Daily Archives: September 20, 2012


It's been obvious for a long time that the US Patent and Trademark doesn't…

It's been obvious for a long time that the US Patent and Trademark doesn't have the resources or wherewithal to properly examine most patent applications. The result has been a deluge of patents being awarded for "ideas" that are overly broad, vague or just not novel. 

Worse still, third parties that were not directly involved in infringement cases were not legally allowed to challenge the validity of a patent. That has now changed and Google, Stack Exchange and the USPTO have teamed up to provide a platform for collaborative discussion and prior art submission to challenge patents. Let's hope that those with the necessary knowledge get involved and start bringing down some of these patents. 

If enough bad patents can get invalidated before they come to litigation, perhaps it will reduce the incentive for filing them in the first place. 

Open Season on Patents Starts Thursday, Thanks to Crowdsourced Platform | Threat Level | Wired.com
Thanks to a change in U.S. patent law, citizens can now help challenge patents before they are issued — and a collaboration between the Patent Office, Stack Exchange and Google hope to turn the power…

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+Felix Salmon gets it entirely right in this piece about how journalism is changing…

+Felix Salmon gets it entirely right in this piece about how journalism is changing and must change. It used to be that journalism was largely a one-way feed with the writers spewing forth their words and the occasional cranky reader writing back to the editor. 

Today's technology and means of distribution turns that on its head, because the scarcity imposed by the physical publishing platform has been supplanted by nearly free platforms that are accessible to all. That means that anyone with an opinion, knowledgable or otherwise can put it out there. 

The old-fashioned writers and frankly even a lot of bloggers just arrange and regurgitate the "facts" as they hear them. The most valuable journalists today spend as much or more time reading what others write and then provide analysis and context that helps their readers to understand what it all means. They also call BS when it's required.

That's what I've always tried to provide in my own writing. I'm not always correct and I admit it when I mess up but at least to try to provide some insight. 

Teaching journalists to read
I found myself at 7:45 this morning in a very posh Upper East Side club, being offered an array of ties to choose from before being allowed upstairs to take my seat between Nicholas Lemann and Victor …

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"Once the 2.0-liter fourcylinder engine kicks in, you have 188 horsepower at…

"Once the 2.0-liter fourcylinder engine kicks in, you have 188 horsepower at your disposal. It may weigh around 3,600 pounds, but the Hybrid is a bit like a puppy. It feels eager, which is something I've never really felt from a hybrid before."

High praise from +Jalopnik for the #2013FordFusion  

Ford Fusion Hybrid: Looks Like An Aston Martin And Isn’t Boring To Drive
A zoo in Russia recently had the pleasure of welcoming the first Liliger into the world. It’s a hybrid of a Lion and Liger, but it isn’t really either.

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Very nice collection of machines with Shelby DNA on +Jalopnik 

Very nice collection of machines with Shelby DNA on +Jalopnik 

Also a big thumbs up for changing the format of these daily "ten best" lists to a single page instead of the old click-through to artificially elevate the page count configuration. Hopefully other sites will start following +Nick Denton's lead on this.

Our Ten Favorite Shelbys of All Time
How did a lanky chicken farmer from Texas become the most recognizable speed merchant in America? By building some of the rawest performance machines ever made.

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The first of what's going to be a wave of #2013FordFusion  reviews are getting… 2

The first of what's going to be a wave of #2013FordFusion  reviews are getting posted. It looks like +Ford Motor Company has a winner

Early Reviews of the 2013 Fusion are Coming In and It’s a Hit! « 2013 Ford Fusion Story
This week, journalists are getting their first opportunity to climb behind the wheel of the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion at drive events in Los Angeles and San Francisco and early reviews are starting to …

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Michael Karesh of TrueDelta was impressed by the handling of the #2013FordFusion… 14

Michael Karesh of TrueDelta was impressed by the handling of the #2013FordFusion   "The new Fusion, in contrast, actually comes alive when hustled" unlike most of its competitors. 

Ford Fusion Review: Michael’s Pros and Cons
Ford Fusion reviews by TrueDelta’s own Michael Karesh. He describes the pros and cons of the Ford Fusion and compares it to a competing vehicle.

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