User: Habrok

Re:THIS is Ajax

On: Bosworth On Why AJAX Failed, Then Succeeded

Actually, this is the original Ajax.

And this is the best Ajax.

The pay enough, don't they?

On: The Role of Prizes In Innovation

If someone will work for the pay on offer, can you really say it is too cheap?
If you find a (good) surgeon willing to save your life for $20, would you decline?

Too me, this seems a very interesting alternative to patents. It certainly seems like the economic incentive is enough to drive innovation quite spectacularly. Of course, participating in one of these contests also give you (or your team) good PR. So if this kind of contest ever became common-place it would probably be necessary to up the prize sums somewhat.

I quote myself from yesterday about the benefits of contests:

1. No costly (and boring) research for prior patents.
2. No costly licensing schemes.
3. No lock-out of small business through cross-licensing agreements.
4. No patent-trolls, everyone must prove their technology.
5. Can be extended to areas where we don't have patents today (like business processes, or UIs, or software (I live in Europe)).
6. Can give incentives to everyone who comes up with a working solution, not just the first out the door.
7. Can be used for directing efforts into non-profitable areas (like medicine for the third world).
8. Taxes are a lesser evil than monopolies (in the amounts we're talking about here).

Godwin's law

On: Norway Outlaws iTunes

Sir, you've just lost this debate.

Anyway, you have absolutely no idea what totalitarianism means. Please, read up on history before you piss on the millions who suffered and died in Gulag.

Re:IP isn't evil. Flawed but not evil.

On: Lack of Innovation in IT Holding Companies Back?

You're saying:

Without IP laws it is virtually impossible to do anything innovative because there is little economic incentive to do anything novel.

and

"Business process" patents are an abomination.

So, we don't need innovative business processes then?
If you buy into the patent lobby's arguments about "providing incentive for innovation" why not for business processes? Are they perfect already? Or are there other economic incentives for developing new business processes? If so, what are these incentives?

Innovation contests, like this one, are certainly a better alternative to patents:

1. No costly (and boring) research for prior patents.
2. No costly licensing schemes.
3. No lock-out of small business through cross-licensing agreements.
4. No patent-trolls, everyone must prove their technology.
5. Can be extended to areas where we don't have patents today (like business processes, or UIs, or software (I live in Europe)).
6. Can give incentives to everyone who comes up with a working solution, not just the first out the door.
7. Can be used for directing efforts into non-profitable areas (like medicine for the third world).
8. Taxes are a lesser evil than monopolies (in the amounts we're talking about here).

Re:So lon as they respect my right ...

On: Microsoft Launches Comical Effort to Fight Piracy

But they're selling at a loss, don't they? So by buying a PS3 you can screw both MS and Sony. It's a win-win really.

Not at all

On: Researchers Work Around Hepatitis Drug Patent

It was "we in academic medicine", not "we in corporate medicine". Academic research is not motivated by profits, or at least, it should not be.

Secondly, you can't really apply demand-supply analysis on life-saving drugs. When it is a matter of life and death (and there isn't any alternative product), the demand is infinite.

Thirdly, it is quite possible to provide economic (and other) incentives to researchers, even without patents.

You know, there's a reason why doctors take the hippocratic oath. Medical researchers should do well to remember those reasons.

Hagbard says....

On: Genetic Reason for Your Gadget Habit

Actually, as anyone who knows their Illuminatus! would know, this genetic variation was first noted in the Atlanteans (Gruad, The Freedom Party, etc).