Check the claims section, i'm not so sure this is limited to "image rollovers", this patent may cover essential elements required to have Interactive Menus in any application or body of content as well.
Seems like OS SDKs might have to pony up...
I wonder how it is (exactly), that they get to go after websites over this, however. Rollovers are a browser feature, it's browser manufacturers that created and sold the technology subject to these patent claims.
Web site manufacturers are leveraging the browser feature, but not including the technology in their product; merely using the technology 'hover' CSS attribute included in the HTML standard by Microsoft, Mozilla, etc.
If anyone is infringing upon the patent, it is browser manufacturers, for not correctly licensing all patents required for their implementation.
28. A computer-based method for aiding a user in accessing a body of stored information which includes segments of related information, the method comprising
displaying a set of labels, each label providing an abbreviated indication of information content of a corresponding one of said segments,
said labels being displayed in an organized model reflecting relationships among information contents of said corresponding segments,
enabling a user to point to individual labels in said model using an electronic pointing technique, and
for each label to which said user points, displaying to the user, for previewing, the information content of the corresponding segment.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein said model comprises a hierarchy of at least two levels.
30. The method of claim 29 wherein said hierarchy comprises an outline.
31. The method of claim 29 further comprising,
in response to commands of a user, eliminating one of said labels at a higher level of the hierarchy.
32. The method of claim 29 further comprising displaying said set selectively at different levels of detail in said hierarchy.
33. The method of claim 32 further comprising
simultaneously displaying one portion of said set at a higher level of detail in said hierarchy, while
displaying another portion of said set at a lower level of detail in said hierarchy.
Bottom line: My parents are looking into canceling their AT&T phone service, despite meaning they'll lose their old number.
When you have a phone number you like and you want to switch telephone providers from an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) for the area to a competing carrier (CLEC),
Local Number Portability regulations set by the FCC, force the incumbent provider to allow you to port your number to your new provider, as long as your new provider has an established telco switch (of the proper type) in the same local area to port your local number to.
In other words, find a CLEC of choice in your local area, or VoIP provider who can handle porting the number.
The incumbent will happily transfer your number to the competing provider you have chosen, or the competing provider can turn them in to the local PUC or other regulatory authority, where they would face stiff penalties.
Sorry... 'diving into a dumpster' is my invention.
No kid is allowed to do that, and no dumpster owner may allow kids to do that, without first licensing my patent on
"Jumping into, digging around, or sticking any hand(s) or feet into a dumpster, to search for interesting things"
Recovery of data lost, when image quality was reduced causing irrecoverable loss of information?
If we can 'increase image quality' in real time... then we don't need HD video content anymore.
Just use standard definition video signals, and build the 'image quality increase' circuitry into TVs.
Then bandwidth required by channels is reduced, efficiency increase, allowing many more channels, cable operators will make millions in rate increases, with the ability to cram more channels in and force consumers to have them in the package with the channels they really want.
TFA was so light on details its very difficult to understand what he did. I'm not sure how you can actually illegally tap into the power grid without someone noticing.
We're reading about it, and the article wasn't written by the person, so obviously someone noticed
(even though they were apparently slow about it... perhaps they wanted to let the charges rack up, so they could make an example of the person)
This doesn't PREVENT people from doing anything. It actively ENABLES people to get fired...or blackmailed...
I am sure the employees will be informed of this technology and the fact that it is in use, or there will be suitable signs on the machines (I cannot imagine what those signs might say), but no doubt the preventive power exists in the form of DETERRENCE. Employees would be told about body part recognition, and believe the sysadmin team will get an e-mail (whether or not they actually do is another matter).
[* Unless the sysadmin team is known to be a humorous bunch, and someone intentionally photocopies body parts, with messages aimed at the sysadmin staff. Then it might do the opposite of deter.]
I don't believe the manufacturer will necessarily be able to keep the 'mail it to the sysadmin' feature in the long run.
It possibly opens up the company (and the manufacturer of the device) to liability and lawsuits, related to privacy violations, and intentionally facilitating privacy violations; intrusion upon privacy and intrusion upon seclusion, in the form of 'bugging the photo copier'.
This is similar to placing a hidden microphone in a manager's office intending to invade upon their private affairs, without informing the employee there may be a hidden microphone.
The recording without their knowledge, coupled with a tortious intent, may give the recorded person a cause of action for a lawsuit against the employer.
From a corporate governance and security perspective, this function can also be a security risk, and possible issue in regards to compliance with security regulations... the sysadmin is not necessarily supposed to be privvy to the nature of all materials that might be copied.
Standard security practice typically requires separation of duties.
This would suggest the printer admins do not have access to workstations or servers used for other purposes.
The "e-mail to sysadmin" feature, especially if it can be performed without actually rejecting the print or copy job, could actually facilitate security compromises, or elevation of privilege (a sysadmin privvy over one area gaining access to information secured by other departments).
And "printing out a sheet of password cards" to lock in the vault or hand to employees (for password changes) becomes an extremely bad idea.
It's amazing how versatile the Chatroulette technology concept could be.
The recognition of human body parts from images surprisingly seems to have more in-demand applications than computer vision in general; and all to control people and prevent them from doing stupid things.
It's amazing people drop to the level of stupidity they'd actually try to photocopy genitals, disregarding the obvious risks involved... that makes them dumber than the computer in that action.
In other words.. you're saying you think a majority of the population are latent psychopaths, ready to strike if given the opportunity in the form of power, or the perception of physical power and would attempt to force other people to comply with their will.... what a horrible thing to say about civilized, intelligent beings.
Intelligent beings who have gone past the need for monarchies and developed democratic societies where individuals in power or authority, for example, congressman, the police, the president, corporate CEOs, are not narcissistic, arrogant, or paranoid, nor do they resent humanity for not 'loving them enough' or worshipping them.
Posing the idea someone suddenly given superpowers would most likely automatically become the ultimate criminal seems like a huge insult to humans everywhere....
You know it's going to change course and enter earth's atmosphere, unleashing a horde of super-nanonites that will massively replicate and rapidly consume all the resources of earth.....
Oh yes, because it is so hard to plan on buying your beer on Saturday for football on Sunday.
I'm not saying it's hard for people to plan head if they intend to do so. This prevents a spur-of-the-moment action to get drunk on Sunday however.
You had to plan and buy the good in advance, which suggests rational pre-meditation.
Oh, and bars are still open on Sunday which makes it even more retarded.
In a bar they are "supervised". In most states, it is illegal for a bar to serve drinks to an intoxicated person, and there is a legal limit of blood alcohol that can be enforced when patrons are located in a public place such as a bar.
Well, take my "children playing" example. The human would need to:...
In most cases, the mere presence of children within 10 feet of the road would probably be cause for the computer or human act; it is highly unusual for there to be children anywhere near the highway.
On the other hand... the driver doesn't need to analyze the children, the driver is only supposed to determine if they have a duty to act. If someone suddenly jumps out in front of a vehicle on the street; the driver has a duty to take some actions, to mitigate the damage, and if the driver takes all reasonable actions, that person (or child, or child's parents) are fully responsible for any injuries to their person and damages to the vehicle.
If you are driving down the road, and think you have time to stare off to the side to try and figure out how many children there are and to try to figure out what sort of play they are conducting and analyze whatever you suspect the 'social aspects' of the thing they are doing and trying to determine what kind of play they are conducting, you will have rear-ended the car in front of you, before you know it.
Humans are capable of knowing more of the intricacies about what sort of thing children are doing than a computer eventually, but while driving, these things are constrained by time, and other people are hard to predict and do things outside social "norms" all the time.
In reality, you have perhaps half a second to make a decision.
And there are not a lot of 'social aspects' of people's activities that you can see from say 20 feet. Computers would only have to worry about the types of common children's play that would cause a hazard, and this is still primarily an object identification and tracking problem.
Computers of sufficient power have a faster reaction time, and are better at making these types of decisions than most humans -- humans make estimates, computers can perform precise distance/time calculations using physics and mathematics; many humans aren't even necessarily aware of the types of games children are playing, and it's unlikely that a human driver is analyzing social aspects of this within the half a second they have to decide to slow/stop or not.
The computer can simply make a mechanical decision.... are they in motion.. will their path intersect the direction the car is travelling?
Are they at a crosswalk, or do conditions otherwise dictate the driver will have a duty to act?
If No... then keep going down the highway at normal speed.
If Probably, then increase or reduce to the speed that based on road conditions will allow a safe stop or passing of the car, before the pedestrian's path can possibly intersect the vehicle's.
Maybe having computer-like reaction time and a huge number of sensors will make up for it.
Without any logical explanation, you have already jumped to the conclusion that the computer cannot predict those changes in the environment, and make a more accurate prediction than a human.
Have you seen the colossal fatasses rolling around this country?
Even with mass transit, there will still be "colossal fatasses" rolling around.
Including people who don't have to work at all, for some reason.
Anyways... the question is not whether it is a good thing or not.. it's would people like and accept it. The answer is probably no.
They would like and accept it as much as they would if McDonalds removed french fries and anything containing caffeine from the menu, and replaced all items that contained beef, cream, or cheese with Vegan-friendly replacements.
It's a really odd world we live in where people will kick and scream about the idea of walking 1-2 miles a day to/from mass-transit and then spend money DRIVING to a gym that they pay for.
This is basically about time shifting and time compression; having more time available to do work and more free time available.
Having more time for people to do what they want makes people happier, even if they have to spend more money.
Driving to a gym that you pay for may cost more; however, less time is required, and you control when it happens, so you can schedule it at a convenient time.
Yeah, I myself run over microscopic children a lot.
They don't have to be microscopic to be unresolvable to the human eye.
There is a size component, a distance component, and a scenery component.
The greater the distance, the larger the size of the object must be before enough light is reflected, for you to see it.
If the scenery is larger and obstructs the straight line path to the object, you may not see the object, even if you are looking in the correct direction.
Slashdot Mirror
I wonder how it is (exactly), that they get to go after websites over this, however. Rollovers are a browser feature, it's browser manufacturers that created and sold the technology subject to these patent claims. Web site manufacturers are leveraging the browser feature, but not including the technology in their product; merely using the technology 'hover' CSS attribute included in the HTML standard by Microsoft, Mozilla, etc. If anyone is infringing upon the patent, it is browser manufacturers, for not correctly licensing all patents required for their implementation.
Let a = 0.999... then we can multiply both sides by ten yielding 10a = 9.999... then subtracting a (which is 0.999...)
No.... 10a = 10 * 0.999...
10 * 0.999 is only equal to 9.999..... if .999.... = 1
10 * 0.999... was transformed into 9.999..., without showing which axiom allows this.
That is, this 'proof' requires you to assume an identity 10 * 0.999.... - 0.999... = 9.999... - 0.999....
Since when was Twitter located in the UK; since when did the police have the right to force a web site to post their stuff?
The UK police could just tweet them, you know; like everyone else does.
Then they wouldn't have to go through the nasty steps of "force posting"
It's not a publicly available option right now... but, perhaps... plan to port the number to Google voice, when they get that feature? :)
Bottom line: My parents are looking into canceling their AT&T phone service, despite meaning they'll lose their old number.
When you have a phone number you like and you want to switch telephone providers from an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) for the area to a competing carrier (CLEC), Local Number Portability regulations set by the FCC, force the incumbent provider to allow you to port your number to your new provider, as long as your new provider has an established telco switch (of the proper type) in the same local area to port your local number to.
In other words, find a CLEC of choice in your local area, or VoIP provider who can handle porting the number.
The incumbent will happily transfer your number to the competing provider you have chosen, or the competing provider can turn them in to the local PUC or other regulatory authority, where they would face stiff penalties.
Sorry... 'diving into a dumpster' is my invention. No kid is allowed to do that, and no dumpster owner may allow kids to do that, without first licensing my patent on "Jumping into, digging around, or sticking any hand(s) or feet into a dumpster, to search for interesting things"
create generations of kids that are good at hacking their way out of oppressive measures whom have little respect for authority.
Either that or kids who have learned that 'oppressive measures', micromanagement, and overbearing authority are normal.
You are assuming the parents don't break their children down and force them to comply with oppressive measures.
Resulting in kids trained to be docile, even later in life, when the government starts to further trample on inalienable human rights.
increases the image quality back up
Recovery of data lost, when image quality was reduced causing irrecoverable loss of information?
If we can 'increase image quality' in real time... then we don't need HD video content anymore. Just use standard definition video signals, and build the 'image quality increase' circuitry into TVs.
Then bandwidth required by channels is reduced, efficiency increase, allowing many more channels, cable operators will make millions in rate increases, with the ability to cram more channels in and force consumers to have them in the package with the channels they really want.
TFA was so light on details its very difficult to understand what he did. I'm not sure how you can actually illegally tap into the power grid without someone noticing.
We're reading about it, and the article wasn't written by the person, so obviously someone noticed (even though they were apparently slow about it... perhaps they wanted to let the charges rack up, so they could make an example of the person)
If the result of the law is they are not allowed to have a NAT'ed "network", then I am all for that.
It will help root out yet another place where end-to-end connectivity has been broken by braindead many-to-one port-restricted cone NAT setups.
This doesn't PREVENT people from doing anything. It actively ENABLES people to get fired...or blackmailed...
I am sure the employees will be informed of this technology and the fact that it is in use, or there will be suitable signs on the machines (I cannot imagine what those signs might say), but no doubt the preventive power exists in the form of DETERRENCE. Employees would be told about body part recognition, and believe the sysadmin team will get an e-mail (whether or not they actually do is another matter).
[* Unless the sysadmin team is known to be a humorous bunch, and someone intentionally photocopies body parts, with messages aimed at the sysadmin staff. Then it might do the opposite of deter.]
I don't believe the manufacturer will necessarily be able to keep the 'mail it to the sysadmin' feature in the long run.
It possibly opens up the company (and the manufacturer of the device) to liability and lawsuits, related to privacy violations, and intentionally facilitating privacy violations; intrusion upon privacy and intrusion upon seclusion, in the form of 'bugging the photo copier'.
This is similar to placing a hidden microphone in a manager's office intending to invade upon their private affairs, without informing the employee there may be a hidden microphone.
The recording without their knowledge, coupled with a tortious intent, may give the recorded person a cause of action for a lawsuit against the employer.
From a corporate governance and security perspective, this function can also be a security risk, and possible issue in regards to compliance with security regulations... the sysadmin is not necessarily supposed to be privvy to the nature of all materials that might be copied.
Standard security practice typically requires separation of duties.
This would suggest the printer admins do not have access to workstations or servers used for other purposes.
The "e-mail to sysadmin" feature, especially if it can be performed without actually rejecting the print or copy job, could actually facilitate security compromises, or elevation of privilege (a sysadmin privvy over one area gaining access to information secured by other departments).
And "printing out a sheet of password cards" to lock in the vault or hand to employees (for password changes) becomes an extremely bad idea.
It's amazing how versatile the Chatroulette technology concept could be. The recognition of human body parts from images surprisingly seems to have more in-demand applications than computer vision in general; and all to control people and prevent them from doing stupid things.
Genitalia image detection could stop abuse of hand-washing robots, keep certain nastiness off slashdot, AI Physicians
It's amazing people drop to the level of stupidity they'd actually try to photocopy genitals, disregarding the obvious risks involved... that makes them dumber than the computer in that action.
Not for free... but $400,000 is insane. The average skilled/educated professional doesn't make that much in 3 years working 10 hours a day.
And working on a case doesn't take that long.. the lawyer's getting approximately $1,000 / hour.
In other words.. you're saying you think a majority of the population are latent psychopaths, ready to strike if given the opportunity in the form of power, or the perception of physical power and would attempt to force other people to comply with their will.... what a horrible thing to say about civilized, intelligent beings.
Intelligent beings who have gone past the need for monarchies and developed democratic societies where individuals in power or authority, for example, congressman, the police, the president, corporate CEOs, are not narcissistic, arrogant, or paranoid, nor do they resent humanity for not 'loving them enough' or worshipping them.
Posing the idea someone suddenly given superpowers would most likely automatically become the ultimate criminal seems like a huge insult to humans everywhere....
I suppose in a hundred years or so, the LHC will make a great datacenter :)
You know it's going to change course and enter earth's atmosphere, unleashing a horde of super-nanonites that will massively replicate and rapidly consume all the resources of earth.....
Oh yes, because it is so hard to plan on buying your beer on Saturday for football on Sunday.
I'm not saying it's hard for people to plan head if they intend to do so. This prevents a spur-of-the-moment action to get drunk on Sunday however. You had to plan and buy the good in advance, which suggests rational pre-meditation.
Oh, and bars are still open on Sunday which makes it even more retarded.
In a bar they are "supervised". In most states, it is illegal for a bar to serve drinks to an intoxicated person, and there is a legal limit of blood alcohol that can be enforced when patrons are located in a public place such as a bar.
If the wheel is 'windows'; it desperately needs to be re-invented.
I would welcome a well-designed, secure, stable OS, that can run Windows apps reliably.
However, I think Duke Nukem Forever will be released before that has a prayer's chance of happening.
You forgot about the ongoing economic calamaties?
In a few years they might consider outsourcing development to the US.
Well, take my "children playing" example. The human would need to: ...
In most cases, the mere presence of children within 10 feet of the road would probably be cause for the computer or human act; it is highly unusual for there to be children anywhere near the highway.
On the other hand... the driver doesn't need to analyze the children, the driver is only supposed to determine if they have a duty to act. If someone suddenly jumps out in front of a vehicle on the street; the driver has a duty to take some actions, to mitigate the damage, and if the driver takes all reasonable actions, that person (or child, or child's parents) are fully responsible for any injuries to their person and damages to the vehicle.
If you are driving down the road, and think you have time to stare off to the side to try and figure out how many children there are and to try to figure out what sort of play they are conducting and analyze whatever you suspect the 'social aspects' of the thing they are doing and trying to determine what kind of play they are conducting, you will have rear-ended the car in front of you, before you know it.
Humans are capable of knowing more of the intricacies about what sort of thing children are doing than a computer eventually, but while driving, these things are constrained by time, and other people are hard to predict and do things outside social "norms" all the time.
In reality, you have perhaps half a second to make a decision. And there are not a lot of 'social aspects' of people's activities that you can see from say 20 feet. Computers would only have to worry about the types of common children's play that would cause a hazard, and this is still primarily an object identification and tracking problem.
Computers of sufficient power have a faster reaction time, and are better at making these types of decisions than most humans -- humans make estimates, computers can perform precise distance/time calculations using physics and mathematics; many humans aren't even necessarily aware of the types of games children are playing, and it's unlikely that a human driver is analyzing social aspects of this within the half a second they have to decide to slow/stop or not.
The computer can simply make a mechanical decision.... are they in motion.. will their path intersect the direction the car is travelling?
Are they at a crosswalk, or do conditions otherwise dictate the driver will have a duty to act?
If No... then keep going down the highway at normal speed. If Probably, then increase or reduce to the speed that based on road conditions will allow a safe stop or passing of the car, before the pedestrian's path can possibly intersect the vehicle's.
This raises an interesting question... if the software relies on user stupidity to click 'Yes' to a bunch of security warnings, is it really malware?
Maybe having computer-like reaction time and a huge number of sensors will make up for it.
Without any logical explanation, you have already jumped to the conclusion that the computer cannot predict those changes in the environment, and make a more accurate prediction than a human.
Have you seen the colossal fatasses rolling around this country?
Even with mass transit, there will still be "colossal fatasses" rolling around. Including people who don't have to work at all, for some reason. Anyways... the question is not whether it is a good thing or not.. it's would people like and accept it. The answer is probably no. They would like and accept it as much as they would if McDonalds removed french fries and anything containing caffeine from the menu, and replaced all items that contained beef, cream, or cheese with Vegan-friendly replacements.
It's a really odd world we live in where people will kick and scream about the idea of walking 1-2 miles a day to/from mass-transit and then spend money DRIVING to a gym that they pay for.
This is basically about time shifting and time compression; having more time available to do work and more free time available.
Having more time for people to do what they want makes people happier, even if they have to spend more money.
Driving to a gym that you pay for may cost more; however, less time is required, and you control when it happens, so you can schedule it at a convenient time.
Yeah, I myself run over microscopic children a lot.
They don't have to be microscopic to be unresolvable to the human eye.
There is a size component, a distance component, and a scenery component.
The greater the distance, the larger the size of the object must be before enough light is reflected, for you to see it.
If the scenery is larger and obstructs the straight line path to the object, you may not see the object, even if you are looking in the correct direction.
It's not the year 10. It's the year 2010. Surely we've learnt to stop using two digits for our years?
Nope... we just used a little hack. for the case where we store MM/DD/YY; in the database;
if YY < 90 then YYYY = 2000 + YY else YYYY = 1900 + YY;