The patent is for an authorization system to enable the execution of specific software. With iTunes and every other DRM, the authorization is to access the content, not execute software code. There is quite a difference.
Interesting distinction. You're right, it doesn't seem like Apple violates this specific patent with iTunes- but what about Valve's Steam? You know, where the user has to authenticate before they can execute the code of the game they just purchased??
Looks like my HalfLife 2 CDs have at least some chance of becoming coasters relatively soon... =( Well, barring some sort of nasty licensing agreement, anyway.
The PC Market seems to have become devoid of RPGs as of late, which is unfortunate, but there's still the console realm...
No, I won't recommend Final Fantasy. But I will recommend Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, for PS2. Good story. If you've played any of the Persona games (PS 1), then you'll be comforted to know this is by the same people who did that.
Just avoid Square Enix and you should be fine, when it comes to console RPGs....
There's a fairly easy problem in physics. It's called the two-body problem. In it, you model (or predict) the motion of two objects in space as dictated by the force of gravity.
It's based on the Newtonian equation for gravity, which is that the force of gravity acting on two objects is proportional to the square of their distances. To put this more simply, the force of gravity between two objects gets drastically weaker as they are moved farther away.
All that being said, the main thrust of the book is apparently related to the three-or-more body problem. In it, the same basic equation is used. But since every body is being influenced by every other body, which are in turn being influenced by every other body, it gets very messy. Well-nigh uncalculateable, at least by people. The calculus just becomes too complex.
Fortunately, the two-body problem establishes a good enough model, allowing for us to model the motion of planets in our solar system, so long as we take into account that there's some wobble we have to throw in.
Now, I know this didn't explicitly cover the math, but basically, the book takes all of what I just said and builds it up from very basic to very complex mathematics.
Well, that depends on how large and pointy your tinfoil hat is, now doesn't it?
Ostensibly, they're probably doing this as a counter-terrorism effort--after all, you could certainly glean a lot from such imagery, such as what areas would make good targets.
Of course, a good topographic map would provide most of the same "tactical" information...
Now, to the tinfoil-- an earlier poster mentioned that the press uses a lot of this information in its everyday operation. Certainly by restricting it, you could hide your Scary Government Project! To go further, the original poster suggests that all maps could be subject to such censoring- meaning new maps would have to be based off of old ones, combined with old-fashioned surveying.
Of course...if the government built something and didn't want you to know about it...and they used this act to keep it off of the maps...
0_o
(Note: I'm sort of being facetious. I'm not really a conspiracy nut, I swear.)
From the article: "This particular employee, who has been here for a very long time, has extensive knowledge of proprietary and confidential information," said Brian Ziel, a Seagate spokesman. "We believe he will inevitably disclose some of that proprietary information that he has gained through working at Seagate."
Technology always leaves us with these fascinating situations. In the Good Old Days(tm), an apprentice would work under a master for a number of years. When he left, what he had learned was known as "experience".
Now, it seems to me the company is claiming this man's knowledge as corporate property. By denying him the right to seek employment elsewhere, they are effectively saying that not just the patented information this man knows is the company's, byut also, that the thinking processes and hands-on experience that come with 17 years of work in some way belong to the company as well. Which is utterly ridiculous.
If he was stupid enough to sign a non-compete, then he's probably stuck. But to claim that every method this man could use is proprietary to Seagate is stupid. Really, really stupid.
Anyone familiar with old-school Gundam will recognize this as a very old idea. In the series, asteroids were brought in to close orbit around Earth and mined for He-3.
Of course, it was also this high-energy density material that allowed for the creation of mecha, as well as all sorts of exotic space-metals.
In any case, this is an old and well-documented idea. =D
The problem we have here is the same problem that those of us who work in the tech industry face: the people in charge ultimately fail to understand the technology. You've got to remember that everything your congressman has heard has been summarized and packaged, probably by several lobbyists.
The fact is that legislation alone cannot stop spam. The truly nefarious spammers already break the law and set up drone machines to do their dirty work! The sad thing is, anyone on/. has the intelligence to realize this--those in charge are too stupid or greedy to care.
The fight against spam has to involve technology- not to filter out unwanted mail but to combat it at its source. If the government proposed to do that, I'd be happy to send in extra taxes.
Slashdot Mirror
(is good, fast, and cheap impossible?)
Pick two.
No, seriously.
The patent is for an authorization system to enable the execution of specific software. With iTunes and every other DRM, the authorization is to access the content, not execute software code. There is quite a difference.
Interesting distinction. You're right, it doesn't seem like Apple violates this specific patent with iTunes- but what about Valve's Steam? You know, where the user has to authenticate before they can execute the code of the game they just purchased??
Looks like my HalfLife 2 CDs have at least some chance of becoming coasters relatively soon... =( Well, barring some sort of nasty licensing agreement, anyway.
[character looks at camera, shocked; cue 60s protest music]
You forgot one critical element...
Sam: Oh boy...
[zoom out. cut to commercial]
The PC Market seems to have become devoid of RPGs as of late, which is unfortunate, but there's still the console realm...
No, I won't recommend Final Fantasy. But I will recommend Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, for PS2. Good story. If you've played any of the Persona games (PS 1), then you'll be comforted to know this is by the same people who did that.
Just avoid Square Enix and you should be fine, when it comes to console RPGs....
Oh, sweet lord, why am I bereft of mod points??
This is one of the first posts I've ever seen to be actually worthy of the descriptor "Insightful"
If there's any justice, you'll be modded. Up.
Does this mean that AT&T is going to invade Poland?
Ok, a little layman summary:
There's a fairly easy problem in physics. It's called the two-body problem. In it, you model (or predict) the motion of two objects in space as dictated by the force of gravity.
It's based on the Newtonian equation for gravity, which is that the force of gravity acting on two objects is proportional to the square of their distances. To put this more simply, the force of gravity between two objects gets drastically weaker as they are moved farther away.
All that being said, the main thrust of the book is apparently related to the three-or-more body problem. In it, the same basic equation is used. But since every body is being influenced by every other body, which are in turn being influenced by every other body, it gets very messy. Well-nigh uncalculateable, at least by people. The calculus just becomes too complex.
Fortunately, the two-body problem establishes a good enough model, allowing for us to model the motion of planets in our solar system, so long as we take into account that there's some wobble we have to throw in.
Now, I know this didn't explicitly cover the math, but basically, the book takes all of what I just said and builds it up from very basic to very complex mathematics.
Or thats my understanding, anyway.
Well, that depends on how large and pointy your tinfoil hat is, now doesn't it?
Ostensibly, they're probably doing this as a counter-terrorism effort--after all, you could certainly glean a lot from such imagery, such as what areas would make good targets.
Of course, a good topographic map would provide most of the same "tactical" information...
Now, to the tinfoil-- an earlier poster mentioned that the press uses a lot of this information in its everyday operation. Certainly by restricting it, you could hide your Scary Government Project! To go further, the original poster suggests that all maps could be subject to such censoring- meaning new maps would have to be based off of old ones, combined with old-fashioned surveying.
Of course...if the government built something and didn't want you to know about it...and they used this act to keep it off of the maps...
0_o
(Note: I'm sort of being facetious. I'm not really a conspiracy nut, I swear.)
From the article: "This particular employee, who has been here for a very long time, has extensive knowledge of proprietary and confidential information," said Brian Ziel, a Seagate spokesman. "We believe he will inevitably disclose some of that proprietary information that he has gained through working at Seagate."
Technology always leaves us with these fascinating situations. In the Good Old Days(tm), an apprentice would work under a master for a number of years. When he left, what he had learned was known as "experience".
Now, it seems to me the company is claiming this man's knowledge as corporate property. By denying him the right to seek employment elsewhere, they are effectively saying that not just the patented information this man knows is the company's, byut also, that the thinking processes and hands-on experience that come with 17 years of work in some way belong to the company as well. Which is utterly ridiculous.
If he was stupid enough to sign a non-compete, then he's probably stuck. But to claim that every method this man could use is proprietary to Seagate is stupid. Really, really stupid.
Anyone familiar with old-school Gundam will recognize this as a very old idea. In the series, asteroids were brought in to close orbit around Earth and mined for He-3.
Of course, it was also this high-energy density material that allowed for the creation of mecha, as well as all sorts of exotic space-metals.
In any case, this is an old and well-documented idea. =D
The problem we have here is the same problem that those of us who work in the tech industry face: the people in charge ultimately fail to understand the technology. You've got to remember that everything your congressman has heard has been summarized and packaged, probably by several lobbyists.
/. has the intelligence to realize this--those in charge are too stupid or greedy to care.
The fact is that legislation alone cannot stop spam. The truly nefarious spammers already break the law and set up drone machines to do their dirty work! The sad thing is, anyone on
The fight against spam has to involve technology- not to filter out unwanted mail but to combat it at its source. If the government proposed to do that, I'd be happy to send in extra taxes.