I realize some of you might not trust a London tabloid to get the facts right. So as to perform a public service, I will investigate and get back to anyone who wants more information. To do this, I'll need contact information from each of you, including your:
Full name
Home address
Phone
Mother's maiden name
PIN number
Favorite password
Please send this information to me accompanied by a money order in the amount of $4.95 to cover my processing fees. I will get the confirmation about the tabloid article back to you ASAP.
"Were you talking about Microsoft, or McDonald's??"
Is there a difference? Both lead their fields in marketshare, products that seem nice on the surface but make you sick the more you partake of them, and neither wants you to look too closely into how their products are made.
Remember folks, this is called innovation, and it is how Microsoft has thrived through the years by giving the consumer choice and high-quality products. Isn't it great to have such a fine company looking out for the needs of the marketplace by removing unnecessary choice from our lives? Oh sure, the carpers could point out that Microsoft has no obligation to support a competitor's marketplace. But I choose to stay in the warm sushine of Microsoft's benevolence, and trust that if they say we don't need a product, that's good enough for me.
OK, what is this, Dvorak month? We used to get Jon Katz articles, but that made sense as he was part of/. for a while. More recently we get Cringley articles, and that's OK as he sometimes writes quite well and makes interesting suggestions. But are we now in for a slew of Dvorak articles?
I hope not. I read Dvorak from 1984 onward when he was in his PC Magazine glory. Fun times, stupid boldfacing of seemingly random characters and all. But man, has this guy gone downhill. Now he seems to be throwing darts at a board labled, "Insult Apple," "Insult Linux," "Insult Random Somebody," and then sit back and wait for the hits. Posting links to/. is to just fall into his lazy scheme.
Let's not make this a regular feature, that's all I'm asking. I know where to find Mr. Dvorak's words, and I know enough not to wander there.
"On the other hand, friendships are not a good predictor for recommendations since your friends often have different interests from you."
That's been one of the little mysteries in my life. You know you have Friend A and Friend B, and you like them both a lot? Then one day you introduce A to B and realize they don't like each other...at all. Yet you still like A and you still like B.
Some part of your personality is responding to something each of those people has, yet clearly they are each appealing to a different part of your personality, and sometimes those parts don't get along!:)
No, it's not to make purer martini glasses for snobs who demand only the very best. From the article:
"But why is that important? What's wrong with glass made of silica?
For windows silica is just fine. But glass made from other chemical compositions offers a panoply of unexpected properties. For example, there are "bioactive glasses" that can be used to repair human bones. These glasses eventually dissolve when their work is done. On the other hand, Day has developed glasses which are so insoluble in the body that they are being used to treat cancer by delivering high doses of radiation directly to a tumor site."
Yeah, I've noticed the audio book bit. In the last year I've gotten into audio books thank to Audible for my iPod. I also like to listen in the car, but for that (since I don't bother hooking my iPod up to my car) it requires a CD. Cassettes? I haven't owned a player for years. I certainly have no intention of buying a cassette tape.
But look in a bookstore at the audio book section and it's cassette tapes almost all the way. A few CDs are included, but ypu really have to hunt them down. But who uses cassette players any more, and I'm talking about not only hand-held units but in cars too? Are cassette players even sold in cars any more? They must be, given the state of the market. But I cannot imagine choosing cassette over CD for a car.
"And sometimes, there's nothing like communal awe. Anyone else see a midnight showing of "Return of the King?" You know, the ones that only the hardcore fans went to?"
Well, not quite, but close and it was full of fans, and it was great. And that, in my opinion, is the only reason that will always exist in the theater's favor. There is something amazing about being in a room holding 1,000 Star Wars fans who whoop and yell as the Lucasfilm logo appears. Gives you chills.
But honestly, how many movies fall into that category? Yeah, I'm gonna be there for King Kong when it opens, but a lot of movies are perfectly acceptable at home and without the crowd atmosphere. In fact, the majority are better without the crowds. The only exceptions I can think of in the future will be comedies (it's funnier when hundreds of others are guffawing along with you), and spectacle movies attended by appreciative fans. For those movies, theaters will always have an audience. For the rest? Buh bye.
"wow, didn't take long for your anti mid-america bias to come out. I suspect that you can't cite any stats to back up either of those statements and it simply reflects a personal biggotry of small towns.
No, totally wrong. I love mid-america, and have spent many years living there. But I'm beginning to smell a troll, for if you haven't heard about the major demographic trend hitting America in recent decades, no links will suffice. It's called Google. Check it out.
"And there it is. You're a socialist trying to pretend to ideals of capitalist competition. You'll probably deny that and feign outrage, but if you honestly feel every job in the country should pay a "living wage" then I already know you're a person who has never had to employ another person. "
Wow. Totally wrong again. I sure have employed people, and run companies.
"You're using the terms "job" as a synonym with "career" and that's simply a naive position. Some jobs have a higher value than others. If your job is only worth $2 per hour to your employer, but it costs him $8 to employ you, the math works out pretty easy what's going to happen."
Except WalMart is profitable to an extreme, so they are hardly operating on the edge.
"Since Walmart is your target of choice, let me ask you this. If walmart doesn't pay "living wages", how come I know people who live off their Walmart wages? "
Through the miracle of anecdotal evidence. Of course there are those examples. I never said otherwise or said or implied that all workers suffered like that. But if you deny that there are millions who do have this problem, you need to read more news stories.
"I don't see what was so hard to understand, there's no leap involved, you've stated twice now that you're willing to let government lawyers dictate your opinion on issues of technolgy. Fine. I suspect that only goes as far as they are stating the position you already supported though. (hint: a Finding of Fact statement is a document written by lawyers. the word "fact" in it does not make it gospel, it makes it what lawyers decided on)"
The basis of most humor, even the silly stuff I posted in the parent, is to present the ridiculous with a straight face. I'm perfectly aware of how the real world works, which is why I like to make fun of it with made-up scenarios.
Sadly, the stupid part of personality wrote the above paragraph. The ignorant part is writing this paragraph and hasn't a clue what to say nex--
"What do you base that on? I've always heard the exact opposite, that Walmart overwhelmingly chooses small towns to open stores in. Hence the concern about driving out the "main street" and "mom & pop" stores."
I base this on demographic issues I've read about in recent years. The prairie is dying and people are moving to the suburbs and cities. Thus the number of small towns WalMart can choose is shrinking.
" disagree. I don't think "most" people hate MS or Walmart"
That's not what I meant, but I didn't write it clearly. What I meant is that of those who hate Microsoft or WalMart, most do so for the following reasons...
"If the average walmart job isn't a minimum wager, then they're paying them too much in my opinion. unskilled, uneducated, mindless labor...how much SHOULD that pay?"
How about a living wage instead of creating workers dependant on welfare to get through a month, and who have no health care? I don't care about minimum wage. Some states mandate higher levels since the federal level is not livable. And yes, this applies to all businesses. If they want to create a successful community, and thus have a successful business in the long term, they had better make sure their workers can live in the community. As it is, you and I, through our taxes, partially pay to take care of WalMart workers. That's a crying shame.
"So you're comfortable abdicating your judgement over issues of technology to the governement and lawyers? I assume that means you agree with privacy laws, software patents, DRM, etc? Do you really want to open that can?"
Huh? Come back from the ledge before you make another leap like that. I wasn't saying that at all. I said the Findings of Facts documented the abuse, and it did. I read it. The whole thing. All 150+ pages. Did you?
"So, George, what is it we do here at NIAC? Besides collecting our paychecks, that is? Pass me the corn chips, by the way."
"Well, Bob, think about the title of the place. National Instute of Advanced Concepts. That's a clue, ya think?"
"All right, quit the sarcasm, buddy. Advanced concepts, huh? Like what? How to find the missing laundry sock, or where all my ballpoint pens go?"
"No, Bob, Douglas Adams already solved those mysteries. Nothing advanced about them any more."
"So like what? Here's a concept: Let's give out awards! Like it?"
"Uhhhh....lacks a certain something. Awards shows are a dime a dozen nowadays. Catch the MTV awards the other day?"
"Yeah, what a rush to see the Breakfast Club bunch again. OK, so what if we tweak these awards. Let's give them a funky name that will fool the ignorant. How about the Advanced Awards? Heh, nifty right?"
"Naaah, too obvious. How about the Stupendous Awards?"
"Man, you need to get out more often. No, we need something obscure....wait, I got it. We'll call it the Phase I Awards!"
"What's the Phase I bit about?"
"Beats me, but it sounds intimidating if you don't know better, and that's all that counts in science."
"Hehe, you devil you, I like it. Now that's an advanced concept!"
I started Fun With Headlines a few years back, and with no advertising on my part I was suprised how quickly Google picked me up. Right now I'm about the 5th or 6th result when you search for "fun headlines" and (obviously) the 1st when you search for "fun with headlines." At times I have been the 1st for "fun headlines," and at other times I have been around 10th.
OK, so there aren't that many sites like mine, let alone sites that update daily over a period of years and include their entire archive on the site that grows daily. On the other hand, to my knowledge from doing searches on Google, I have very few site that link to mine, and I thought that counted highly with Google. So basically without trying to game the system, let alone advertise my site (other than incidentally in comments like this), I've been treated really well by Google.
In my case, it must be the longevity issue coupled with the scarcity of sites like mine. It sure ain't the links to my site.
"fly from New York City to Tokyo in a mere six hours"
Little bag of peanuts: Extra
Want a pillow? Should have thought to bring one
Brought a pillow? Sorry, you have to check that.
Please remove all your clothes at the security check. Bend over.
First-class passengers, none of the above apply to you. Please walk the red carpet to your private cabin and enjoy some champagne from your gold-edged crystal. Foot-rub, sir?
Main cabin passengers, where do you think you're going, buster? Get in line! Wait yer turn! You think we want to carry scum like you? Food service? HA! Should have bought a sandwich before you got on board. We only serve food in coach on flights of 6 hours, 1 minute or longer, and this flight is 6 hours even. Sucker.
"I grew up in an area where there was no competion, and I mean NONE. there was one gas station, there was one grocery store, there was one movie theater (one screen). Wal Mart opened a store in town and THEY were the competition to the local monopolies. Suddenly people HAD choices where there were none before."
Indeed, for your small community, WalMart's arrival must have been lots of fun. I totally understand that. Do keep in mind, however, that this sort of small community is increasingly rare, and not the type of place WalMart goes into much any more.
"Just because a business is smaller than another one doesn't imbibe them with any noble qualities."
That is certainly true and well worth remembering.
"So don't confuse personal hatred of WalMart or Microsoft with an unselfish support of free and open markets."
I think most people hate Microsoft and WalMart because of their dirty deeds and how they harm the free and open markets. In fact, it is precisely how they harm the free and open markets that cause people to hate them. Microsoft's damage to the computer industry is well-documented. How WalMart harms society is becoming clearer now (such low wages that people go on public assistance -- that is, you and I pay their wages since WalMart doesn't pay them enough to live on; not really having low prices except on heavily advertised and key items that draw attention; etc.)
"This whole media player argument holds zero water with me. How many times over the PC timeline have we seen some small start up company come out with a product that blew the doors off of the "big boys". Anyone with a PC and a C++ compiler can take on the biggest software companies in the world, and do so on a pretty even playing field."
Given the way the monopolist Microsoft bundles stuff with Windows, and how the average user settles on software that is bundled, it's not even close to being an even playing field. The Findings of Facts in the U.S. vs Microsoft case documented that beyond any doubt, and it was the part that got upheld in the appeals process.
I'll have to take your word on it, and I will, but I have never seen porn on my screen unrequested, or anyone in my family that I've ever heard. You have? OK, I'll trust you.
The problem with Opt-In is it will soon become Opt-Out, and then it will become mandatory, and then the jail times keep getting increased, and so on.
You make a valid point, but mostly when a committee actually tries to sit down and write something. In contrast, soliciting feedback is an author's best friend. The readers of the author's work give comments that might not be valid, but they just might be. Grammatical errors are found, or changes in tone, or just hard to read sections. All of this is very valuable, and the reason editors exist.
This is a way of open-sourcing, so to speak, the editorial process. And as long as the author has final say ("What? That's a stupid suggestion!") it can still read as one person's voice, but a voice that has been refined by many eyes to eliminate the inevitable mistakes.
I found your post to be truly mystifying, and I'm not trying to put you down, but I really don't understand what you are saying.
"You can have your porn. That's not what this law is about at all. It's about letting me choose to block porn at my ISP.
Your potential desire for porn does not trump my freedom. Just because you might want to watch porn doesn't mean I need to allow it into my house. "
So don't allow it into your house. Why do you need the ISP to take over your own sense of responsibility? Do you not trust yourself not to download porn? Or do you not trust any children you might have? Well, that's a moral issue for you then. But that's the only way porn gets into your house, if you ask for it. The ISP does not force porn down its wires to your house -- unless you tell them to.
So the status quo works for everyone: If you want porn, you can get it. If you don't want porn, you don't have to get it.
You way sounds worse: If you want porn, you can't have it. If you don't want porn, you can't get it anyway.
Your way effectively forces your moral choices onto society at large. You wouldn't want someone else to do that to you, so why do you want to do that to someone else? All you have to do now is live a moral life and you will never ever see porn on your computer.
"Sure, they figure it out now that I'm married and totally committed, but noooooo, 15 years ago when I was 18 and single no one figured it out."
If I were you, I would go around saying that at least one person figured it out back then, or else you're going to have a frying pan thrown at you tonight...
""The bill will eliminate legal gamesmanship from the current system that rewards lawsuit abuses over creativity,"
Sounds good. Or is this one of those bills where it does the opposite of what it sounds, the way the Clean Skies initiative leads to dirtier skies?
"said Smith, a Texas Republican.
Never mind, I can guess the answer now.
"The Business Software Alliance was quick to praise the bill,"
Well, there's a strike against it.
"saying in a statement that it goes a long way toward "improving patent quality, making sure U.S. law is consistent with that of other major countries and addressing disruptions caused by excessive litigation."
Uh huh. Whenever they trot out the "Let's make sure our laws are consistent with other countries," you know the fix is in.
You want sweeping? Here's sweeping: No software patents. Period. They are already protected under copyright law.
Slashdot Mirror
- Full name
- Home address
- Phone
- Mother's maiden name
- PIN number
- Favorite password
Please send this information to me accompanied by a money order in the amount of $4.95 to cover my processing fees. I will get the confirmation about the tabloid article back to you ASAP.Yeah, how sad is it that poor Microsoft is reduced to grabbing ideas from Apple who grab them from somewhere else.
Is there a difference? Both lead their fields in marketshare, products that seem nice on the surface but make you sick the more you partake of them, and neither wants you to look too closely into how their products are made.
Innovate onward, kind Microsoft!
I hope not. I read Dvorak from 1984 onward when he was in his PC Magazine glory. Fun times, stupid boldfacing of seemingly random characters and all. But man, has this guy gone downhill. Now he seems to be throwing darts at a board labled, "Insult Apple," "Insult Linux," "Insult Random Somebody," and then sit back and wait for the hits. Posting links to /. is to just fall into his lazy scheme.
Let's not make this a regular feature, that's all I'm asking. I know where to find Mr. Dvorak's words, and I know enough not to wander there.
That's been one of the little mysteries in my life. You know you have Friend A and Friend B, and you like them both a lot? Then one day you introduce A to B and realize they don't like each other...at all. Yet you still like A and you still like B.
Some part of your personality is responding to something each of those people has, yet clearly they are each appealing to a different part of your personality, and sometimes those parts don't get along! :)
"But why is that important? What's wrong with glass made of silica?
For windows silica is just fine. But glass made from other chemical compositions offers a panoply of unexpected properties. For example, there are "bioactive glasses" that can be used to repair human bones. These glasses eventually dissolve when their work is done. On the other hand, Day has developed glasses which are so insoluble in the body that they are being used to treat cancer by delivering high doses of radiation directly to a tumor site."
Cool beans!
But look in a bookstore at the audio book section and it's cassette tapes almost all the way. A few CDs are included, but ypu really have to hunt them down. But who uses cassette players any more, and I'm talking about not only hand-held units but in cars too? Are cassette players even sold in cars any more? They must be, given the state of the market. But I cannot imagine choosing cassette over CD for a car.
Me: (Swooning to the ground) THUD!
Me: Getting up, looking at that sentence again...THUD!
Me: Lying on the ground, having that sentence reverberate through my mind...Head goes THUD!
Well, not quite, but close and it was full of fans, and it was great. And that, in my opinion, is the only reason that will always exist in the theater's favor. There is something amazing about being in a room holding 1,000 Star Wars fans who whoop and yell as the Lucasfilm logo appears. Gives you chills.
But honestly, how many movies fall into that category? Yeah, I'm gonna be there for King Kong when it opens, but a lot of movies are perfectly acceptable at home and without the crowd atmosphere. In fact, the majority are better without the crowds. The only exceptions I can think of in the future will be comedies (it's funnier when hundreds of others are guffawing along with you), and spectacle movies attended by appreciative fans. For those movies, theaters will always have an audience. For the rest? Buh bye.
We're never going to agree on this. You keep misconstruing my words, and you feel I'm missing your points too. So I wish you well and walk away.
No, totally wrong. I love mid-america, and have spent many years living there. But I'm beginning to smell a troll, for if you haven't heard about the major demographic trend hitting America in recent decades, no links will suffice. It's called Google. Check it out.
"And there it is. You're a socialist trying to pretend to ideals of capitalist competition. You'll probably deny that and feign outrage, but if you honestly feel every job in the country should pay a "living wage" then I already know you're a person who has never had to employ another person. "
Wow. Totally wrong again. I sure have employed people, and run companies.
"You're using the terms "job" as a synonym with "career" and that's simply a naive position. Some jobs have a higher value than others. If your job is only worth $2 per hour to your employer, but it costs him $8 to employ you, the math works out pretty easy what's going to happen."
Except WalMart is profitable to an extreme, so they are hardly operating on the edge.
"Since Walmart is your target of choice, let me ask you this. If walmart doesn't pay "living wages", how come I know people who live off their Walmart wages? "
Through the miracle of anecdotal evidence. Of course there are those examples. I never said otherwise or said or implied that all workers suffered like that. But if you deny that there are millions who do have this problem, you need to read more news stories.
"I don't see what was so hard to understand, there's no leap involved, you've stated twice now that you're willing to let government lawyers dictate your opinion on issues of technolgy. Fine. I suspect that only goes as far as they are stating the position you already supported though. (hint: a Finding of Fact statement is a document written by lawyers. the word "fact" in it does not make it gospel, it makes it what lawyers decided on)"
Not even Microsoft denied those facts.
Sadly, the stupid part of personality wrote the above paragraph. The ignorant part is writing this paragraph and hasn't a clue what to say nex--
I base this on demographic issues I've read about in recent years. The prairie is dying and people are moving to the suburbs and cities. Thus the number of small towns WalMart can choose is shrinking.
" disagree. I don't think "most" people hate MS or Walmart"
That's not what I meant, but I didn't write it clearly. What I meant is that of those who hate Microsoft or WalMart, most do so for the following reasons...
"If the average walmart job isn't a minimum wager, then they're paying them too much in my opinion. unskilled, uneducated, mindless labor...how much SHOULD that pay?"
How about a living wage instead of creating workers dependant on welfare to get through a month, and who have no health care? I don't care about minimum wage. Some states mandate higher levels since the federal level is not livable. And yes, this applies to all businesses. If they want to create a successful community, and thus have a successful business in the long term, they had better make sure their workers can live in the community. As it is, you and I, through our taxes, partially pay to take care of WalMart workers. That's a crying shame.
"So you're comfortable abdicating your judgement over issues of technology to the governement and lawyers? I assume that means you agree with privacy laws, software patents, DRM, etc? Do you really want to open that can?"
Huh? Come back from the ledge before you make another leap like that. I wasn't saying that at all. I said the Findings of Facts documented the abuse, and it did. I read it. The whole thing. All 150+ pages. Did you?
"Well, Bob, think about the title of the place. National Instute of Advanced Concepts. That's a clue, ya think?"
"All right, quit the sarcasm, buddy. Advanced concepts, huh? Like what? How to find the missing laundry sock, or where all my ballpoint pens go?"
"No, Bob, Douglas Adams already solved those mysteries. Nothing advanced about them any more."
"So like what? Here's a concept: Let's give out awards! Like it?"
"Uhhhh....lacks a certain something. Awards shows are a dime a dozen nowadays. Catch the MTV awards the other day?"
"Yeah, what a rush to see the Breakfast Club bunch again. OK, so what if we tweak these awards. Let's give them a funky name that will fool the ignorant. How about the Advanced Awards? Heh, nifty right?"
"Naaah, too obvious. How about the Stupendous Awards?"
"Man, you need to get out more often. No, we need something obscure....wait, I got it. We'll call it the Phase I Awards!"
"What's the Phase I bit about?"
"Beats me, but it sounds intimidating if you don't know better, and that's all that counts in science."
"Hehe, you devil you, I like it. Now that's an advanced concept!"
"Pass me the beer, willya"
OK, so there aren't that many sites like mine, let alone sites that update daily over a period of years and include their entire archive on the site that grows daily. On the other hand, to my knowledge from doing searches on Google, I have very few site that link to mine, and I thought that counted highly with Google. So basically without trying to game the system, let alone advertise my site (other than incidentally in comments like this), I've been treated really well by Google.
In my case, it must be the longevity issue coupled with the scarcity of sites like mine. It sure ain't the links to my site.
Little bag of peanuts: Extra
Want a pillow? Should have thought to bring one
Brought a pillow? Sorry, you have to check that.
Please remove all your clothes at the security check. Bend over.
First-class passengers, none of the above apply to you. Please walk the red carpet to your private cabin and enjoy some champagne from your gold-edged crystal. Foot-rub, sir?
Main cabin passengers, where do you think you're going, buster? Get in line! Wait yer turn! You think we want to carry scum like you? Food service? HA! Should have bought a sandwich before you got on board. We only serve food in coach on flights of 6 hours, 1 minute or longer, and this flight is 6 hours even. Sucker.
Indeed, for your small community, WalMart's arrival must have been lots of fun. I totally understand that. Do keep in mind, however, that this sort of small community is increasingly rare, and not the type of place WalMart goes into much any more.
"Just because a business is smaller than another one doesn't imbibe them with any noble qualities."
That is certainly true and well worth remembering.
"So don't confuse personal hatred of WalMart or Microsoft with an unselfish support of free and open markets."
I think most people hate Microsoft and WalMart because of their dirty deeds and how they harm the free and open markets. In fact, it is precisely how they harm the free and open markets that cause people to hate them. Microsoft's damage to the computer industry is well-documented. How WalMart harms society is becoming clearer now (such low wages that people go on public assistance -- that is, you and I pay their wages since WalMart doesn't pay them enough to live on; not really having low prices except on heavily advertised and key items that draw attention; etc.)
"This whole media player argument holds zero water with me. How many times over the PC timeline have we seen some small start up company come out with a product that blew the doors off of the "big boys". Anyone with a PC and a C++ compiler can take on the biggest software companies in the world, and do so on a pretty even playing field."
Given the way the monopolist Microsoft bundles stuff with Windows, and how the average user settles on software that is bundled, it's not even close to being an even playing field. The Findings of Facts in the U.S. vs Microsoft case documented that beyond any doubt, and it was the part that got upheld in the appeals process.
The problem with Opt-In is it will soon become Opt-Out, and then it will become mandatory, and then the jail times keep getting increased, and so on.
This is a way of open-sourcing, so to speak, the editorial process. And as long as the author has final say ("What? That's a stupid suggestion!") it can still read as one person's voice, but a voice that has been refined by many eyes to eliminate the inevitable mistakes.
"You can have your porn. That's not what this law is about at all. It's about letting me choose to block porn at my ISP.
Your potential desire for porn does not trump my freedom. Just because you might want to watch porn doesn't mean I need to allow it into my house. "
So don't allow it into your house. Why do you need the ISP to take over your own sense of responsibility? Do you not trust yourself not to download porn? Or do you not trust any children you might have? Well, that's a moral issue for you then. But that's the only way porn gets into your house, if you ask for it. The ISP does not force porn down its wires to your house -- unless you tell them to.
So the status quo works for everyone: If you want porn, you can get it. If you don't want porn, you don't have to get it.
You way sounds worse: If you want porn, you can't have it. If you don't want porn, you can't get it anyway.
Your way effectively forces your moral choices onto society at large. You wouldn't want someone else to do that to you, so why do you want to do that to someone else? All you have to do now is live a moral life and you will never ever see porn on your computer.
If I were you, I would go around saying that at least one person figured it out back then, or else you're going to have a frying pan thrown at you tonight...
Sounds good. Or is this one of those bills where it does the opposite of what it sounds, the way the Clean Skies initiative leads to dirtier skies?
"said Smith, a Texas Republican.
Never mind, I can guess the answer now.
"The Business Software Alliance was quick to praise the bill,"
Well, there's a strike against it.
"saying in a statement that it goes a long way toward "improving patent quality, making sure U.S. law is consistent with that of other major countries and addressing disruptions caused by excessive litigation."
Uh huh. Whenever they trot out the "Let's make sure our laws are consistent with other countries," you know the fix is in.
You want sweeping? Here's sweeping: No software patents. Period. They are already protected under copyright law.
Oh, so you're the one. Cut it out!
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