Posts by Thorne

Re: I'm wondering ...

"I have no problem with some sort of electronic ID for paying for meals, but I can't see why she has to ware it all of the time, nor do I see why it should EVER have been something related to visiting the bathroom."

The most obvious reason for the bathroom is to keep people who shouldn't be at the school out of the bathrooms. Ex students, drug dealers, creepy old men, Westbo Baptist Church members etc

Re: No...

"For every patent that has a million lines of code, I'd pretty sure I can dig up a few thousand that I could write in under a thousand lines. I've got no issue with the system protecting ideas which are innovative and which takes significant development time, but some of the concepts being patented by Apple, such as UI list bounce are probably about a hour's coding for a graduate, and 5 minutes coding for an experienced developer. As an approach it is not even that novel and has many parallels in "real life" experience, but that't a whole different topic ;)"

The problem is not complexity but simplicity. Nobody patents millions of lines of code as anybody can change it and bypass the patent but currently you can patent A + B = C and use it to screw the rest of the world

Re: System not broken, but IS being abused!

The American patent system also allows the patenting of genes so a company can find the gene for a cancer and then screw anyone who tries to make a cure.

Re: Seems like an easy fix.

"Wrong.

After 30 years of work, I've just invented a portable cold fusion device. To build a working device based on my details will cost £10m for the 1st prototype.

So now what?

A) Hand over plans to megacorp and get screwed over?

B) Throw plans in bin

c) Give lifetime work away free?"

or

d) go onto Kickstarter and crowdsource

e) find some investors

Whats the point of havinging an investion that you cannot realise? Great you have a patent for cold fusion, now either make it or get out of the way and let someone else. Don't patent the idea and sit there screwing everyone else who tries.

Re: Seems like an easy fix.

In Australia, you cannot patent an idea once it's in the market. You need the patents in place before you sell.

The way to fix it is to stop the transfering of the rights to own. You can sell and transfer the rights to use but not the rights to own. This way trolls cannot buy up patents for the sole purpose of suing everyone.

It doesn't however solve the problem of troll companies patenting ideas that they will never make so they can sue people who do make it.

Re: Carbon Neutral

"How do you harvest and get the waste do you get the biomass to the generating station ?"

Whats the generating station made of? Recycled timber? No concrete and steel.

Ok growing a tree and burning could be neutral but only if we're living in said tree and didn't have to transport said wood so unless we're going back to living in trees it's not viable.

I'm sick to death of the city dwelling lefties who stick a solar cell on the roof and recycle their rubblish and then think they've saved the world and this entitles them to tell everyone how to live their lives.

News Flash! You've made SFA difference. Your solar cells used more energy mining, manufacturing and transporting them from China than they will ever return. When they don't work you switch back to coal/oil/gas/nuclear. Your recycled rubbish mostly gets dumped because it's cheaper to make stuff from new. Your protest protecting native forest has stopped selecting logging and has led to massive forestry monocultures of foreign species such as pine which poisons the soil so very little can grow to compete against it. You protest against wind farm blighting the scenery and dam blocking the waterways. You sit in McDonalds, drinking a "Fair Trade" latte and watching KONY 2012 on your iPad and think if everyone was like you, the world's problems would be solved.

Re: Dear Sirs

At which the applicant will respond "But Mum, I'm on a raid. Can't it wait?"

Re: @LarsG "An indirect form of child abuse.........." When I was a very little chap..........

And us Australians know of the honorable Richard Face.

Bet he got hell going through school

Re: Legal age to vote used to be 18

"This 17 year old kid is clearly not mature enough to make important decisions on his own."

I was never that stupid.

I would give a kidney to my child but never swap for the latest piece of iCrap. If he held onto his kidney he could have got an ipad2. Longer still an ipad3 and even longer still, got a job and just bought it.

Re: Clearly

Puts a whole new spin to "Talking out your ass"

"Bet it was an android as they are s*** - small - no too many letters ho ho ho."

Well you can take your iPhone and shove it up your.....

"So, is being able to leap tall buildings in one bound in or out?"

Over yes. Off is still fine.