and methods from outside Microsoft, we must be respectful of licenses, copyrights, and patents. Generally, you want to carefully research licenses and copyrights (your contact in Legal and Corporate Affairs can help), and never search, view, or speculate about patents. I was confused by this guidance till I wrote and reviewed one of my own patents. The legal claims section--the only section that counts--was indecipherable by anyone but a patent attorney. Ignorance is bliss and strongly recommended when it comes to patents.' Interesting advice from inside Microsoft. I wonder if Ballmer would agree that ignorance should be 'strongly recommended when it comes to patents'?"
I think ignorance is recommended for everything that Microsoft does.
"I don't have to think. I only have to do it. The results are always perfect, but that's old news." - Meat Puppets
After eight years of suffering under Bush, we finally have a new President - Barack Hussein Obama. America as we know it has changed forever. Now that the arduous campaign has ended, President-elect Obama can begin preparing for governance. After working with the Bush administration to ensure a smooth transition of power, the Obama administration will need to begin the process of healing a sorely divided country.
To this end, the most important priority for an incoming Obama administration needs to be education. Children need to learn from an early age about his glorious struggle for the presidency, with fantastical accounts of how the courageous Obama defeated first the mighty Hillary machine, then a time-tested McCain with only the power of Hope, bringing an end to racism once and for all. Most importantly, we need to impress on them the urgency of supporting our leader in this important period of change and opportunity, and during his subsequent administrations.
However, children are not the only ones in need of more education. Many adults, bitterly clinging to their guns and bibles, are expecting the worst from an Obama presidency. Rather than confirm their worst fears, we should take steps to educate these confused, bigoted and ignorant people.
The most difficult aspect of this will be convincing these counter-Obama Americans to attend the educational seminars. The practical solution is to keep a central list of registered Republicans, being sure to take note of vocal conservatives both in print and on the web. Camps will then be constructed outside of the educational facilities, with separate areas constructed for med, women and children so as to maximize efficiency without the distraction of family. While many may protest at first, after being exposed to the educational program, they will soon come to realize that Obama only has their best interest at heart.
Of course, the first concern most conservatives will have about this plan will be, "how are we going to pay for it?", and rightly so. With our economy near ruin and our budget out of control, the next President will have to take fiscal responsibility seriously. Thankfully, this will not be an unfunded mandate; money will come from two sources.
First, taxes will be raised on certain businesses, primarily on tradesmen such as carpenters and plumbers. In the new Obama economy, these trades will take a back seat to the sate-run endeavors that will bring about 0% unemployment. Secondly, subjects in the camps will work approximately 80 hours a week on public works projects in addition to their rigorous educational schedule. This will not only eliminate the need for external funding, but will provide labor and funding for other Obama programs.
Two days after the election of our First Black President/Heavenly All-Father, I only hope that all Americans, regardless of their current political orientation, can put the hate behind us and get behind our new leader. Thank you and may God bless us all.
http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=9299280
LOL, they should get used to it. Maybe their wealth got "spread around."